So I'm looking to incorporate an entity in an attractive jurisdiction that will actually have physical inventory of various goods. So I want to set up a company with at least perceived substance (i.e. inventory, warehousing, banking, merchant card processing, e-commerce presence etc.) with the sole purpose of just selling the the whole setup. The only thing that would be absent would be proven revenues and customer list. These would need to be built up by the prospective buyer.
Essentially I'm looking at setting something up that could be sold as a sort of ready-made company with assets, but with plausibility on hand to avoid it from appearing to be a shell company. The advantage to the buyer would be they get something without having to build anything and they could re-use the company for another purpose should they wish. It could also equally serve say a non-EU buyer may need, for example an immigration channel and buy acquiring such a business, they get a low-cost way to gain residence in an attractive jurisdiction.
First the Background:
So the wife has a very large stockpile of 'vintage collectables' - i.e various artefacts/toys/packaged goods etc, from 1950s/1960s/1970s as at one point in time she was actively trading such goods. But now it's come to the point where these goods have been lying around for years, taking up lots of space in the cellar rather than actively being sold. I really want to get rid of all this crap and the wife is finally starting to agree. For the most part the goods are professionally packaged/sealed and we estimate the retail value of these goods to be perhaps $60K USD, while it's wholesale value to be perhaps around $30K USD. We occasionally find wholesale collectors willing to offer $10/15K USD for the whole lot and take it off our hands, but we also think this is below value. But we fully acknowledge that our valuation (as well as the offers we get) are subjective at best. The goods are currently physically in France.
The idea I have:
What I'm thinking of doing is to label (i.e. UPC Code) and ship the goods to a 3PL/Fulfilment Warehouse and set up an e-commerce channel (i.e. Shopify/Woo etc. and/or Amazon), get some initial social media traction, in addition to the incorporation/banking/payment processing set up.
I cannot pursue a low-tax route and so to keep things simple I would need to keep it all within the EU (or Switzerland), but ideally in Western Europe.
I would like some opinions on where to set up. I would need a place where it's easy to get to by road, so as to be able to physically move the goods there myself in a moving van. Also I'm interested in an attractive jurisdiction from both a business operations perspective as well as a place where a prospective non-EU national may be interested in immigrating to and needs the guise of a plausible business to facilitate their entry. I am not only targeting non-EU immigrants, but rather targeting anyone who needs an operating company that's ready to go. The immigration bit is just an additional benefit for those that would need such a thing.
I am thinking the Netherlands (i.e. English widely spoken, overall good quality of life, good e-commerce infrastructure, banking and business culture) or Switzerland (i.e. a country that is difficult to immigrate to for non-EU persons, also not so easy to set up a company, so my setup would facilitate all this through a sort of ready-made company). But otherwise good quality of life and this may offer a potential rare immigration opportunity and therefore I could command a premium price on the sale). The other advantage of Switzerland is the transparency as it's easy to validate if a company has any debts/liabilities so that a buyer can make an informed decision. Belgium is potentially an option as while it is a high tax country for salary/wage-earners, it is rather attractive for company directors/business owners who earn through capital rather than wages. France may be ok, but it's not so easy for non-French speakers. But say for people looking to move to say the cote d'azur or a low-cost rural area and live a relaxed lifestyle, it offers a business opportunity.
What are your thoughts? Do you think there is demand/interest for such a ready-to-go, business with built-in plausibility? Or is this a wasted effort? Any other jurisdictions worthy of consideration that offers similar attractivity?
Essentially I'm looking at setting something up that could be sold as a sort of ready-made company with assets, but with plausibility on hand to avoid it from appearing to be a shell company. The advantage to the buyer would be they get something without having to build anything and they could re-use the company for another purpose should they wish. It could also equally serve say a non-EU buyer may need, for example an immigration channel and buy acquiring such a business, they get a low-cost way to gain residence in an attractive jurisdiction.
First the Background:
So the wife has a very large stockpile of 'vintage collectables' - i.e various artefacts/toys/packaged goods etc, from 1950s/1960s/1970s as at one point in time she was actively trading such goods. But now it's come to the point where these goods have been lying around for years, taking up lots of space in the cellar rather than actively being sold. I really want to get rid of all this crap and the wife is finally starting to agree. For the most part the goods are professionally packaged/sealed and we estimate the retail value of these goods to be perhaps $60K USD, while it's wholesale value to be perhaps around $30K USD. We occasionally find wholesale collectors willing to offer $10/15K USD for the whole lot and take it off our hands, but we also think this is below value. But we fully acknowledge that our valuation (as well as the offers we get) are subjective at best. The goods are currently physically in France.
The idea I have:
What I'm thinking of doing is to label (i.e. UPC Code) and ship the goods to a 3PL/Fulfilment Warehouse and set up an e-commerce channel (i.e. Shopify/Woo etc. and/or Amazon), get some initial social media traction, in addition to the incorporation/banking/payment processing set up.
I cannot pursue a low-tax route and so to keep things simple I would need to keep it all within the EU (or Switzerland), but ideally in Western Europe.
I would like some opinions on where to set up. I would need a place where it's easy to get to by road, so as to be able to physically move the goods there myself in a moving van. Also I'm interested in an attractive jurisdiction from both a business operations perspective as well as a place where a prospective non-EU national may be interested in immigrating to and needs the guise of a plausible business to facilitate their entry. I am not only targeting non-EU immigrants, but rather targeting anyone who needs an operating company that's ready to go. The immigration bit is just an additional benefit for those that would need such a thing.
I am thinking the Netherlands (i.e. English widely spoken, overall good quality of life, good e-commerce infrastructure, banking and business culture) or Switzerland (i.e. a country that is difficult to immigrate to for non-EU persons, also not so easy to set up a company, so my setup would facilitate all this through a sort of ready-made company). But otherwise good quality of life and this may offer a potential rare immigration opportunity and therefore I could command a premium price on the sale). The other advantage of Switzerland is the transparency as it's easy to validate if a company has any debts/liabilities so that a buyer can make an informed decision. Belgium is potentially an option as while it is a high tax country for salary/wage-earners, it is rather attractive for company directors/business owners who earn through capital rather than wages. France may be ok, but it's not so easy for non-French speakers. But say for people looking to move to say the cote d'azur or a low-cost rural area and live a relaxed lifestyle, it offers a business opportunity.
What are your thoughts? Do you think there is demand/interest for such a ready-to-go, business with built-in plausibility? Or is this a wasted effort? Any other jurisdictions worthy of consideration that offers similar attractivity?
