Dan Harris wrote a pretty good overview of the risks of paying an individual as a sourcing/QC employee in China. He relates a recent change he noticed. (On our side, we also heard that controls on incoming flows of money have gotten much … [Read more...]
What Regulatory Standards Apply to Garments?
Note: all free coupons were used up. But we still got some coupons at 50% discount. If you import products from another country, you should be aware of the regulations that apply to those products. Chances are, your country's authorities … [Read more...]
What European Importers Need to Know about Compliance: Q&A With an Expert
Fredrik Gronkvist is a co-founder of Chinaimportal, a company that helps small businesses import from China through supplier identification & verification services. A part of Fredrik's offer is to help importers understand what … [Read more...]
China Trade Shows: Don’t Get Your New Product Designs Stolen
Dan Harris just published advice to exhibitors that showcase their own new product designs. In his words: It should go without saying that you should not reveal anything more at a trade fair than you would otherwise, and you should have an … [Read more...]
My China Factory Has Gone Bankrupt: How to Get my Deposit Back?
A client called me and asked my advice regarding an uncomfortable situation. One of his long-time suppliers, a manufacturer in Zhejiang, just announced they had gone bankrupt and had stopped all activity. My client has wired a 30% … [Read more...]
How to complain about counterfeit/fakes on Taobao
There has been a mounting concern about the role of e-commerce platforms in the distribution of fake products. For example, two years ago I wrote Does your China factory sell your products on Taobao.com?. And it seems like the situation is … [Read more...]
Brand protection in China: Q&A with an expert
A few weeks ago, I met with Elisabeth Bourgeois, who is based in China and specializes in brand protection & anti-counterfeiting. She is the managing director of Bourgeois & Yang and is a member of the European Union Chamber of … [Read more...]
The lack of professionalism of some Chinese suppliers
A few days ago, I was invited to speak in a seminar organized by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. The topic was "How to collect payments from Chinese suppliers". The first speaker was Javier Hernandez, a lawyer based in … [Read more...]
Opening a HK company: all the details
I found a simple explanation of what it takes to set up a company in Hong Kong on the new website of my accountant in Hong Kong (whom I strongly recommend). I am reproducing that content below. The first step in setting up a business … [Read more...]
Why contracts are useful in China
China's legal system is unreliable and favors local companies against foreigners. True. Foreign courts' decisions are not enforced by Chinese courts, so litigation needs to take place in China. True. But then is it a waste of time to … [Read more...]