🎯 The business: used exam tables, patient chairs, stools, carts and cabinets bought from U.S. clinics that upgrade constantly, refurbished and sold to clinics and distributors in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru, where American-made medical furniture is prized and new units cost a fortune. Bulky freight, but high value per container.
Private clinics, small hospitals, medical distributors and clinic chains opening new locations. A refurbished power exam table that costs $600 to $1,500 to buy and recondition sells for $2,500 to $5,000 landed; a container holds twenty to forty pieces of mixed furniture worth $60,000 to $120,000. Buyers pay by letter of credit or in advance.
| LLC, licenses, insurance | $2,000 |
| Sourcing relationships (clinic liquidators, hospital asset sales, auctions) | $500 |
| Refurbishment space and a technician for upholstery, motors, hydraulics | $3,000 to $6,000 to set up |
| First inventory of ten to fifteen pieces | $10,000 to $20,000 |
| Gold Key in Mexico City or Bogota, samples, catalog in Spanish | $4,000 |
| All-in | ≈ $20,000 to $32,000 |
Build sourcing first: hospital asset managers, clinic liquidators and medical equipment auctions sell in lots. Find a technician who can reupholster and repair hydraulics and motors. Photograph every refurbished piece in a clean space with a video of the functions. Learn each destination’s rules for importing used medical equipment; some restrict it or require specific certifications. Contact distributors through the U.S. Commercial Service in Mexico City and Bogota.
A table bought at $800, refurbished for $400, shipped for $300 as part of a container and sold at $3,200 leaves about $1,700. A container of thirty pieces is $40,000 to $50,000 of margin. The constraint is sourcing good units and the cash tied up in a container for two to three months. Mexico’s short shipping lane and trade-agreement duty breaks make it the natural first market.
Each country’s rules for used medical devices: Mexico’s COFEPRIS registers medical devices and restricts some used imports; Colombia’s INVIMA and Peru’s DIGEMID have their own rules; some furniture is regulated as a device, some is not, so classify each item. USMCA rules of origin for duty-free entry into Mexico. Export declarations for shipments over $2,500. Payment terms that protect you.
A motorized table that fails after the voltage difference abroad. Damage in a container that was not braced properly. A shipment held at customs because one item needed registration. The traders who last classify every item before buying, brace containers professionally, and work with one distributor per country who knows the registration process.