When an importer begins their quest to source products in China, they typically know what they want, but they are not always as clear about what they need. What is the difference between “want” and “need”? Well, it mostly has to do with details; all the things you need to address...
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...
We previously wrote in depth about the RFQ (Request for Quotation) process and how to secure the best and most accurate quotes. In this blog, we will discuss how having a professional China sourcing team could add value to your RFQ process, and how they would manage the process successfully....
Many companies seek sourcing from China to save on first costs. Seems relatively straight forward, right? Not so fast. Sourcing from China is a complicated process, of which every single stage requires careful attention. Even the savviest of importers can run into trouble if they start getting lax about the...
There are many tools importers use to ensure success with a supplier. One of these tools is the Product Specification Sheet (PSS). This document is used to specify the buyer’s requirements and to ensure that they are implemented at the factory level by making them an integral part of the...
In February we started a blog series on the perception of Chinese goods being of poor quality (See Part 1 & Part 2). But is this a myth or reality? In this week’s segment, we’ll delve deeper into this topic and explore the source of this notion and its impact...
We field a lot of questions about China sourcing and the management of the China supply chain, such as: How is it done? How hard is it? What are the pitfalls? etc. The best answers are provided by China sourcing specialists. To address some of these questions we thought we...
As we wrote in our last blog, “Made in China” – Quality and Perception: Intro, China has been known as a source for cheap goods with questionable quality for years. In this blog series, we’ll be exploring how China ended up with this reputation and what technological and economic advancements...
