Elksourcing

Many buyers are probably familiar with the stress that comes with finding reliable suppliers in China. Especially, when there are hundreds of suppliers claiming to have what you need. How do you know the suppliers you have chosen are reliable? In this article, I’d like to share you 4 main ways to do it. 1) B2B Sourcing Platforms The biggest platforms are Alibaba, AliExpress, Made-In-China, and Global Sources. Keep in mind that your best prices and long-term relationships with suppliers will unlikely come from these sources. Sourcing platforms are directories, which consist of suppliers who pay fees to have their products displayed on the site. There are thousands of suppliers and millions of individuals browsing them. If you do that math, you’ll realize that many suppliers will get hundreds of RFQs a day, unfortunately for them; more than half of the individuals submitting RFQs are just browsing, or low ballers who…

For the importers who source from China, more and more realize that it is essential to arrange quality inspection for the products before they leave China. In most cases, the importers choose a third-party QC company to do pre-shipment quality inspection. In this article, I’d like to tell you the basic procedure of a quality inspection. 1) Communication of Requirements The purchaser describes his products: specifications, dimensions, function, appearance, labeling, packaging… More precise information is provided, the more you can utilize the inspection. If possible, an approved sample can be sent for the inspector’s reference. 2) An inspector goes to the factory After all products are finished and at least 80% packed, an inspector (or several inspectors if necessary, in most cases, one inspector is enough) goes to the factory. 3) Quantity verification The cartons are counted, to check if the whole quantity is presented. Then the inspector randomly selects a few…

In the industry of importing from China, it is easy to find many Chinese suppliers on Internet, such as B2B websites, however, it is uneasy to find a good one, one that meets all of our requirements. In the online showroom, the supplier looks perfect, but it may not be. In this article, I want to share some tips about verifying a Chinese supplier. 1). Network preliminary screening We can Google the supplier’s name to see if there is any information on the Internet that is detrimental to the company. If so, there is no need to continue, try to find other suppliers. Even if it doesn’t have any negative news on the Internet, that doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy and reliable. It needs to be verified in other ways. 2). Entrust a third-party company Many companies in China can do credit checks on suppliers and can entrust these companies to help you…

Over our over ten-year experience of sourcing in China, we have come across some manufacturing nightmares that have happened in China. Here are 6 common mistakes we want to share with you. 1) Picking your partner based solely on price This is by far the most common and most disastrous mistake we see. And it’s easy to see why. In a world where incremental margin shifts can literally make or break profitability, it’s important to be price sensitive. But it’s also important to be price-savvy. Extremely low prices should generally serve more as a red flag than as an enticement. Cheap prices are often accompanied by cheap products, unresponsive vendors, or defective or hazardous materials. This is what many jaded entrepreneurs and small business owners have termed as, “The China Cost of Doing Business.”  2) Failing to verify your partner’s experience  When searching out a knowledgeable and reliable sourcing partner,…

There are a number of factors contributed to the success of your business. Among them, the crucial part should be locating a reliable supplier for a product you have in mind. Either you want to import it or find it in a local market. No matter which you choose, you have to identify a reliable supplier, which should be the key to run a smooth business. But how will you find such a supplier? 1). Getting you prepared You will have to develop a group of suppliers who can give you happy deals without any aversion. The most important things you must look for should be the price, quality, and speed. Price: Finding suppliers with low price is a difficult task. There’s a chance of importing low-quality products. If you’re looking for a good customer response, then think very little about cheaper products. But, if you want to make a large purchase,…

If you are an Amazon seller, you need to constantly ship products from China to Amazon FBA. Do you want to arrange by yourself, or to use agents? Here are a few key advantages you can avail if you choose to use agents in getting your products shipped from China to FBA: 1) Higher Consolidation If you are using agents, they will make sure that your products leave China in a consolidated form. This will increase the safety of the products and the chances of them matching the standards set by Amazon. 2) Ensuring Inspection If there are any specific changes being made to the packaging of your product to meet the Amazon standards, you will be called by the agents to inspect them thoroughly before they are shipped out of China. You can suggest them any changes you feel regarding any aspect of shipment and the agents will duly implement…

Quality control is a necessity for most shipments. The constant search for cheaper suppliers, the bad habit of subcontracting to lower-grade factories, and the high risk of communication mistakes, all make a strong case for systematic inspections. 1) Establish clear expectations Some buyers choose a sample, negotiate a price, and then wait for delivery. This might work for off-the-shelf items with basic requirements, but not for most made-to-order products.  You should try to get golden samples (i.e. representative of what you expect to get out of bulk production), but this is usually not enough. You also have to confirm if your supplier accepts written specifications, which will become the checkpoints for the QC inspector.  2) Don’t only rely on final inspections Final random inspections are good for approving major aspects of production, but they tend to put a lot of pressure onto the supplier: what happens if serious non-conformities are found…

When importers sourcing in China, it is very important to make sure the quality of your products, so, you may need quality inspection service from a third-party QC company. The main role of a QC inspection is to spot, and report issues based on the standards agreed upon by the client and supplier, the QC inspector will thoroughly check chosen goods per sampling plan, conduct visual inspection, function check, on-site test, and confirm packaging and other details. The QC inspector visit the factory and check the products according to the customer or importer’s criteria. sampling the products according to AQL standard, any issues found are documented on-site in a detailed report, which is then sent to the importer for review. Based on the actual findings shown on inspection report, the importer can make a decision whether to ship the products. If serious problems are spotted, the importer can reject the lot…