Online business

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NannaJo
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Location: Lincolnshire

Online business

Postby NannaJo » Wed Jul 25, 2018 8:49 am

Hello all, im new to the forum and at the beginning of planning a move to spain. Is there anyone here that runs an etsy shop ?
I make stationery items for events and i was wandering if it is feasable to make it in spain and post it to the uk ? We Need to bridge the gap before getting a pension. We do have savings but doubt it will be enough to last us 14 years ! Lol :)

pensure1988
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Location: Estepona

Re: Online business

Postby pensure1988 » Wed Jul 25, 2018 8:56 am

Good Morning

Welcome to the forum. Yes there is, see link

https://www.etsy.com/market/spain

David

BENIDORM
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Re: Online business

Postby BENIDORM » Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:33 am

Hello and Welcome,
Until retirement I had online 'shops' and it is viable to operate from Spain and you could continue to run your existing business by just changing your dispatch address and I would suggest that you factor some of the postal costs into your product price and then continue to charge the same postage as from the UK.
You do have to be aware that you are liable for tax/ social security payments to be 'legal', I did conform with this but I've been in business in Spain for many years but I'm aware that many others do Ebay etc without declaring anything, it's up to you to decide if it's worth the risk !!
Good Luck !

Regards,
Gordon

NannaJo
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Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Online business

Postby NannaJo » Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:45 am

Hi David, thank you.
Gordon, yes i will register i dont want to be hiding anything. That is very helpful information. I already have an etsy shop which is doing ok (only started it 2 months ago) so that is great I can continue to build it up and just transfer my address.

Regards
Jo

BENIDORM
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Re: Online business

Postby BENIDORM » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:53 am

Jo,
Can I suggest that you contact a Gestor ( pronounced hes tor ) when you arrive they are not expensive and can set you up properly, the social security payment is quite high but I think good value, you will get health and other benefits and of course when you have paid at least 1 year you should qualify for a Spanish pension, ( not much..but every little helps ) and you would be in the system ,someting I feel very important...
You could also look at expanding your business using other selling platforms, such as Ebay-Facebook etc....

If you need any more info., please feel free to contact me, I don't know everything but I've had a good number of years working experience.

Regards,
Gordon

NannaJo
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Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Online business

Postby NannaJo » Wed Jul 25, 2018 12:58 pm

Hi Gordon thank you so much for the information. Thats sounds fantastic. I Had no idea we could get healthcare or even a tiny pension ! My day just gets better ! Praying for my house to sell here In the uk

Jo

Gasman
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Location: Huelva province

Re: Online business

Postby Gasman » Wed Jul 25, 2018 11:20 pm

You would probably register as an Autonomo - ie self-employed - and there is a special regime for that for paying/reclaiming quarterly IVA - VAT to you - and social security payments ... as Gordon says, not cheap, but a lot better organised these days than it used to be. You really do need a Gestor to fill in your quarterly returns, advise on what to declare and how to go about it, and any wheezes you can pull to help offset costs etc, AND they will send in all the forms duly completed direct to the tax office for you.
If you have a work record in the UK, or other EU countries, that is put together with your few years of contributions in Spain, to assess whether you can claim a spanish pension, as well as the UK or other pension, and how much it would be.
Your priority is to get into the spanish work-social-pension system ASAP, but only if you can afford it out of your profits ! Remember that once tax-resident in Spain, Spain expects to tax you on all your worldwide income - what, if anything, you used to pay/declare in the UK, will not now be paid to the UK tax office, but be considered in Spain ...
When you have decided where you want to base yourself in spain, get in touch and perhaps someone local to your area can help with recommending an English speaking Gestor to help you out - unless of course your spanish is already superb?

As an aside, if you are into arts and crafts etc, there are some very good outlets in Spain, but remember to check out your local Chinese Bazaar as they often have an excellent range for these things ... at very good prices too!

NannaJo
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Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 7:00 am
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Online business

Postby NannaJo » Fri Jul 27, 2018 8:27 am

Oh crikey, thats great about the outlets. Ive done further research and sadly the postage is more expensive than my product :( so thats out of the window. We are coming out to spain in september for a good look around the region would be great to meet some ex pats who love it there ! ?

Jo

BENIDORM
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Re: Online business

Postby BENIDORM » Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:16 am

Good Morning Jo,
Whatever you decide to do in Spain it's important to remember that you need to adapt your lifestyle/ambitions etc and for any business ventures I believe that it's essential to look at all angles, for instance you mention the postage cost ,you just need to adjust your ideas to suit a broader market.
I very successfully reached a world market for the goods that I was selling, but I also had a good client base in Spain so--- much thought and research is important !.
You will be able to get many good tips from members of the forum such as the info posted by Gasman....

If you want to meet up with 'expats' may I suggest that you indicate the area that you will be visiting and concentrate on one area as spending a day here and a day there won't give you a clear picture, Spain is a vast country and very different region to region..

Regards,
Gordon

NannaJo
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Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Online business

Postby NannaJo » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:45 pm

Hi Gordon sorry for my late reply ive been so busy the past few days. We are coming to malaga on the 10 september and going to meet a lady in the coin area that runs a successful business. We are determined to move to spain, but we realise its not going to be straightforward or easy and thats why im researching as much as possible ! i really appreciate all advice :) ive found a way to give us a small income by selling my designs digitally so now i just have to market it :)

Thank you for your time

Jo

Gasman
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Re: Online business

Postby Gasman » Sun Jul 29, 2018 12:04 pm

NannaJo - now selling your designs sounds like a good idea digitally and certainly avoids the postage problem. Do you need to consider copyright and such-like???
Also stick to your original idea, but think about marketing it actually in your local area - especially if you are in a touristy/Expat-frequented area, such as Malaga-Coin - where you may find a customer base. As Gordon says, try locally first and see how it goes, depending on what you find ... all the while investigating other possibilities online.

First thing once you move out here is to get a Gestor, for your business needs, your tax declarations, your residency application and your NIE number. You may get advice on here as to a good one to trust, when you decide where you are going to base yourself.

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spanish_lad
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Re: Online business

Postby spanish_lad » Mon Jul 30, 2018 1:27 pm

Back when the internet first started :lol: I used to buy "lots" of playstation 1 games in the uk, maybe 50 at a time, have them shipped to spain and then re-sell them here.

I tried selling online but postage from spain is ridiculous :(
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

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spanish_lad
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Re: Online business

Postby spanish_lad » Mon Jul 30, 2018 1:39 pm

In the coin area there are several "rastros" - car boot sales where you can have a pitch to sell your stuff - it varies from 5€ per time to 20€ per pitch. Thats what my mum used to do - she made cards / did embroidery and lots of other things - she used to sell out at craft fairs in the UK, but it never really "translated" here - because everyone knows that they can buy stuff in the chinese shops for half the price.

She tried selling via ebay / facebook etc.. but the postage made it impossible.
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.


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