How To Import From China

On international trade forums, there are lots of stories shared about bad experience of working with a wrong supplier, they look daunting. However, you can avoid the majority by following right steps to successful sourcing in China: Step 1. Assess suppliers’ ability to communicate Many buyers begin the process of sourcing from China by trying to looking for suppliers based on whether they can offer the product they want at the right quality level and price. But a supplier’s ability to communicate is equally important. In fact, poor communication between customers and suppliers is one of the major causes for manufacturing troubles. Pay attention to the following when communicating with a potential supplier: • Responsiveness – How long does it take for your main contact to respond to your questions, comments and concerns? • Attention to detail – Are the responses you’re receiving thorough and complete? • Clarity – Does the supplier…

When you source from China, you need to find a good supplier, but it’s a big challenge. If you’ve found a supplier with all below five qualities, you can be confident you have found a relatively good one. 1. Accountability Admitting to a mistake can be difficult. But when your goods are on the line, it’s essential that you’re working with someone who can take responsibility for their half of a deal and actively work to fix any problems that occur. That’s why accountability tops the list of qualities of a good supplier. Imagine finding untrimmed threads in 25 percent of an order of garments you’re importing. Even though this might be considered a “minor defect”, the number of pieces affected makes it impossible to ignore. A supplier with accountability will take responsibility for the quality problem and work to address it quickly. They might offer to remove the untrimmed threads…

Do you want to source from China, and learn how to identify a legit supplier without visiting China? Pls remember below 6 things before your actions. 1. Check business licenses All legal companies in China must register with the Chinese government authorities and are given a unique company registration number. To verify this registration number, you just need to visit their local administrative government website or contact Bureau of Industry Commerce in China for verification. If the supplier is not willing to give you this registration number, it is not advisable to transact with it. 2. Use search engines Go to their website go through their policies and be sure that they have put their contact information and physical address on the site. Then use your search engine like Google, Bing or Yahoo, search “company name+ scam” or “company name+ dishonest,” If there are complaints from previous customers they leave a trace…

You can source almost anything and everything from China nowadays. With a population of 1.5 billion and one of the fastest booming economies, China offers a convenient one stop option for most of your manufacturing purposes. However, finding a suitable supplier who can meet your qualifications is the true challenge importers face. Below is some useful advice for importing from China. 1. Screen your potential suppliers When choosing a supplier, you should have a checklist of all the relevant criteria you are looking for. The criteria should include supplier’s references, the scope of their business, the system for quality management. Don’t be blinded by a lower price and ignore everything else: you usually get what you pay for. Afterwards, compare each supplier to your checklist and see how they measure up; you could give them a score. When you’re done, pick the top three or four companies and reach out to…

China is so called “the world’s factory”, lots of successful stories tell you that there are tremendous advantages to source products from China. However, it’s not that simple, before you start, it’s recommended for you to follow good practices. In following, we provide some good checklists I learn from my long-time experience. 1. Check whether you have the rights to import It is vital to check whether you have the legal rights to import certain goods with not only ease but also without incurring excess expenses (such as anti-dumping duties). You should confirm whether you need a license, as in many countries, and acquire one before buying the goods. 2. Know the goods you want to import This is the basis of importing goods from China. Identifying the ideal goods to import have a significantly great impact in both the import process and your business plan. You should carry out a…

When you set up a new retail business, one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make regarding the business is that of choosing a manufacturer for your products. In recent years, China has become a popular product sourcing destination, and for good reason. Other than the fact that there are many cheap manufacturers in China (which helps you save a great deal of money and allows you to keep the retail price of your products within a reasonable range), it is also a good idea to work with China-based manufacturer because plenty of hardware are already produced in China. In many cases, the word “cheap” goes hand-in-hand with low quality. In the case of China manufacturing, however, there are many Chinese factories that have real artisans on their team and can provide you with high-quality products at amazingly low prices. But you have to be careful in choosing the manufacturer…

Recently I was asked what the important steps are when it comes to quality control in China. Interesting question. Well, the first is to find the right supplier. That’s probably the most important thing you can do, if you need to manufacture products in China. It is necessary. But it is not sufficient. Aside from supplier selection, there are three steps that I feel are indispensable. Most experienced buyers never skip these steps. 1. Product specification sheet Before you confirm an order to a Chinese supplier, you need to explain what you want. In other words, define your expectations before you order. A good specification sheet includes: How the product needs to be checked, and what is expected How the product should be labelled and packed What the tolerances are on measurements What the potential defects are and how to classify them Note that you should be aware of your country’s…

If you are planning to buy from China producers then you want to ensure that you get good product. The Chinese are notorious for placing quantity high above quality when manufacturing products. Although workers are normally committed to their tasks, they don’t receive much pay or incentive to meet quality guidelines, only quota expectations. Therefore, we are providing five steps that will help you to ensure that you locate good manufacturers to do business with and receive good product when you buy from China. Step 1 – Research Sources When you locate potential Chinese trading partners, don’t assume that they are legit or provide acceptable products off the bat. Request references and follow through with checking them out. Also, don’t rely on emails, but attempt to set up phone interviews to acquire reference information. If your supplier can’t or won’t supply you with at least a couple of references, or you can’t get…