Many buyers tend to make assumptions that are seldom valid in China, and it can be quite dangerous. When I started spending a lot of time in Chinese factories, what I saw blew my mind. A foreign buyer simply can’t imagine what is sometimes going on behind the scenes. I'll say that China is the land where everything is possible... from the worst to the best. I wrote 21 common assumptions below, in categories, along with my comments. … [Read more...]
Sourcing from China 101, Part 3: How to Verify a Manufacturer
If you have followed the advice about identifying potential suppliers in part 2, you may have found a few interesting suppliers. The next step is to confirm that they told you the truth and that they are reliable. Even if you place one-shot orders, you should spend a little time to check if a potential supplier is legitimate. You don’t want to fall victim to a scam, do you? Screening these suppliers and verifying the last candidate(s) How to verify a manufacturer? There are three main … [Read more...]
Chinese Supplier Background Check: How useful is it?
I wrote before about ways to run a background check on a Chinese company. We recently had an interesting experience and it serves as an interesting example for those buyers who are afraid of lies and trickeries so common in this part of the world. One of our regular clients was planning to buy for $50,000 of motorized vehicles. They asked us to run a quick check on the supplier's company as a safety measure. Apparently, all was in order. The supplier has a well-designed website, … [Read more...]