1. Decide what kind of buyer you are
Fitness equipment covers very different goods. A box of resistance bands, a power rack and a treadmill have little in common when it comes to freight, compliance and risk. Before you contact a factory, write down your sales channel, your target retail price and the quantity you can sell in one season.
A shop or online seller usually wants breadth in small quantities. A gym wants one equipment list delivered together. A brand wants its own logo and packaging. Each of these needs a different order structure, and our how it works page shows the steps for each.
2. Find manufacturers, not only listings
Online marketplaces show many near-identical offers, and a good share come from trading companies. Ask for the business licence, the company’s age and export history, and a video call from the production floor. If you plan to put your own brand on a product, you need the manufacturer, because only a manufacturer can change a mould, a print or a packaging line.
Ask the same questions of every supplier: price per piece, factory minimum, packaging, carton size, gross weight and production time. Quotes that look different on the surface often turn out to describe different materials.
3. Compare quotes on delivered cost
The unit price is only one part of the cost. For heavy goods such as plates, racks and benches, freight can be a large share of the delivered price, and weights are often priced per kilogram. For light, bulky goods such as exercise balls, mats and bags, carton volume decides the freight cost.
Build a simple sheet with these lines for each product:
- ex-works price per piece and the factory minimum;
- carton dimensions, pieces per carton and gross weight;
- freight per carton or per cubic metre to your warehouse;
- customs duty by tariff code and import VAT (recoverable if you are VAT-registered);
- inspection, testing and labelling costs;
- your own handling, storage and returns.
Only then compare the result with the price you can sell at. A product with a low unit price and a poor carton fit often loses to a dearer product that packs well.
4. Test samples as your customers will use them
Order samples before any bulk order. Load a bench to its stated limit, check that a barbell collar holds, stretch a band, fold a mat and leave it for a day, smell the rubber. Check the finish of paint and welds, and read the printed manual. Keep one approved sample as the reference for production and inspection. Lead time for samples is 7–14 days, and on our side the sample cost is credited against the order. See the samples page.
5. Agree terms in writing
Put the specification, materials, packaging, labels, delivery date and quality standard into the contract or purchase order. Typical terms are a deposit of 30–50 % with the balance before shipment, but terms vary by factory and order size. If you add a logo or custom packaging, approve a pre-production sample before mass production starts. Production usually takes about 25–45 days after approval.
6. Inspect before the goods leave the factory
Fixing a problem in Europe is slow and costly. A pre-shipment inspection checks quantity, workmanship, function, packaging and labels on a statistical sample (AQL). Pay the balance only after you have read the report. For weights, check the actual weight of a sample of plates and dumbbells against the marked weight, because tolerance matters when you sell by the kilogram.
7. Choose the transport
Sea freight and rail suit most fitness equipment. Rail and sea take about 25–45 days to Poland. Air freight, around 7–12 days, makes sense for samples and urgent light goods, not for racks or plates. Plan your order dates around the factory holidays in late January–February, when production stops for several weeks and shipping space tightens beforehand. A full lead time from order to warehouse is typically 8–12 weeks. More detail is on our logistics page.
Think about payment risk too. A deposit leaves you exposed until the goods ship, so agree a clear production schedule, ask for photos during production on larger orders, and keep every specification change in writing. Disputes are far easier to resolve when the approved sample, the specification and the inspection report all say the same thing.
8. Customs, duty and VAT
The importer of record files the import declaration, pays customs duty based on the tariff code, and pays import VAT. You need an EORI number. Duty rates differ between product groups, so check each code before you calculate your margin. Do not assume one rate for the whole shipment. If you ship through Poland, import VAT is handled there, and you can recover it if you are VAT-registered and the goods are used for taxable sales.
9. Make the product legal to sell
This is the step most often skipped, and it is where marketplace buyers get into trouble.
- GPSR. Regulation (EU) 2023/988 applies to consumer products. A product needs an EU economic operator, a name and postal address, an e-mail address, type or batch identification and warnings in the language of the country of sale. The same data belongs in your online listing.
- EN ISO 20957. This series covers stationary training equipment. Classes H (home) and S (studio) differ, and commercial gym use needs S-class equipment. Ask for the test report where one exists.
- Electrical cardio. Treadmills and walking pads need CE marking under the Low Voltage and EMC directives and RoHS. Bluetooth or app functions bring in the Radio Equipment Directive. WEEE registration is required country by country.
- Rubber, PVC and PU. REACH Annex XVII limits PAHs in rubber and plastic parts that touch skin and phthalates in PVC. Latex bands need an allergy warning.
- Packaging. Extended producer responsibility schemes apply per country, for example LUCID in Germany, BDO in Poland and Triman in France.
Our quality page describes what we request from factories for each product group.
The alternative: buy through an EU importer
If you would rather not be the importer, you can buy through us. You receive an EU invoice, goods that passed inspection and a delivered price, and we handle the compliance paperwork as importer. Browse the catalogue or send us your product list and compare our offer, which we send within 2 working days, with your own calculation.
