Sourcing from China is complex. Here we share real-world factory vetting case studies, step-by-step import guides, and honest market insights from our team on the ground in Guangzhou. No fluff — just documented experience.
Key takeaways The first supplier I rejected on this project was the one my client had found himself. He was proud of the find: a Guangzhou company with a Made-in-China store since 2019, claiming over 100 categories, 10,000+ SKUs covering Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Bajaj, and “20+ years of export experience.” It looked like the […]
TVS Tricycle Spare Parts from China: A Real Vetting Run Read More »
Key takeaways Two letters on a proforma invoice decide who eats the loss when a forklift drops your carton in Ningbo. Not the contract’s fine print. Not your relationship with the factory. The Incoterm. Most first-time importers pick theirs the way the factory suggests it — which means the factory picked it. Here is how
EXW vs FOB vs DDP: Who Owns the Risk in China Imports Read More »
Key takeaways 9.9 out of 10 on JD.com, 144 verified buyer reviews. When people ask where my spec sheets come from, I tell them: from the 1%. The low reviews on my own treadmill listings were the most honest QC report I ever received — and I turned every complaint into a line on the
How to Write a Spec Sheet a Chinese Factory Can’t Misread Read More »
Key takeaways Three quotes for the same Bluetooth speaker landed on my comparison sheet last month. Same spec, same 1,000-piece target quantity. One of the three companies had no factory at all. And it wasn’t the most expensive quote — it was the cheapest. That is the thing nobody tells first-time importers: the middleman’s trap
Manufacturer vs Trading Company in China: 12 Tells Read More »
Key takeaways You sent an RFQ to ten factories on Alibaba. Five replied. You open your spreadsheet, sort the “Unit Price” column from lowest to highest, and highlight the winner. Stop. That is exactly how first-time importers lose their money. A unit price is just one line item in a much larger supply chain. If
How to Compare Quotes from Chinese Suppliers (RFQ Template) Read More »
Key takeaways When overseas buyers start looking for help in China, they type four different phrases into Google: china sourcing agent, china purchasing agent, china buying agent, and china procurement agent. Most buyers think they are searching for the same thing. Most agents are happy to let them think that. But on the ground, these
Sourcing vs Purchasing vs Buying vs Procurement Agent in China Read More »
Key takeaways Supplier D didn’t whisper it. It was in the written quote, in the column where I ask how the goods clear customs: “grey-market customs clearance.” A shortlisted supplier, on a branded industrial product, telling me in writing that the route was grey. That line is the reason this article exists. Most buyers never
Grey Market Imports from China: Spot Them Before You Pay Read More »
Key takeaways I spent one afternoon contacting more than 30 Chinese kidswear factories on Alibaba. By evening I had an answer for my client, an Australian organic kidswear brand: the factory you are looking for does not exist at your quantity. Then I recommended we cancel the contract and refunded his milestone in full. This
GOTS Certified Clothing Manufacturers in China: MOQ Truth Read More »
Key takeaways A buyer in Europe emailed me last month: should he hire a Yiwu sourcing agent, or is a Shenzhen sourcing agent fine? He was buying stainless steel kitchenware. The honest answer was neither. Kitchenware clusters in Chaozhou and Jieyang, on the east side of Guangdong. The city on your agent’s business card should
Sourcing Agent City Guide: Shenzhen, Yiwu, Guangzhou, Foshan Read More »
Key takeaways The supplier told my client he was authorized to sell BITZER screw compressors. BITZER China told me he wasn’t. The call that proved it took four minutes to arrange. On the other side of the deal, a Chilean buyer was about to wire a deposit to a company misstating its authorization, for stock
China Supplier Due Diligence: A Real Case — 20+ Suppliers Screened, One Caught Lying Read More »