China-Specific Sourcing Research Importers Need to Conduct

China becomes a decadent destination for doing business owing to its resource availability both physical and labor, development of the business value chain, improved infrastructure, productivity and workforce skills. China’s labor costs have been catching up to those of more developed countries. Despite the higher labor cost there is no decline in China sourcing. American and European businesses already have hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars business interest in China sourcing.

The main factor why Chinese products and items are dominating the American and the European market is their affordable price. China’s manufacturing sector has undergone a tremendous change and now Chinese goods are no way inferior and enjoying a huge popularity worldwide. The notable thing is along with the low-cost products such as home decor items, toys and plastic products, traders are importers hig-value consumer electronics goods, fashion wear and industrial machines.

Along with the growing tendency of importing China made products, the requirement to conduct China-specific sourcing research has become essential.

Consider both quantitative and qualitative factors of China made products-

As an importer, your first prerogative should be to consider the quantitative as well as the qualitative factors of the product your sourcing from China. One of the massive issues you’ll run into when importing from China is undoubtedly the quality. Although the made in China products are no longer considered inferior, but still you need to pay attention of standard of the items their quantity before shipping them to your country so that you get the full value of your money.

Common quality issues with Chinese products are:

• Substandard product components, packing
• Functional defective items
• Transportation damages
• Damaged items
• Wrong items with defects and wrong color
• Substandard materials

Be strict about the deadline–

If you think that the Chinese manufacturer you have chosen is only dedicatedly producing your products, then you are wrong. Manufacturers generally handle the requirements of lots of clients, and you are one among them. It has been noted many times, a Chinese manufacturer completely failed to deliver the product on the designated date because the manufacturer bites off more than he can chew. Specifically write down the deadline date in the contract and ensure the provisions are clear for all parties.

Select a single sourcing agent or a sourcing house according to your business type–

You must choose your sourcing resource according to your business type. For instance, if you are interested in importing low-cost items from China such as shoes, furniture, toys, designer clothes and plastic products, it is good to strike a deal with an individual China sourcing agent. For many expensive products like electronics and communications equipment, office equipment, industrial machines, computers and gadgets- always opt for the established China sourcing agencies.

Overcome the language barrier–

Apart from the above-mentioned points, another important aspects foreign businesses must immense priority is how they can overcome language barrier while sourcing products from China. Dealing with the cultural and language differences is perhaps the most challenging task. Seeking help from technology could be your best bet. You need to know that Chinese language isn’t hard, it’s just different. Here is a list of tools business owners can use to improve their Chinese:

Mandarin Companion

This growing set of books for beginners and intermediate Chinese learners is a great tool for those of you who want to increase your Chinese reading speed and fluency while also having fun.

Pleco – Combine Reading & Writing

Pleco is one of the best Chinese dictionary apps out there! Though this app is also mainly used as a dictionary for students, part of their add-on package (paid) includes a handwriting recognition package.

Anki App

One of the best ways to get a more genuine experience of learning Chinese through Anki app. Recognition of the written character, definition of the character, and translation of the sentence the character appears in – English to Chinese and Chinese to English, this app does all.

Working closely with a Chinese sourcing agent could be your ideal option. The success of your China import depends on the expertise of your agent regarding risk control, control management, quality control, loading process, warehousing, shipping, contact support etc.