You do no need any kind of permit to purchase merchandise from Via Trading. We sell to individuals and business alike– the only restriction is that you must purchase wholesale (minimum order 1 case, pallet, load or truckload).

However, in order to resell merchandise legally in the state of California, you must have a reseller’s permit.

A reseller’s permit also allows you to purchase merchandise tax free (at the time of purchase) within California. Residents of California who do not have a reseller’s permit are subject to 9.75% Sales Tax at the time of purchase.

• Are engaged in business in California
• Intend to sell or lease tangible personal property that would ordinarily be subject to sales tax if sold at retail
• Will make sales for temporary period, normally lasting no longer than 30 days at one or more locations (e.g. fireworks booth, Christmas tree lots, garage sale)

The requirement to obtain a seller’s permit applies to:

• Individuals
• Partnerships
• Corporations
• Organizations
• Husband/wife Co-ownership
• LLP’s
• LLC’s

Both wholesalers and retailers must apply for a seller’s permit.

You can register in person for a reseller’s permit, and permits can usually be issued the same day.

You can also register by mail. You can obtain an application by calling 800-400-7115, or by visiting the California Board of Equilization at www.boe.ca.gov.

Obtaining a reseller’s permit is free, easy and fast!

You can access all the phone numbers of the Board of Equilization offices in California by clicking here: http://www.boe.ca.gov/info/phone.htm

Register In Person

You may register for a seller’s permit in person at one of the Board of Equilzation’s field offices. Permits can usually be issued the same day and help in completing the application is available. Special information packets with the appropriate registration application for specific businesses are available.

Register by Mail

You can get an application for a seller’s permit mailed to you by calling 800-400-7115. If you are calling from outside of the 48 contiguous states, please call 916-445-6362.

Representatives are available to assist you with permit questions Monday through Friday (except State holidays) from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. A registration packet will be mailed to you within 24 hours. You will generally receive your permit approximately two weeks after we have received your completed application. Incomplete applications may delay the process.

From TDD phones: 800-735-2929
From voice phones: 800-735-2922

Applications Available On-Line

BOE 400 SPA, Seller’s Permit Application is available for printing from the Board of Equilzation website. The completed application can be delivered in person or mailed to any of their field offices.

Additional information is available on the tax rules for specific business, types of sales, or charges associated with sales for a number of businesses. The regulations relating to sales and use tax are also available.

Ocean Container shipments are primarily used to ship large loads of merchandise outside of the United States and neighboring countries. OCL shipments costs are typically flat and based on original and destination of the goods.

Ocean shipments can take 14-60 days to reach their destination.

Containers are usually available in 2 sizes: 20’ and 40’. Sometimes, 45’ containers can also be available.

Hand-loading goods for container shipments is a good way to maximize the space used in the container, and lower your relative shipping costs. Hand-loading the merchandise can sometimes increase the capacity of the container by 2 or 3, as opposed to loading the merchandise on pallets.

Not all goods can be hand-loaded , however you should be aware of this and request it when possible.

Be aware of any unusual restrictions when importing goods- for example: wooden pallets are not allowed to be imported into Australia.

Be sure to communicate these restrictions to your vendor in case they are not aware of them.

“Less Container Load” shipments are shipments that are smaller than a full ocean freight containers. LCL shipments are shipped by sea and typically take 45-60 days to reach their destination. It is typically cheaper to ship individual pallets by LCL than it is by air freight.

LCL shipments can be very efficient and cost-effective when shipping expensive and high value pallets overseas. Due to the relative high cost of shipping single pallets by LCL, LCL shipments are not suitable for low value pallets.

Certain items that are packed in small boxes may often be shipped via UPS instead of a trucking carrier, which is generally cheaper.

Occasionally, when it is cheaper to ship via UPS, there are certain pallet listings that we may re-pack for you into boxes in order to minimize the shipping costs.

Depending on how many case-packed items are ordered, it can sometimes be cheaper to put them all on one pallet and ship them with an LTL carrier. You should be aware of this and request both quotes if possible.

UPS does charge a little bit extra for home delivery, so if you have the option to receive your packages at your store or place of business, that could save you a little bit as well

Truckloads generally refer to a 48’ or 53’ truck.

Truckloads usually cost a flat rate to ship, based on the destination and mileage, irrespective of whether the truck is full or half empty.

Larger orders that cannot be shipped economically as LTL’s can often be cheaper to ship as a full load.

Truckloads can be ordered with or without a lift-gate. Trucks with lift-gates can often be costly and it may be cheaper to rent a forklift for a day to assist you in unloading the truck. The latter is especially true when the merchandise is travelling long distances.

Typically, 26 pallets can fit comfortably onto the floor of a 53’ truck bed with no double-stacking. Many types of pallets can be double-stacked however, to allow between 26-52 pallets to be put on the truck, minimizing your overall landed cost per pallet.
Some goods can be consolidated further or even hand-loaded (for example, a 70 pallet load may be able to be consolidated into 52 pallets; or 2 full loads may be able to be hand-loaded into a single truck).

Some things to note if you are receiving a full truckload of merchandise:

• Make sure you can receive a 53 footer in your area (in terms of street size and parking & reversing availability)Make sure you have the means and ability to unload the truck.

• You will most likely need to provide the vendor with the day(s) and time that you can receive the load and whether you need to be notified in advance of the truck’s arrival.

• You typically have TWO (2) hours to unload the truck, and will be charged detention fees if the unloading takes longer. This is standard practice in the freight industry. Make sure you have the manpower available to help you unload in a timely manner.

• Be aware that the shipping charges do not include any labor, and that the driver will not assist in the unloading of the truck (unless the truck is ordered with a lift-gate, in which case the driver will move the pallets to the rear and operate the lift-gate to lower the pallets to the curb)

• Be aware that there is a SEAL with a UNIQUE number on each truck. Make sure the seal number matches the number on the packing slip you will receive with the load.

• Most shipments can usually be moved OTR (over the road) on a regular truck, but occasionally, especially to distant locations, shipping by rail can be cheaper. Rail shipment procedures are the same as truckload procedures, but the shipping time is usually a bit longer. While truckloads can reach their destination within 1-6 business days, rail shipments can typically take around 10-15 days to arrive.

For ballpark truckload quotes for shipments FOB our warehouse in California to major cities around the USA, please click here.

LTL stands for “Less-Than-Load” or a shipment of several pallets.

A Full load is typically a full 48’ or a 53’ truck.

LTL shipments can be delivered to a home, place of business, storage facility, freight terminal or consolidation warehouse.

LTL shipment costs are typically based on one or a combination of the following:

1) Weight of the goods being shipped
2) Number of pallets being shipped
3) Destination address (distance from shipping location)
4) If you will need a lift-gate or not
5) If being delivered to a residential or commercial address

LTL’s larger than 6 to 8 pallets (depending on the carrier) may need to be shipped in two shipments.

Most freight carriers will only take up to 8 pallets on an LTL shipment. Depending on the particular lots you are purchasing, some pallets can be double-stacked to save you space so that you can ship a few more than 8 pallets in one go.
Double-stacking pallets is sometimes cheaper if the carrier quotes by the pallet (not by the weight).

It may often be cheaper to use a full truck to ship even 8 pallets- especially for local or shorter deliveries.

When requesting an LTL quote please be sure to:

(i) Include your zip code
(ii) Indicate whether the delivery is to a home or business (residential or commercial area and building)
(iii) Whether the location is equipped with a forklift or a loading dock (otherwise you will require a lift-gate)

Generally, pallet deliveries to a residence will require a lift-gate to lower the pallets to the ground. For insurance and safety reasons, trucking carriers do not allow customers to climb onto the truck to manually unload their pallets.
Commercial locations, if not equipped with a loading dock or forklift, will also require a lift-gate.

LTL carriers charge extra for residential deliveries. Typically they will levy a flat fee of between $25-$100. Carriers also charge extra for trucks with lift-gates, typically a flat fee of around $25-$75.

Deliveries are to the curbside or dock. Drivers will not deliver your pallet(s) to your garage or inside your storage space, for example.

You will need to verify the pallets and shrink-wrap before signing the Bill of Lading upon delivery (or make annotations on it before signing it). If your pallet shows signs of having been opened, rummaged through, stolen from or otherwise tampered with during shipping, it is your responsibility to make a note of this on the BOL BEFORE you accept the merchandise. Failure to do will significantly lower the chances of receiving any kind of compensation form the shipping company.

Most often, shipments are sent with minimal insurance ($0.50/lb to $1/lb). If you are shipping very expensive merchandise, please be sure to ask for additional insurance.

To find out how to minimize shipping costs on any given order, please click here.