Archive of Category: Sourcing Tips

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The Return to China Pt 2: 8 Tips for a Great Sourcing Trip 

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In our last travel blog, The Return to China Pt 1, we covered how to carefully plan and prepare a trip to China for a factory visit or a trade fair. And, due to the complexities and challenges of such a grueling international trip, many companies are choosing not to...

China Sourcing: What to include in the PSS?

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There are many tools importers use to ensure success with a supplier when they buy direct from China. 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...

Reflections on 40 Years of China Sourcing

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1978-2018 As our 40th anniversary year comes to an end, I look back at our business, how it came about, why we did it, and what it means today. People often ask me how CPG got started, and more specifically, why I learned Chinese way back when China was not...

“Made In China”: Improving the Standards and Quality – Part 4

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Previously, we wrote about how sourcing from China got its reputation for poor quality. This week’s blog discusses how a series of consumer product recalls actually led to improving the standards of supply chain management in China. As our last blog in this series indicated, the notion that goods made...

The Return to China Pt 1: 4 Tips Business Travelers Must Know When Traveling to China

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If your business relies on China sourcing, there’s a good chance you’ve waited more than three years for an in-person visit and this has affected your supply chain management in China. Now, the time has come. China has eased its travel restrictions and has ended its zero-Covid policy – but...

“Made in China”: The Negative Perception of China Direct Buying– Part 3

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We recently 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 supply chain management in China and explore the source of this notion and...

The Resilient China Supply Chain

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As we emerge from the Covid19 supply chain nightmare and dust ourselves off, we note that some companies were able to react immediately to market opportunities. They placed orders and planned deliveries, secure in their knowledge that their supply chain will deliver.  Those companies did really well when the market...

“Made in China” Pt 2 – Background of China Sourcing and Production

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As we wrote in our last blog, “Made in China” – Quality and Perception: Intro, China sourcing has historically been associated with cheap goods with questionable quality. In this blog series, we’ll explore how China ended up with this reputation and what technological and economic advancements they have made to...

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