Selling DIY Alarms Online

[reliance866]

Hi Forum,

I'm curious for any input from professionals.

I am considering setting up an "online shop" Perhaps EBAY or the like selling security systems from a DIY Perspective.

My questions are;

- To sell online, do you need to be police/security licensed if you are not PHYSICALLY installing?
- As your selling online, would you personally get in doo doo if a customer installs or configures the system in the wrong way?

[Drift]

If you're going to sell a product with which you have no intimate knowledge and no intention of offering technical support and you're based in AU, the ACCC will come knocking before long.

If you're considering importing cheap Chinese crap that isnt C-ticked, go right ahead. It's more business for the rest of us in the long run.

Honestly though, if you don't know the first thing about what you're selling and can't fault find when a problem arises, just don't. Also, what most don't realise is that it's illegal to install your own alarm system that contains any hardwiring unless you hold the appropriate licences.

[NateDogg]

Correct me if im wrong but wouldn't a 2b licence also be required since you are selling...

[nbound]

You would need to be a licensed Security Seller at the very least.

[PANDATECH]

I heard that if you sell online you can get your license online as well. They will throw in a doctors degree for a small charge, then your could be Dr Alarms Online!

[PANDATECH]

I heard that if you sell online you can get your license online as well. They will throw in a doctors degree for a small charge, then your could be Dr Alarms Online!

[jok11n]

I heard that if you sell online you can get your license online as well. They will throw in a doctors degree for a small charge, then your could be Dr Alarms Online!

I heard that already too, no wait, you double posted, I knew I'd seen it before

[Chimp]

Correct me if im wrong but wouldn't a 2b licence also be required since you are selling...

i beleive because your not offering site specific advice then you dont need it. thats how bunnings adn jay car and that are getting around it

[watchdog]

I have chased this up countless number of times & there is simply no correct answer. I posted the results of my enquiries a couple of years ago & for every person at SIA I talked to I got different answers & different "special" circumstances. It really came down to this. With the ACMA they only do infrequent audits on compliance of registered cablers. Any unlicenced cabling is only acted upon after a complaint. So as far as the ACMA is concerned you can do your own cabling just don't complain about the finished result. As for the SIR (SLED) licences can now be held by a corporate entity & for a Master Licence & 2B licence it is really only a formality. DS & JC will have one tucked away at their head office. The 2B licence does not authorise you to give ANY advice as to the equipment or installation of such.
But it has been a while so I think the time has come to introduce myself to the SLED once again & mess with their heads.

[Unbeliever]

Deleted - duplicate

[Unbeliever]

However, if you are importing equipment that is not C-tick approved you can be heavily fined. If it connects to the PSTN telphone lines and is not A-tick approved, you can get in even deeper doo-doo, especially if someone is injured or worse through not meeting Australian standards (even jail time, though I've not heard of a case where this has happened).

Of course for only about $20-30,000 you can have your imported equipment tested to meet those standards. If it doesn't meet them, you can always go back to your supplier and ask them to modify their design. Whether they do or not depends on how many container loads you are buying.

So if you are going to do it, make sure you use equipment with genuine Australian approvals. There are cowboys - or the chinbese equivalent who print the A-tick and C-tick without doing the hard yards. This is illegal, too.

[downunderdan]

As with all of these discussions on this forum, there are a couple of important points to remember.

1) Licencing requirements vary from state to state. What happens in NSW (usually painful) is of no relevance to people not trading in NSW. Ditto licence class numbers etc. which also vary from state to state.

2) No amount of advice here excuses unfamiliarity with your own state's legislation. As a general rule, if you have to ask, you're not yet ready.