www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Hello All,

A friend and I after many visits and years have decided to give an Export/Import business a shot in CR. I was hoping for advice/Ideas from friends on this site who live down there permanently.
I know from research , visits, internet and word of mouth that this will not be easy. Please spare from telling me we will fail as we know there is great risk involved and if we fail so be it. We want to give it a shot and try something new. We do have the corporation set up/Lawyers etc along with a few ideas on what to export.

What I was hoping for from this post are ideas on what CR could use that you notice is missing or very high priced. No item is too small or large. We are aware of the taxes/fees etc on items .

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Black Angus Beef.............send some to Colombia while you are at it.

One category comes to mind... ladies bath and beauty items (fancy soaps, cremes, make-up, hair care, etc.). Relatively inexpensive in the US, but much more expensive in most Latin American countries. The goods are simple and uncomplicated... no moving parts or electronic components... nothing to break (if packed securely ) Find a reliable inexpensive source, and sell it for 4 or 5 times what you paid for it. Not sure how much duty is paid on imports like that in CR... but that is one aspect you'll need to consider when determining profitability.

_________________
Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

I always thought the miniature carts that they make in the manner of an old painted OX Cart http://www.costaricaphotos.com/v/Arts_Crafts/OxCarts/ would be a great import items as many travelers buy them in kit form. I am not sure how widely they are available in the U.S. but I certainly see them as one possible item. Other than that the stables like coffee. One off the wall idea would be pure Costa Rican Sea Salt. I watched a program about some gal that started doing it in Spain and ended up with a nice shop with flavored sea salt and other items. I think you need the proper conditions, fields to harvest it etc., but it might be worth a look.

_________________
“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

CR is so expensive there arent many real opportunities to export to the US but many things are overpriced in CR, take the Ipods and Playstations, they go for roughly double retail in the US so three times what your cost as a wholesaler might be.
Although you will have duties etc.

I've purchased Cocobolo (Rosewood) salad bowl sets as wedding gifts and they sell for about twice the price in the U.S. as in Costa Rica.
Obviously shipping costs would be an issue since they are not small, compact items. Plus it wouldn't surprise me if the U.S. had some special import duties on tropical hardwoods.

_________________
It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

I agree on the wooden items as an export option... I came across a piece wood that I wanted to make a coffee table out of... the cost to ship it home was huge
To the OP you seem to have your head in this good luck.... there is a bussiness for sale on CL CR
that deals with imported apliancses (sp) ....Stoves and the like, might be a good person to have a chat with... or maybe not
Once again good luck, you are a brave man

Abercrombie and Fitch clothes, the ticos and ticas just love it.

Anything Victorias Secret - the cosmetic products, ropa interior, and lingerie are a frequent request from the chicas.

Actually a small shop in Mall San Pedro or calle amergura would do very well with hot ticas working and selling off season Abercrombie and Fitch, Victoria's secret, Hollister. Would need to get wholesale or clearance from Florida, but the ticos and especially ticas will shell out the shekels for the clothes and MTV look.

You need to sell a shit load of VS stuff to fill a container... my order comes in an over sized envelope

Thanks to everyone for some great suggestions. Keep them coming if anyone else has ideas.

High quality bath towels, bedsheets, bedspreads, tablecloths, etc. Door Thresholds to keep the rain and bugs from coming in under the door. Better quality toilet paper.

Propane grills - small ones of good quality.

High Quality 4-6 person Hottub/Jaccuzzi Spas - not the inside lounge bathtubs with a few jets.

American style shoes - shoes like Nike are already here -- Clarks, Sperry Topsiders, Johnston & Murphy, etc- the old guy brands that are unavailable in CR.

Summer's Eve and similar feminine products. Pads and Tampons are about all that I've seen. Chi and similar shampoos and conditioners (for black hair). All that I've seen is cheap stuff in the stores. (HyperMart may have changed this) Similar bath lotions and talcs such as you can find in the US specialty stores we guys typically pass by. US high end brands of womens purses, belts, etc. Costume Jewelry that does not look like it's hand-made. The hand-made stuff is already here.

Huntington Learning centers to tutor and finish educating the smarter Ticas and Ticos. If they also teach young chicas the English Language AND grammar, we gringos could keep several teachers busy educating our favoritas, novias and espousas.

Self moving businesses such as U-Haul. Can you imagine the Ticos installing a trailer hitch on a little Hyundai and pulling a trailer that is bigger than the car.

Automobile shiny rims (spinners). Can you imagine that same Hyundai with Spinners - pulling a U-Haul ?!? Muy Tico!

But the all time best------- A Krispy Kreme donut shop between the Del Rey and the Presidente hotel. Just imagine the chicas stopping by on their return to the selection stage to get a sweet taste in their mouth. Think about using the red neon sign "Hot Sweet Buns" when the Donuts first come out of the cooker. Or should it be "Dulce Caliente Bollos" ???? Seems to miss something in translation. Maybe "Dulce Caliente Culos"
Tribute to MadHatter - his idea. We called Kripy Kreme.

Call on me anytime you want suggestions on how you can spend your $$. I have plenty of ideas on how we can put you and your money to work. Hell I bet I can tell you what you need to do with your life even better than a wife can do. Maybe Not.

_________________
Slut Puppy in Training

Is low self esteem a prerequisite for being a good Ho or is it a result? ;-)

Rolaids! - Searched high and low, can't find them. A must-pack item for each trip.

These are high priced because the vendor does not officially license the product for sale in CR. Nothing drives the price up like a grey market. Hell got each new version of the iPhone by renewing my AT&T contract and $200 but sold the old phones in CR for $700.