Epicsourcing blogs help importers gain insights & skills in sourcing products. We share our personal experiences and the lessons we continue to learn along the way. Enjoy!
If you’re manufacturing a product common to the West but absent from China, how can you know whether your Chinese supplier really understands how it works? And if you’re communicating your requirements through a third-party vendor, how can you ensure that the actual production staff at the factory will meet them? The short answer is: it’s not always easy. Experienced importers already know that misunderstandings are common when working with suppliers. Novice importers are more likely to mistakenly believe that their supplier has their expectations clearly in mind after only one telling. This belief is one of the most common misconceptions of QC in China. And it can lead to quality problems, production & shipping delays and other headaches. But whether you’re a seasoned importer or are just starting out, you may be wondering how to avoid the misunderstandings that lead to these problems. There are ways to communicate with your supplier so that no questions are left unanswered. Let’s explore the common reasons for misunderstandings and some best practices for avoiding confusion.
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What is a product sourcing agent? Do I need an agent when sourcing products from China? What benefits are there to using a product sourcing agent? Many companies use agents to gain competitive advantages on the components or products they purchase from low cost manufacturing countries like China. A sourcing agent for China has a team which understands the language and culture within the country. Such an agent saves the company high costs of maintaining its own international procurement/sourcing office (IPO). Services provided are supplier selection, translation, quality control, negotiation of price, pre-shipment inspection, logistics, documentation, shipping,…etc. A sourcing agent for China will make your buying faster, cheaper and safer helping you find honest and reliable Chinese manufacturers that deliver quality products at competitive prices.
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When it comes to outsourcing your product manufacturing to China, I strongly recommend that you do your own legwork with regard to manufacturer selection. Once you have a manufacturer shortlist however, it will make sense to engage a Chinese sourcing agent to help you make your final selection, as well as to assist in managing the relationship with your new overseas manufacturer. Of course, working with any overseas business partner can be tricky, so hiring a sourcing agent is no guarantee that all will be rosy with your offshore venture. The odds will be greatly improved though, if you take the time and make the effort to build a good business relationship with your Chinese sourcing agent
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If you want to sell on Amazon, then we highly recommend using Amazon FBA inspection service in order to abide by stringent Amazon FBA rules. These rules were developed in order to improve the Amazon Quality Control for sellers. As of today, Amazon has become a very competitive market place and one bad product review can damage your brand image in more ways possible than you can possibly imagine. In order to avoid any such unwanted results for your business, it is highly recommended that you solicit services of professional firms like Tetra Inspection to check your product against the Amazon FBA requirements by performing an Amazon FBA inspection of your products.
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