When navigating China manufacturing, delays can often occur, but with the right preparation, many can be avoided or minimized to ensure a smoother sourcing process. Below are a few tips that can reduce the risk of delay and mitigate its damage when it occurs: Place orders early: You’ll want to...
Importing from China has never been a decision made overnight. Importers have many options to weigh and lots of research to do when considering moving their supply chain to China. One barrier has always been – how? What is the best approach to buying from China? The best approach to...
Importers who have gone through the trouble of researching, qualifying, and building a relationship with their Chinese suppliers are sometimes hesitant to change, even when the quality of their services and output begins to decline. This desire to not want to “rock the boat” with suboptimal suppliers is what we...
Many new importers find that they only have a very vague idea of how long it really takes to receive their product when purchasing in China. This is because many of them have experience buying from distributors or wholesalers here in the US, so the timeline is rarely clear. In...
We are the age of information. All of it is readily available at your fingertips. And for many, the problem is no longer finding suppliers, but rather, qualifying suppliers. We previously wrote about how to verify factories (see China sourcing: How to verify factories). Since this blog, new importers continue to ask...
Buying from China is exciting, but it is also complicated. This is why most importers have trusted agents in China for sourcing. The role and benefit of sourcing agents is a topic that often comes up and we have covered it in a previous blog, (See Are You Leaving Money...
We have been helping importers manage their China direct buying for 45+ years now and many that come to us for help share a common concern – pricing. However, one of the very first questions we ask new clients is – what is your target pricing? Many of them...
In this highly competitive world, there are many possible Chinese suppliers and manufacturers for your goods. It can be difficult to identify the “best fit” to meet specific needs and requirements when you buy direct from China. In an April 2019 blog, we addressed a similar issue: How-to Qualifying Suppliers...