Elksourcing

A product sourcing agent is the one who is responsible with the entire process of product importations from China to your country. Hiring a reliable product sourcing agent can help you with your overall business. Whether you are a first-timer or a frequent importer, hiring a product sourcing agent can be a good investment for your business.  However, how to judge a good sourcing agent? Here are some qualifications commonly owned by good sourcing agents in China: 1. Excellent communication skills Efficient and effective communication is crucial for any business. It is important to hire one you can rely on for his communication skills (both oral and written). The person must be able to properly communicate well with you in English and speak freely with your suppliers in Chinese. Hiring someone who clearly understands you and communicates with relative parties on behalf of can create your peace of mind. While you…

Imagine your shipment is delayed from China, your product has defects which reduce customer satisfaction or in the worst case require product recall. In order to avoid such risks, more and more importers realize the importance of partnering with a reliable sourcing company. This will ensure that you are able to well control production lead time, enhance your quality standards, reduce manufacturing cost, and improve your profit margin. Finding the China sourcing company that you partner with in long term is one of the most important decisions for an importer, but it is an uneasy task. You may evaluate a sourcing company based on below factors: 1) Referrals The best way to tell how a sourcing company will treat you is to determine how they have treated other companies. If others have had a good experience with them, you likely will as well. You depend greatly on your sourcing partner to supply quality…

One of the most common dilemmas of business start-ups is choosing the best products to sell. Aside from that, another challenge is finding the right supplier to get the products from. With a lot of suppliers all over the world, it can be hard to select a reliable and trustworthy one with whom you can have a great business relationship in the long run. China is top of mind as far as product importation is concerned. Through the years, the mega-country has positioned itself as the world’s largest manufacturing hub. China is indeed a great country to source items to sell. However, there are several things you should consider before choosing the best items your business can sell.  In this article, I’d like to share with you the common risks of sourcing products in China while embracing the opportunities that come with it.  1. Lack of well-defined strategy When sourcing products in China,…

When it comes to sourcing products from China, quality inspection is one of the most important factors that should be always considered. Quality has become a critical success factor for many organizations.  When you manufacture products in China, it is essential that you keep quality control factors in mind. Markets simply will not accept defective, unsafe and poor-quality products, regardless as to the price point and discounting. For this reason, it is important to identify the right company in order to manage quality control at the highest possible level. There are a number of key things about quality control, as shown in the following: 1) Quality and Compliance It is important to distinguish between quality and compliance as both are key components of manufacturing processes. Quality is defined as services and products that are intended to deliver specific performance levels whilst compliance is all about meeting regulatory requirements. The organizational goals of…

Pre-shipment inspection is an integral aspect of quality control procedures for products purchased from overseas suppliers. The procedure presents manufacturers with the opportunity to rectify their products before they are shipped, thereby averting costly import risks. The inspection addresses areas such as safety, functionality, appearance, and dimensions of the products. The aim of pre-shipment inspection is to ensure that the production of goods is in compliance with the principal specifications and purchase order. This is accomplished through an inspection wherein random samples of finished products are examined, typically when 100% of the order has been manufactured and at least 80% of the order has been packed.  Pre-shipment inspection serves several purposes, including: ·      Examining the quality and quantity of products. ·      Scrutinizing products for defects. ·      Ensuring that products adhere to the safety requirements of the destination market. ·      Issuing inspection reports for importing customs clearance. 1) On-Site Inspection The inspection of products is carried out at…

China is such a huge manufacturing base, for a product, there are hundreds or even thousands of suppliers. In reality, looking for good Chinese suppliers can be a tedious task. During our sourcing practices, we have learned the following ways to find good Chinese suppliers and complete successful sourcing tasks.  1. Search Engines and B2B Platforms Internet is a huge virtual place where you can search for anything you need, including good Chinese suppliers. Whether it’s Google, Bing, Yahoo, or other search engines there is, these can surely help with your search for potential product suppliers. There are also B2B sourcing platforms that can help you find Chinese suppliers, such as Alibaba, Global Sources, Made-in-China. You can filter the results so you can determine whether the supplier is a suitable one.  2. Trade Shows Another avenue to search for legitimate Chinese suppliers is through trade shows. Among popular supplier trade shows…

For many importers especially small one, choosing whether to deal with a direct manufacturer or a sourcing company depends on the nature of the business, and the order quantity.  Direct manufacturers offer more attractive costs, however, will require higher order quantity and may ask for better payment terms — such as 30% deposit at time of order, and 70% balance before shipment. On the other hand, sourcing companies can help many importers. The following are some reasons: 1. They should strictly follow timeline A dependable sourcing company should practice what it preaches. When your contact says the items will be delivered on Friday afternoon, it should be delivered on that exact day and time. Much better if earlier, but it should be advised in time. More than the product cost, a good sourcing company should have a better understanding of the entire business process. Likewise, it should give importance to product quality, so…

Starting a business of importing from China is a tedious process. You have to create a sound business plan to run your business and ensure it will create profit in the long-term. More importantly, you should have a reliable and trustworthy supplier you can get quality products to sell to your target customers. For first-time importers, the task of looking for a supplier is daunting, you should consider your budget and the number of products you need to order. With business transactions most likely done online, it can be hard to deal with someone without at least seeing your contact in person. Adding to that worry are horror stories where business owners get duped by scammers online. In such cases, hiring a sourcing agent to help you deal with your supplier can help a lot, employing an agent can make transactions easier and with less hassle. Reliable sourcing will make…