I have recently read an post on a forum, a guy complained that he thought he could buy cheap electronics in China before he come to china as EVERYTHING IS MADE IN CHINA, but after he comes, he found electronics here are more expensive than in Europe, he is quite puzzled about that.
I bet what he is looking at must be branded electronics which is not originated from China, like iPhone, Samsung tablet, Sony Play Station, etc, it is a common sense that Foreign Brand products (including electronics) are sold in China no cheaper than in western country, if not more expensive. As the dealers/importers have to add tariff and shipping expense onto the cost of products, so in most case, the foreign brand products in china are more expensive.
Someone will argue that most brand maker have set up a manufacturing base in China or have a manufacturer partner in China to do the OEM for them, so could that possibly make the branded products cheaper in china? The answer is NO. The brand company will sign a contract to prohibit the local manufacturer to distribute, sell or resell the branded products locally, and / or disclose any confidential information to third party before they enter into cooperation relationship. So the local manufacturers are not qualified and dare not to sell the branded products publicly or secretly as that such act could risk to lose the big customer and business. Also the brand companies are not silly enough as to set up a pricing strategy that their products are sold at extremely low price in China that even after they are exported to western country they still enjoy great price advantage.
However, there are so many “venders” on Alibaba and so many ecommerce sites in China (well not only in china) sell brand products at extremely low price, how could they get original brand products at such a low price? The answer is very simple: they are counterfeited or refurnished. Search UKBF forum or other forums, you will find that those who try to buy branded products from china end up either being scammed or receiving counterfeited products.
Facing the increasingly pressure and critique from western countries, China customs are taking serious and strict methods to inspect and detain counterfeit brand products. So if you pay the money and still don’t get your products, other than being scammed, chances are your products have been detained by China Customs.
