One of the most common mistakes made by importers is to let a Chinese factory take care of a new product development (that's true for most product categories, with a few exceptions such as apparel). Fortunately, more and more Western … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2011
Dealing with Chinese suppliers
It is impossible to advise a generic way of dealing with Chinese suppliers (whether they are much bigger or much smaller than your company, whether or not they are used to dealing with foreigners, etc.). However, when it comes to … [Read more...]
Why doesn’t China value intellectual property rights?
"Microsoft Corp.'s revenue in China this year will be about 5% of what it gets in the U.S. even though personal-computer sales in the two countries are almost equal", according to Steve Ballmer (in the Wall Street Journal). Foreign buyers … [Read more...]
Hands-on buyers: qualifying factories and nurturing them
Last week, I described what I call "hands-off buyers": those importers who don't follow all the precautions necessary when buying in developing Asia, sometimes by choice. Now I am going to write about "hands-on buyers", the opposite … [Read more...]
Successfully Launching Production In China: 12 Steps For Buyers
Every year, thousands of inexperienced buyers are coming to China to find a supplier and launch production. However, getting a perfect pre-production sample is not enough. Do you know who is going to make your products, and in which … [Read more...]
Checklist for importers in China and low-cost Asia
Let's say you have done your homework, and you have decided that you should source from China/Vietnam/an other emerging Asian country. Now, what are the steps? Is there something you really don't want to forget? I got this question … [Read more...]
Hands-off buyers: accepting the risks of importing
To summarize grossly, two types of importers source products from China and low-cost Asian countries: "Hands-off buyers", who are not in a position to invest much time with each of their suppliers. "Hands-on buyers", who need to focus … [Read more...]
Is it the end of China’s low-cost production?
Yesterday I wrote about orders that were canceled by importers because of escalating costs in China. But does it mean other Asian countries such as Vietnam or India will become the lowest-cost producers? The China Sourcing Information … [Read more...]
Are cancelled orders due to fall of the dollar?
A few days ago, I had a discussion with former colleagues. They had just finished walking the Canton Fair and were on their way back to France. They told me it was the first time they noticed so much stock on sale on the trade show. … [Read more...]
How much legal protection do importers need?
From time to time, an importer asks me about everything he can do to protect himself. Let's say they just received a shipment of defective goods. Now they are willing to pay for extra protection. They will want to know how to check the … [Read more...]