Elksourcing

Importers are often careful about which suppliers they trust with order fulfillment. But many neglect to consider why a potential supplier might refuse their business. Fortunately, if you’re aware of the kinds of factors that tend to give suppliers “cold feet”, you’re in a better position to avoid that resistance and get to working together. Here are three reasons a supplier might refuse your business: 1. Small order quantities If someone asked you to choose between working an hour for $100 or an hour for $15, which would you choose? Most people would prefer the first option. And although this is a highly simplified example, factory owners and trading companies tend to have a similar mindset. A supplier might refuse your business if the order quantity is insignificant. Any order that a supplier accepts comes at an opportunity cost. The factory producing the goods will have to allocate various resources for: Creating, and typically revising, product samples;Working…

Let’s talk about where to look and what questions to ask when finding reliable Chinese suppliers. There’s also a really helpful checklist included. The rewards from doing business can be great but if things go wrong you end up at the opposite end of that great scale. This is why I continue to promote that buyers, especially those new to sourcing from China take time to make an informed decision before making a financial commitment. Hopefully this topic can assist you in finding reliable Chinese suppliers. What sources can I use to find reliable Chinese suppliers? B2B Websites such as the ever popular Alibaba, Global Sources & Made in China tend to dominate this side of things and the accessibility for the services here make it really appealing. Sitting anywhere in the world communicating in real time with someone at a factory in China is pretty cool. So that bit is relatively easy…

Here are 6 Tips About Doing Business Internationally I have learned from my 20-year work in China sourcing business: 1.) Be patient:It is critical to understand and appreciate cultural differences when you are doing business in a foreign country. This approach will be deeply appreciated by senior executives and members of large organizations such as governments. 2.) Socialize and enjoy:One of the best ways to earn trust and understand a foreign culture is to take the time to go to events with your foreign colleagues and associates. Not only will you meet other people that could open new doors, but also you will build a reputation in their community. 3.) Respect customs and try new things:When getting to know people and earning their trust it can be a great sign of respect to learn about their culture, and try things your new colleagues share with you. This can be anything from the…

Many people have learned a lot from magazines offering advice or a commentary about the do’s and don’ts of sourcing products from China. Some of them are effective, some of them are simply based on generalizations that may or may not be true across the board. As a Chinese working with different factories and with importing companies around the world, I’d like to share some inputs based on my real experience on solving problems for both suppliers and customers. I believe it’s quite useful no matter you’re a China sourcing veteran or a freshman. Step 1- Search from the internet, sourcing magazines or trade fairs There are many potential suppliers from the biggest search engines such as Google. You can also get good resources from the sourcing platforms like Alibaba, Global Sources, Made-in-China, etc. Short list a few suppliers for the items you’re going to source. There are so many big international…

If you have ever requested for quotes for your enquiries from Chinese suppliers, you have probably guessed why they often give you wrong or unreasonable prices. Here are 4 simple reasons: 1. They don’t read your emails carefully Often we see suppliers that reply half of client’s questions and most of the time they answer something completely different than what it’s asked. Language barriers help to develop even more misunderstandings as I have seen people using Google translating to know what’s that email about. This happens more often than you think. Therefore, there will be misleading in price and production as well. Usually people go quickly through your email and think they got it all correct because they think this is just another enquiry of the product they deal everyday. Action point: if you don’t have someone in China taking care of your order, when selecting the suppliers, you can try…

Products with the “Made in China” label have always been perceived as having one meaning: “Price, good! Quality, Not good!”. A quote from a piece of wide-published news in July clearly states the embarrassing status of “Made in China” in the eyes of people overseas. Even though they still continue to buy Chinese-made products. Is it possible to get good quality products from China? In reality, due to the increasing cost of production in western countries, most of big brands like: Apple, Samsung, BMW, Nike etc. have already turned to China for their manufacturing needs. These companies usually open their own factory in China or setup joint venture with local factories, or OEM to China factories, and no matter which method they adopt, their products are still produced to the same quality standard as before. In fact, no matter where the products are made, be it China, America or Europe, as…

Are you interested to do business in China? Being the world factory in the world, it has immense opportunity for overseas business establishments. However, you have to remember that the culture, language and etiquette practiced in the country are completely different from that of your own nation. It is therefore important that you hire a China sourcing agent that can help you in the long run. This article is about things you should not do and those that you should do in China. THINGS NOT TO DO IN CHINA: 1. Do not hurry In developed economies, things happen at a faster rate than in developing economies. So, while you might have a practice to make quick decisions, in China they prefer to reach a decision after prolonged deliberations. So, your sourcing agency will inform you not to hurry things when dealing with Chinese business owners. If you push them to reach a decision,…

If you have been considering purchasing your products from China, you may also be thinking about whether or not it makes sense to travel to China to visit suppliers, attend a trade show or discover new products. For most traders, it’s a big decision. Travel is costly, the country is huge and maybe a bit intimidating, the language and habits of the Chinese people are sometimes different to those of most US and European buyers. Is it worth it?  1. To Go or Not to Go, That’s The QuestionOpinions are all over the board about whether or not it’s necessary or prudent to go to China. In general, unless you are intending to invest in large purchases, it’s simply not worth the money. You should not spend money going to China just to “kick the tires.” Good advice: Before you decide that you will buy from China, take a good look at the…