Can our club buy raffle prizes from China?
Yes, your club can source raffle prizes from China. Confirm the lottery or free-draw route, obtain club approval, and check the actual prizes and descriptions before offering tickets. Receiving and inspecting them first is a practical safeguard against delays. Factory samples and evidence can be coordinated by Cambridge China Bridge.
Choose the route before ordering prizes
Write down who can enter, whether entry involves payment, where tickets will be offered and what the proceeds support. Use the routes below to prepare a discussion with your council or legal adviser. The discussion concerns Great Britain; check Northern Ireland arrangements separately with the local council.
If participation stays within the club, ask about a private society lottery and its promoter, ticket-sale and publicity restrictions. Do not assume that calling an event a club raffle settles its status. For a free draw, have the entry arrangements reviewed, including accessibility, publicity and how paid and free entries are handled.
| Proposed arrangement | Route and next check |
|---|---|
| Raffle alongside an event | An incidental lottery can operate without a licence. It must be incidental, for charity rather than private gain, with tickets sold at the event and no prize rollover. |
| Public fundraising raffle, including advance sales | Ask whether a small society lottery fits. This route requires local authority registration and supports good causes rather than commercial purposes. Confirm eligibility and limits before proceeding. |
| Prize draw offering paid and free entry | A qualifying free draw does not require a lottery licence. Have an adviser check that the free route genuinely meets the requirements before advertising. |
Record club and organiser approval
Have the committee or authorised organiser approve the proposed route, prize list, buying budget and person responsible for the draw. Record who orders the goods, who receives them and who authorises ticket sales. This is a practical approval record, separate from any lottery registration or licensing process. If the club is also buying a marquee, see approval before importing a club marquee.
Before paying a factory, ask the organiser to confirm the permitted deductions for purchased prizes and organising expenses under the chosen route. Keep purchased and donated prizes distinct in the budget. Include freight, import charges, checks and replacement costs when judging whether direct sourcing makes sense for the club.
Choose prizes you can assess and support
Prefer items the organiser can inspect, store and explain to a winner. Review likely recipients, age suitability, sharp edges, small parts, assembly and foreseeable misuse. Treat toys, electrical goods, cosmetics, food and alcohol as choices needing specialist review rather than casual additions to a mixed prize order.
Ask Trading Standards which product obligations apply when prizes are given away, including whether your arrangement counts as commercial supply. Our promotional merchandise guide covers that issue and branding responsibility. Ask for evidence tied to the actual prize model, materials and accessories, using our test report verification guide. Nominate who checks labels, warnings, instructions and unresolved safety questions before release.
Describe the prize the winner will receive
Create a prize record containing the approved photograph, model, colour, materials, included accessories and any assembly or collection arrangements. Use our product specification guide to make the factory order match that record. Photograph the received item before preparing the final ticket or publicity copy.
Avoid unsupported retail values, brand associations and performance claims copied from a supplier listing. Explain whether delivery is included and whether the winner needs additional equipment or a subscription. Have the organiser approve the final wording against the actual prize, and reopen approval if the factory proposes a substitution.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Receive and approve prizes before offering tickets
As a practical safeguard, arrange delivery to the club and complete the arrival checks before offering tickets. Receiving goods first is a purchasing control, rather than a universal lottery rule. Work backwards from that checkpoint through sample approval, evidence review, production, inspection, transport and customs clearance.
Check the received goods against the approved prize record, including damage, missing accessories and instructions. Keep unsuitable items out of the draw. If delivery slips, delay opening ticket sales or approve a replacement before launch. Cambridge China Bridge’s staff in China can obtain samples and factory records and coordinate agreed inspections; the organiser retains the decision to release the prizes.
Frequently asked questions
Can our club buy raffle prizes directly from China?
Yes. Confirm the draw route, obtain club approval and check the actual goods. Compare the complete delivered cost with buying suitable stock locally before committing.
Can we sell raffle tickets before the event?
Not under the incidental lottery route, which requires tickets to be sold at the event. Ask the council whether a registered small society lottery fits your proposed advance sales.
Do raffle prizes need product safety checks?
Check suitability, the applicable product requirements and evidence for the actual item. Ask Trading Standards whether giving the prizes away counts as commercial supply and which obligations apply. A supplier certificate alone does not settle the release decision.
Should prizes arrive before we offer tickets?
That is the recommended purchasing safeguard. Receive, inspect and approve the goods and descriptions before launch, so a shipping delay or factory substitution does not leave the club promising an unavailable prize.