Suppliers From China
Suppliers From China
When running a business, it is important to have a reliable supplier to supply you with the materials you need to create the product, package it and/or directly sell it to your customers. There are a few ways you can go about getting a supplier depending on the kind of products you are selling. You can either support local businesses by buying from them or have an overseas supplier.
Nothing wrong with using either one as it really depends on your business. If you are selling nasi lemak for example, it might be better to find a local seller to provide you with dried anchovies. But for more universal things such as clothes, gadgets and cosmetics, perhaps it might be better to find suppliers from China. Why? Most of those products come from there anyway so dealing directly with them is just cheaper.
How To Find Reliable Suppliers From China
1. Use B2B Marketplaces
This method could be the easiest way to find suppliers from China as you only need to look for them online. Popular sites such as Taobao, 1688 and Alibaba are some of the places you can check out to look for potential suppliers and even manufacturers. However, as with all online stores, you need to be wary of scammers.
The websites mentioned above have a rating system that you can use to determine if the supplier’s page you are looking at is legitimate or not. Of course, just looking at ratings is not enough. Some ratings can be bought so trading companies would splurge to get that coveted gold star rating. What you can do is Google the company or contact them directly to ask questions.
Once you are able to contact them, another precaution you can take is to order a sample of the products they sell. If the product meets your standards, you can proceed to buy in bulk and negotiate your prices. Keep in mind though, the lower the price, the lower the quality of the product will be so do not haggle too much.
2. Use Sourcing Agents
Next, we have sourcing agents. Sourcing agents are ideal when you need to find products to be manufactured with exact technical specifications. Try to find a sourcing agent based in China or has a team in China as these agents can directly go to the supplier’s base of operations or the manufacturing factory to oversee the quality control of the product and manufacturing process.
Agents from China are also well-versed in Mandarin so the language barrier will not be a problem for you and you can communicate your requirements clearly. Sourcing agents ensure that this information is relayed clearly and accurately so you and the manufacturer or supplier are on the same page before production starts.
In short, partnering with a trusted sourcing agent will give you comprehensive support throughout the entire sourcing process. It will be very beneficial if you can invest in one especially if you intend to build a long-term relationship with your supplier.
3. Go to Canton Fair and Yiwu Market
At the moment these two are not possible but should China be open to accepting international travellers again, this is a great place to look for suppliers. For those who do not know, Canton Fair is the largest import/export convention that is held twice a year and covers practically every industry that makes physical products. You can attend for free and hire interpreters if you wish.
Then we have the Yiwu Market. This market in Zhejiang is open all year round. It houses over 40,000 shops but you should only visit it if you are looking for shoes, textiles, accessories, watches and bags with low prices. The marketplace is more targeted towards buyers from India, Africa and the Middle East so the products sold there may not follow the same safety standards or regulations of your country.
These are some of the ways you can use to look for suppliers from China. You will not be able to find your go-to supplier right away so do not be discouraged if it takes you a long time to look for one. The filtering process can take up to days or even weeks and the process only becomes longer if you intend to use more than one supplier. So, take your time in finding a supplier from China you can trust.
In addition, the use of import -export agents (especially those with experience dealing in the Chinese market) can also provide the best results in terms of time, cost and even reliability. Import-export agents such as BGST RESOURCES SDN BHD has extensive experience in finding reliable suppliers in China. They also offer kursus borong China for those who want to learn from the bottom up to successfully create the opportunities available.