Selling Confectionery UK
Hey dear community!
I am a complete newbie trying to fulfil my dream in becoming a full-time seller on Amazon.
I would like to start selling confectionery - bubble gum, jelly, lollipops, etc. that I buy from cash n carries in the UK and in Europe. Is there anyone who has been doing it for a while and would willing to provide some help?
I know the category is gated, but since I will buy from reputable cash n carries, should be easy to ungate. I am more interested in other areas, see as follows:
- Is it a must to register with the council if selling confectionery (It is a small side hustle from home at the moment)
- What documents I need if it is imported from Europe
- Anything else of importance?
Thanks so much everyone!
36 replies
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Thats a yes
Read the seller university pages before starting
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
There is no such thing as a small side hustle on Amazon. If you are buying something to sell on then you are a business and need to be registered as such with both Amazon and HMRC. You will need to get a UTR (Unique Tax Reference) number from HMRC as your first step and then change the legal entity of your account to a business account (if it isn’t already.)
Another bit of advice, when you are thinking about packaging, consider boxing it in a large-letter sized box to keep your postage to a minimum (you could do worse than look at the ‘Graze’ boxes) rather than those plastic cup things.
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
If the sweets are unwrapped you may need your premises to be checked out by the council too. I know that, if I was buying loose sweets, I wouldn’t want them to have been packed using someone’s bare hands in their back bedroom or whatever!
Did you watch the series of the Apprentice where the woman selling sweets won (think it might have been the year there were 2 winners?) She was renting space and all her packers were wearing protective clothing (hats/gloves etc.) Funnily enough, if Hancocks are based in Croydon I think she was actually renting space there. It would be worth looking that episode up on youtube, not just for that, there may be other stuff you could draw on, she had previously been packaging them in plastic pots and, for her final pitch, had changed to large letter sized boxes.
Seller_Msl1fodAlhG4L
Thanks guys! I will go by the logic if the supplier specifies themselves as trade only or mentions that they only do wholesale - they are ok! If they do sell to public, then I will avoid.
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
I’ve seen posts before where Amazon check out the company house profile of the wholesaler and if it shows the word ‘retail’ on their sic code they won’t allow them
Seller_Msl1fodAlhG4L
Guys thanks so much! Just a quick summary for those reading this tread and looking for a quick answer to my question at the top.
If you want to sell foods (confectionery included) in the UK you will have to register with your local council. Thanks @olderithian for sharing the link https://www.gov.uk/food-business-registration
When looking for suppliers make sure they are wholesalers! @The_Little_Shop suggest to even go as far as to check the companies house sic codes and look out for word ‘retail’.
Thanks so much everyone for your kind help!
Seller_DQUCTWPjSm8fp
I would advise you to look at confectionary prices in supermarkets before you commit yourself. People aren’t likely to buy from Amazon when they can shop locally at low prices.
Also, if your dream is to become a full time seller, I would read as many forum posts as possible before proceeding. It’s not as easy or fulfilling as people think. I’ve been selling, casually, since 2011, and I’m on my way out of here in the near future. With too many automated systems that can go wrong, dodgy buyers, and sellers, as well as Amazon holding payments back for weeks as standard, you need to decide if it’s worth it.
You need to judge for yourself, of course, but make sure you have all your questions answered, before you start the process. 
Seller_sFEUMUfeW5484
I’m not so sure about this whole retail/sic codes. For example Lego have retail stores, yet there are lots of toy sellers that sell Lego, same for pretty much every large global brand I can think of.
