Buying cosmetics wholesale in Thailand: 7 checks before you resell

People who buy cosmetics to resell — in a shop, online or to salons — lose money more often by receiving stock they cannot legally sell than by paying too much. Check these seven things before your first order. 1. The notification number — cosmetics made or imported for sale in Thailand must be notified to the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they go on sale, and carry a 10-digit notification number on the label. Ask the seller for it and look it up yourself in the FDA product search. The product name and the notifier in the system must match what you will receive; fake numbers printed on labels have been found before. 2. A Thai label — the label must carry the Thai text the law requires, such as the product name, ingredients, directions, warnings, the manufacturer’s or importer’s name and address, and the notification number. For imported goods with a foreign-language label only, ask whether a Thai label comes with them. 3. Expiry and lot number — ask when the lot was made and how much shelf life is left. An unusually low price sometimes means stock close to expiry, which turns into unsellable stock if it moves slowly. Put a minimum remaining shelf life in the quotation. 4. The right to sell the brand — for well-known brands, ask whether the seller is a dealer appointed by the brand or its importer, and ask to see the appointment letter. Goods that use a brand’s name or logo without permission break trademark law, for the seller and for anyone who resells them. 5. Banned ingredients — the Thai FDA regularly warns about cosmetics found to contain banned substances such as mercury, hydroquinone, retinoic acid and steroids. Warning signs are products promising unusually fast whitening, no notification number, or a label with no ingredient list. Do not take these on. 6. Your own brand (OEM) — ask which manufacturing standards the factory is certified to, such as GMP or ISO 22716, and ask to see certificates that are still valid. Agree who notifies the product and whose name the notification is under. Always get a sample of the formula first, and ask the minimum run per formula and per packaging design. 7. Minimums, volume pricing and claims — ask for prices by quantity tier (for example 12 / 48 / 144 pieces), ask who is responsible if goods break, leak or are damaged in transit, and keep every chat and quotation. Browse sellers in the cosmetics category on Trust Gate and request a quote with the checklist above directly. The agreement and payment are between you and the seller.