We’ve all heard the saying, “The greater the risk, the greater the reward.” Although the risk/reward concept makes sense in most cases, let us not exaggerate. Sourcing and procurement is a risky and complex process in and of itself. If you want to reap rewards from buying directly from China,...
“Oh my gosh! These are not what I ordered! This is terrible!” Such things are often heard when some importers who buy direct from China receive their goods in their warehouses. How do such things happen? It is likely because they did not have clear quality specifications in place. A...
If you’re sourcing from China, you understand the importance of management and you are probably already evaluating your systems and processes on a regular basis to ensure that they are running optimally and according to your plans and your vision. (If you’re not, you really should.) SWOT stands for “Strengths,...
Experience: “Knowledge and skill gained while doing something” (MacMillan). Experience is a fun topic. In politics, those who have a lot of it worry they are too old, and those who don’t have enough argue it is not important. Kissinger is 100 years old, is his experience valuable? You decide. ...
It goes without saying – when you buy direct from China, you must have an excellent support system. Many companies secure this support by hiring a China sourcing agent or a China sourcing company. But for some companies, opening their own sourcing office makes the most sense. This requires an...
Current tariffs and selling restrictions with China have been an ongoing and popular topic in the press and an especially important issue for businesses sourcing from China. Many companies are now looking to China procurement services to help them navigate these challenges. One of the benefits of this kind of...
Importers and experienced sourcing agents say there is no recourse for importers who lose money through scams with Chinese suppliers. Generally speaking this is true, and buyers should always beware. But, according to this article from China Importal, some Chinese lawyers claim that, under certain circumstances, you can get your...
Welcome to CPG's 2025 Q3 Newsletter! Our newsletters summarize recent events and cover China supply chain trends. Tariffs are rising ($130B collected this year) and uncertainty looms, but China remains the sourcing hub of the world. Its exports outpace the U.S., Germany, and Japan combined, driven by fierce price...