Thread: What are your obstacles with Chinese wholesalers?

Hey, try this thread:

Tips On Sourcing Products From China

i want to know

1. communication - when you ask detailed questions, it's hard to get all the information back which you need.
2. large orders needed - prices may be good, but min. orders are very high to get those prices.
3. risk of badly described stock - if the stock arrives damaged, poor quality or just not as described, the cost of returning it is prohibitive.
4. incomplete and wrong orders - over half of my orders have been incorrect and when it's incorrect....they just put in any old design/colour that you didn't order just to make it up to the value you paid.

Originally Posted by Sapphire Blue

1. communication - when you ask detailed questions, it's hard to get all the information back which you need.
2. large orders needed - prices may be good, but min. orders are very high to get those prices.
3. risk of badly described stock - if the stock arrives damaged, poor quality or just not as described, the cost of returning it is prohibitive.
4. incomplete and wrong orders - over half of my orders have been incorrect and when it's incorrect....they just put in any old design/colour that you didn't order just to make it up to the value you paid.

Those are indeed very real problems associated with dealing with Chinese suppliers. Quality and service standards are not the same that we expect from Western suppliers. You will be unlikely to resolve those issues easily unless you have strong purchasing power with your Chinese supplier, or a good agent or intermediary on site.

just think of the price. you can choose quality items from chinese suppliers if you pay more money.

Originally Posted by cindy--1976

just think of the price. you can choose quality items from chinese suppliers if you pay more money.

Not always true. Craftsmanship in China is not as advanced as that of many Western countries. Money doesn't buy everything, especially experience.

Thanks for this discussion guys, it's enlightening. I kinda think that the biggest concern in dealing with Chinese wholesale suppliers is quality of their products. Unfortunately that's the main factor which will determine our reputation among existing and potential buyers.

Indeed it's the biggest obstacle, but if it was easy it wouldn't be an opportunity, because everyone would be finding it easy to do.

On a separate note, prices from China are likely to increase soon. Wages are about to as much as double in the coming months in certain industries. While labor costs account for a relatively small percentage of the overall product cost, labor costs are increasing across the board in China, and the Chinese government is likely to stop artificially devaluing the Renminbi (Chinese yuan) by not pegging it to the dollar in an effort to stimulate consumption within China and build an economy that is less reliant on exports.

In short, prices in China are increasing, and the yuan will also become more expensive to the dollar. This means that sourcing locally within the US may become a new opportunity very soon.