Global Sources invited me to speak to a group of suppliers in Foshan, a few weeks ago. Most Chinese exporters try to push their products in the hands of anybody who will pay... And that's a big mistake on their part. They need to … [Read more...]
Chinese suppliers: 6 distinctive traits of forward-thinking LEADERS
In the course of the few Global Sources forums that I attended recently, I was part of discussions between executives representing Chinese exporting companies (manufacturers and traders). One thing that struck me was that it is possible … [Read more...]
Identifying & Mitigating Risks when Buying from China
From August 19 to August 30, I will be responding to buyers' questions on this forum on Alibaba's website: Talk With Experts-When Buying Chinese Products, How do You Identify & Mitigate Risks? I expect buyers to post … [Read more...]
Be ULTRA SPECIFIC with your Chinese Suppliers
In a recent trip to Yiwu (not the place where one will find high-quality products!), I noticed several interesting things. When an importer prepares a specifications sheet, I always recommend being ultra-specific ("include what tools to … [Read more...]
2 Important Lessons From CHINESE Companies Seeking Higher Quality.
Recently I had interesting conversations with a few buyers, who work in Chinese companies, and who need to buy local products that satisfy a high standard. How do they do? Are personal relationships ("guanxi") key? Absolutely … [Read more...]
How and why Chinese suppliers increase their prices
If you have done regular business with Chinese suppliers, you have certainly noticed how eager they are to push prices up. And you probably felt like you got cheated several times. In this article I am going to focus on cases where the … [Read more...]
High quality standard [cartoon]
I found this great cartoon from the New Yorker, and thought it illustrates nicely some buyer-supplier interactions. … [Read more...]
Supplier relationships, as seen by French companies based in China
In the last publication of "Connexions", the magazine edited by the French Chamber of Commerce in China, I found an interesting survey (conducted by IFOP Asia) of French companies established in China. Here are the most interesting … [Read more...]
5 ways an importer can develop an unfair advantage
As I wrote recently, many companies that import from China have been forced to revise their approach over the last couple of years. Those importers that turn a good profit have developed an "unfair advantage" that is not easily copied by … [Read more...]
Co-development with Chinese suppliers
When it comes to developing a new product, an importing business cannot always do it all alone. Sometimes it is possible, and I strongly suggest the following steps for complex products: (1) develop a prototype with a few technical … [Read more...]
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