By now, the need to wear a mask might seem like old news. However, as wearing a mask is part of our "new normal," it might be easy to forget the importance of using a good quality and the right kind of mask, especially in high-risk environments. The Market Sourcing...
For most Americans and Europeans, it’s never been fun to wear masks – unless, of course, you’re in New Orleans during Mardi Gras or at a carnival – or if you are robbing a bank. Despite this cultural bias, masks make sense during the current pandemic: they work. For example,...
China began the New Year with an unusually quiet Spring Festival, one that included staying at home, not traveling, and abstaining from the all-important and traditional family visits and the parties. A virus had emerged, and it had rapidly grown into an epidemic. As it spread throughout the country, social...
The COVID-19 outbreak was first identified at the end of January 2020. Conditions in China are now gradually improving as a result of the country’s vigorous containment efforts. What is it like to manage a supply chain under these circumstances? How does one mitigate risks that no-one had predicted? To...
“Social distancing” is making an impact on all businesses across the country. This change in behavior is another major disruption caused by Covid-19. How else is the virus affecting YOUR business? More to the point: are smaller importers affected the same way as larger corporations are? Last week, we reviewed...
The COVID-19 coronavirus is going to have a major impact on the global economy, this is now undeniable. We discussed the various impacts of the virus around the world in our last blog, “Covid-19 Affecting Your Supply Chain?” While the pandemic affects everyone—individuals and companies alike—one of the hardest hit...
The whole world is fixated on Covid-19. Perhaps too much so due to its unpredictability. There’s so much we don’t know. What we do know is that it is very contagious, it has a relatively low fatality rate, and, if left to its devices, lasts about 3 weeks. It seems...
Experienced importers with deep knowledge of China and its culture are able to realize savings and increase their revenue. But not all importers have that background. We previously covered this topic in the blog series “Are You Leaving Money on the Table?” In that blog, we explored what happens when...