Study in China: how to find good factories in China? (buywithCharlotte)

Charlotte explain 4 basic tips to find good factories in China for your sourcing activities 

The right balance between quality and price

You will always find inexpensive products. But I bet you won’t buy from suppliers 15% cheaper than the lowest price on the market. In business, you get what you pay for. Adjust your budget to guarantee product quality. The lowest prices can be accompanied by poor quality and sometimes scams.

Do not try to make small savings as you will end up losing a lot.

The supplier's commercial expertise

I think a qualified salesperson should be very familiar with the products they sell. He knows the product, the price difference between different products, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the corresponding certificates required for import and export. You ask a question and a good comemcial will give you many options to choose the best and save time. But a bad salesperson might have a hard time answering your question clearly.

What about sellers in trading companies in China? Most of them are students who have not graduated in a long time and who can communicate with foreigners in Basic English. They do not have too much experience in international trade. If a product is more complicated, such as chemicals or technical products, it may not be as professional as you.

If you think that the quality and price of a supplier are good, but that it is difficult to communicate with this salesperson, you can simply write an e-mail directly to the manager of the company and ask him to offer you a better one. commercial, more professional.

The salesperson assigned to you by the suppliers is random, whether for Alibaba or for fairs. As soon as you show them that you are a big buyer from the start, they will send the salesperson who has been in the company for a long time to serve you.

Effective communication

Time is money, hence the importance of effective communication. In international trade, communication is mainly based on emails. In some parts of Europe and America, the time difference is large, which can delay trade. Using a common chat tool can solve this problem. Some Chinese providers can use Whatsapp or Skype, but they may not check the messages in time, while some providers do not use them at all.

I suggest you install a Chinese app like WeChat on your phone. In Europe and America, not everyone uses Facebook to communicate, but in China, everyone uses WeChat in their daily lives. They will answer you anytime, even on weekends. The Chinese work hard.

If a salesperson does not respond to emails after work, you may want to consider changing your salesperson or supplier. Prompt communication can solve most of your problems and will make the process easier.

 Responsibility - Attitude towards problems and ways to solve them

A responsible supplier processes all orders, whether large or small. However, many Alibaba suppliers process small orders (just reach or less than MOQ), that is, they are only interested in doing business with you once. Therefore, they will offer you a higher price and will not care much about your order.

Purchasing existing brand products in China or customizing a product, especially a batch of products, can be a complex and time consuming process, from production to import into your country. This process has several challenges, especially if you are importing for the first time. This is why the choice of a responsible supplier becomes even more important.

In addition, small challenges and obstacles are inevitable during production. For example, the logo is printed in the wrong position, or the requested changes have not been made, etc. Here, the key to making everything run smoothly is the attitude of the supplier towards these problems. If the supplier is relieved of all responsibility when something goes wrong with a product, or does not compensate for the problems by fixing them, he is certainly not a good supplier.

A good supplier understands the win-win principle and is ready to take responsibility for its mistakes. It may become unprofitable because an order poses unexpected problems, but it will not let you suffer unreasonable losses. Whether it is small or large orders, he will always have a positive attitude, because he wants to establish long-term cooperation with you.

source buywithCharlotte