Many businesses think of China as a place to buy cheap products. For them, sourcing cheap products means maximizing profits. While you may be able to find cheap products in China, finding products that meet the quality standards of your company may prove to be difficult, and in order to gain the loyalty of your customers, you have to provide them with quality products. Remember also that if the products you sell are recalled because of safety hazards, as the importer, you will be the one the authorities will go after, and not your supplier in China. For all these reasons, quality inspection in China should always be your priority.
To ensure you are buying quality products in China, the first thing you should do is to conduct a factory audit. That way, you will want to find out if:
You are dealing with a real supplier who has the required documentation and export licensing.
The supplier is experienced in producing similar products that your company is looking for.
The supplier has proper quality control systems in place and is capable of fixing problems that may arise.
The supplier has acceptable working conditions, meaning they are fair to their workers, have good working environment and they do not employ underage workers.
After checking your supplier, you should do the following:
1. Prepare and agree a Contract of Terms.
2. Approve a Sample.
Then, it comes the actual quality inspection in China. You will want to inspect the goods during production just to ascertain that they meet quality standards. What should you look for when doing quality inspection?
The quantity of products to see if they are able to deliver the amount you ordered, on time.
The packaging of the products.
Whether the products conform to your pre-set requirements and your country’s safety regulations.
For reliable quality inspection in China, you need to provide your supplier, and sourcing agent or third party quality inspection team with all your required product specifications. They may be experts in dealing with the kinds of products you need, but no one knows better what you want than you, the buyer. Your instructions should be clear and concise. Be specific in giving out details. Make sure the quality inspection team inspects the products thoroughly and not just look at the samples provided by the supplier. Ask them to check the boxes randomly, and finally, make sure they check the products down to the tiniest detail to ensure everything is as it should be.
