Blogs

Permalink

How to Choose a Quality Chinese Supplier

By Jane Davies posted 01-26-2014 03:11 PM

  

In an ideal world, a business owner would be able to choose any Chinese supplier from the archives on offer and know that he or she was is for a good deal. Sadly, this isn’t an ideal world and most likely never will be – hence why such a random and passive approach isn’t the best idea.

The fact that you yourself aren’t based in China and perhaps have little to no idea what to expect right now can seem like one hell of an obstacle, but it is in fact perfectly possible to ensure you choose a solid and dependable supplier in China from any foreign country. It’s all about knowing what makes a good Chinese supplier and making sure all the right boxes are ticked before you even consider signing on the dotted line.

Here’s a quick guide on the subject of teaming up with a Chinese factory or supplier that’s guaranteed to benefit your business:

Vet Them and Seek References

You could justifiably call this the most obvious step of all in the process, but its importance simply cannot be overlooked. If you make all necessary efforts to vet the supplier you’re looking into by seeking references before signing up, you’re technically about 90% of the way there already.

Getting references is important on a new supplier.

 

It’s a pretty easy job to do – all that’s needed is an email from you and your business to the representative on the other end. In the correspondence, you’ll be asking your prospective partner to share with you a few details regarding the other businesses across the US, Europe, the UK or really anywhere else that’s of importance or relevance. Sure they won’t be able to disclose every last detail, but they should at least be willing and able to offer you a few names and numbers that can be used to source a reference. Ideally, they should allow you to choose at least one or two of their partners to contact, as if they insist on specifying who you can and cannot talk to, it could signal a problem with others.

When you get in touch with the supplier’s partner for reference purposes, chances are you’ll know within about 30 seconds whether or not it’s the kind of supplier you want to do business with. You can’t expect perfection, but you should at least be won over. If they refuse to offer you any contact details to source references at all, walk away immediately.

First Hand Verification

If you yourself cannot get to China to go see what’s what in-person, this doesn’t mean you can’t attain first-hand verification of the supplier you’re looking into. There are hundreds of third-party firms (like Source China) which specialise in representing businesses from the West and can take a look in person on your behalf. Fees are negligible given the incredible importance of the information they can bring to your attention. From legal status to working practices to product quality and right through to attitudes, it’s an investment well worth considering.

Ask for Documentation

They claim to follow strict codes of practice and adhere to high quality standards, but to what extent? Any viable business that’s in any way concerned with the way it operates will have an abundance of documents and general literature pertaining to products, services, working practices and so on. Assuming they really want to be in business with you, they shouldn’t mind sharing this information with you if request it.

First impressions are important.

 

First Impressions

A quick and important tip to follow – take note of your first impressions and run with them. If all doesn’t seem to be as you’d expected, don’t allow them time to justify their shortfalls and persuade you to go against your gut feeling as chances are you’ll regret it. If they aren’t able to win you over and secure your confidence from the word go, it’s a much better and safer idea to find a supplier that is.

Sample Quality

Last but not least, whether it’s by way of a third-party paying a visit on your behalf or a sample in the mail, scrutinise any products you can get your hands on right down to the finest detail. Sample products will always be at least a small percentage superior to the general everyday products a factory supplies – these are after all the products that make or break contracts. As such, if you can’t say that the sample product is everything you could have expected and is to a large extent flawless, you have to ask yourself what the rest will be like once you strike a deal. 

0 comments
7 views