Question on Drop Shipping Business

[CluelessMe]

A personal experience is that perhaps this might not be the best time to do it as courier services are currently all delayed due to the lack of flights internationally.

[CluelessMe]

Thank you all for the answers! You very comprehensively answered questions on the legal side. But I also have questions and they are more practical. How do you organize your business? Do you resell goods and take on the role of an intermediary? Or you open your online store. I have so far little experience with this, but I would like to get serious about it. Now I have an example of these PrestaShop modules https://myspammymodules.com/. I want to try to open an online store. What do you think about that ?

Opening your online store is one method. The main issue is how do you get people to notice you? What are your marketing methods? What branding do you want to establish for your target customers? These are very real questions you need to ask yourself. Depending on which, the approach will vary.

Reselling/Franchising is usually the easier way compared to starting out an entire new brand because you can skip past the branding stage and build on the established image for easier outreach and sales.

[Lorykil]

Hello,I am a S-pass holder and is it possible to do eCommerce business in Singapore.I am planning to run Shopify store and goods will ship direct form china to destination country.Is it legal to run online business as a work pass holder.

It is possible but I recommend that you use Singapore post, that your suppliers send goods from China true Singapore post. It's cheaper than Hong Kong, like this you can organize DHL express for example shipping from China via DHL cost 100 USD if they send with the local courier to Singapore shipping agent, and it comes within 1-2 days DHL Express could cost you 20 USD in total. Worldwide DHL Express needs from 2-4 days to come and you have insurance with them, this is a small trick that can help you.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Lorykil, aside from your apparent paid for advertisement on SAS, please ensure you read posts carefully. The poster you are answering is on an S pass. No he cannot do eCommerce while on an S pass.

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[adventurus]

I have a similar question, if I'm on an EP I believe I'm not allowed to start and run a business, regardless of where it is based. However on the MOM site it mentions that you are able to request an exception. Obviously only the MOM can give the answer, but is that a common occurrence or one of those very rare exceptions?

[Myasis Dragon]

I have a similar question, if I'm on an EP I believe I'm not allowed to start and run a business, regardless of where it is based. However on the MOM site it mentions that you are able to request an exception. Obviously only the MOM can give the answer, but is that a common occurrence or one of those very rare exceptions?

The only exception to working for another company is if you are to be a director of a company related by share holdings, or if your job requires you to be the director of another company.

Example: You work on EP for a bank as a business analyst. A banking client requests that you sit on their board of directors as an outside director. Your bank files for a letter of consent to allow you to be a director of the client company.

There are no other exceptions. If you are running your own business in Singapore, you must have an EP to do so, and you cannot have two EP's at the same time.

[adventurus]

Got it, thanks so much for the clarification!

[Strong Eagle]

I have a small capital and I also thought about opening a small business. It's much easier to do this online these days. But where should I start?

Strange that you would be posting this question on a Singapore expat board when you are in Manchester, England.