How to Deftly Navigate the Chinese Supplier Market and Start Sourcing Like a Pro

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China has a huge market, and if you go in blindly looking for the best suppliers and products – you’ll get overwhelmed.

Navigating such a large market is incredibly hard, so we wanted to make it a bit easier for you.

Namely, we’ve spoken to several professionals in the field, and we’ve come up with a fool-proof strategy on how to deftly navigate the Chinese market and start sourcing like a pro.

Let’s see how you can do it!

Get Yourself A Sourcing Agent

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Considering how humongous the market is, it is filled with China sourcing agents.

China sourcing agents are absolutely necessary if you want to start sourcing anything. They’re the ones that know the market, and that can point you in the right direction.

Also, the language barrier is a real thing in China, which makes sourcing agents even more valuable when it comes to doing business.

Know What You Want And Need

In order for the sourcing process to be successful, you need to let your China sourcing agents know exactly what you need. Otherwise – they can’t help you.

Being perfectly clear about your wants and needs will significantly speed up the process of finding the supplier, as well as getting on the same page.

Don’t assume something’s a given because nothing is. Get your needs right to the smallest details, and then get into business.

Always Look For A Sample

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Even though you’ll provide your China sourcing agents and your supplier with a detailed description of what you need – you still need to look for a sample.

The quality of the product is never guaranteed, especially in a flooded market like the Chinese is. Factories are cutting corners at every turn just to lower their prices and become competitive, so you must ask for a sample before placing a large order.

If You Can – Visit The Supplier

You may not be able to do this, but if you’re really serious about your business and you’re spending thousands of dollars on importing products from China – we’d suggest you pay your supplier a visit.

It’ll be more than useful. You’ll get to meet them, check out the factories, get familiar with the manufacturing process, and more.

Understand Quality Control

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The China sourcing agents are familiar with quality control, and they’ll do whatever’s in their power to make sure you end up with quality products. However, you need to understand quality control, as well.

Inform yourself on things like vetting process, quality certificates, certificates of authorisation, and so on. That will help you tremendously.

Factor In The Pricing

There isn’t a market in the world that’s more affordable than the Chinese one. However, that is the main reason why you must be very wary of the pricing.

Sometimes, a deal is just too good to be true. As we’ve said, cutting corners in favour of pricing is common, so you might be better off paying extra if that means you’ll end up with a satisfactory product or a service.

Conclusion

We’re not sure if you’re already contacting prospective China sourcing agents or not, but we’re pretty sure these tips will come in handy for you.

Hopefully, you agree. Good luck!