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Many importers pull their hair every time they are working on a new development with a Chinese supplier. This stage can be even more confusing than mass production. Last week, the JLMade blog published some excellent advice for getting … [Read more...]

Sometimes it makes sense to describe best practices -- if such a thing exists. Sometimes it's fun to draw a "top ten" of mistakes. And sometimes it's even more fun to list some examples of fraud. Hopefully, importers can learn something out … [Read more...]

It is good for importers to read about best practices. Many first-time buyers have never heard of letters of credit or quality control plans. They often find it useful to follow a "how-to" guide. On the other hand, it is much easier (and … [Read more...]

Many people in Europe and in the US think of factories are large organizations where everyone follows a standard procedure. Quality and lead times are consistent because of detailed planning, and because it doesn't matter if a few cogs … [Read more...]

From time to time, a reader who has received unacceptable products asks me how they can force a Chinese supplier to refund an order. My response is usually "forget it, and do things right on your next order (make sure you read about best … [Read more...]

Last year, Gartner came up with a study about the problems of importers in China. It listed the following issues: Fake certificates Price increases after the order is confirmed Reduction of product quality over time Frequent … [Read more...]

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...]