What do people need in costa rica that would be a good import item?

Question

we are trying to start a business in guanacaste and want to know what would be good to sell or import there. coffee, etc.

Answer 1

Sun Tan lotion.

Answer 2

invest in a hotel it is the best right now

Answer 3

Most Costa Ricans are taking up gringo junk food.  They also ar big buyers of homeopathic cures, especially when packaged abroad.   You will have to package the items in small affordable amounts because most buyers are not all that rich (this is more true in Guanacaste than in the Central Plateau area.)

Answer 4

i have no idea but it seems like you should be asking the people in guanacaste

Answer 5

gringa women

Answer 6

Clothing, food, personal items and Fragrances (lotions, perfume, etc).

Good Luck!

Thats my country...

Answer 7

raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials are the most important imports Costa Rica needs. But in terms of starting a business..I really have no clue.

Answer 8

I´de say nice women clothing and shoes sell a whole lot and there is always a need for nice newer styles.

There is a whole lot of coffee here in Costa Rica so we dont need anyone importing coffee but if you want you can try opening a nice place to drink coffee that offers internet access.

Answer 9

On a recent business trip to Costa Rica, I was introduced to someone who asked the same question two years ago.  After much research, he of all things opened up a gourmet hot dog fast food restaurant in Santa Ana, which is 10-20 minutes (depending on traffic) from San Jose International Airport. The business took off like a bat out of h**l, and he is opening up a couple more. At first he thought he would cater to local Americans. He quickly found out, Costa Ricans love hot dogs with Lizano sauce, instead of the typical mustard and relish and 80% of his business now comes from them.

He gets his hot dogs and buns from local vendors (who after much trial and error of finding the right ones) who make them to his specifications.

One thing you must know, importing anything to Costa Rica can cost big time in terms of customs, tax, import and duty fees. A friend thought it would be cheaper to import construction supplies like sinks, plumbing etc, via container from Miami to Limón . After all said and done, it cost him about 30% more than if he would have bought the stuff in Costa Rica.

Before starting (or even thinking about investing) in any business, it is best to talk to an attorney and to do your research/homework first as the hot dog owner did. He spent over a year and went through dozens of vendors before finding the right one.

Here is a list of attorneys that may help you and many of them have useful information.

http://www.ticotimes.com/costa-rica-busi...

This link is also very good when it comes to legal topics like consumer protection and business.

http://www.costaricalaw.com/

Good luck,

Answer 10

I can't think of anything that you would import to Guanacaste.... there is an excellent variety of foods, although coffee for the tourists seems a good item to sell to the hotel resorts in that area, and then again, they probably get excellent coffee if not from Costa Rica from neighboring countries.... at superb prices too.  I think you need to find research sources from the international trade dept to help you with this.

Answer 11

An English Dictionary.