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How to Identify the “Best Fit” Chinese Supplier/Manufacturer

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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 of Qualifying...

CPG’s Quarterly Newsletter – Q2 2024

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  Welcome to CPG's Q2 Newsletter! Our newsletters summarize recent events and cover China supply chain trends. This quarter, we discuss the Canton Fair, China's economy, the Francis Scott Key Bridge incident, and what forwarders are expecting for sea freight costs in Q2. As always, we welcome your feedback –...

5 Things I wish I Could have Known Before Establishing a China Supply Chain

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We were all new importers at one time even if some of us (not me!) are now wise and savvy with our years of experience. We all remember things we wish we had known when we first started China sourcing company  Today, we see new importers popping up everywhere, they...

How to Get an Accurate Quote from Chinese Suppliers

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How you establish the terms for a working relationship with a factory, especially in the context of China direct buying, can really set the tone for the remainder of the production process. The Request For Quotation (RFQ) is thus a crucial step in your China sourcing program to ensure the...

The Pros and Cons of Having a China Sourcing Office

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A China sourcing agency is the best way to support a sourcing program: all your issues are addressed from placing orders to quality assurance to on-time delivery.  But (there always seems to be a “but”) it requires an investment. How do we know all that? Well, we have one, obviously....

Cheap Factories and Your China Sourcing Program

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Recently, I read an article on QualityInspection.org, “The Danger of Choosing a ‘Cheap’ Chinese Factory.” The objective of most companies with China sourcing programs is to save money, it stands to reason that many importers are looking for cheap Chinese factories. But what happens when saving money becomes, in effect,...

7 Steps to Protect Your IP

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As a China sourcing service provider, one of the questions I am asked most often is how to protect Intellectual Property (IP) when manufacturing goods in China. This scrutiny is justified: nobody wants their idea stolen by their manufacturer. Since China is the “supplier of the world,” it receives extra...

CPG’s Quarterly Newsletter – Q1 2024

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  Welcome to CPG's 1st Quarter 2024 Newsletter! Our newsletters summarize recent events and cover China supply chain trends. This quarter, we discuss ERP software, how your supply chain can add value to your business vision, the conflict affecting the Suez Canal, dropping water levels in the Panama Canal, and...

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