How to find a supplier from China
Finding the right business partner for sourcing business can become quite a challenge. Importers need to spend a lot of time thoroughly checking the market, qualifications, and reliability of potential business partners. There are many ways of finding a supplier from China. The most popular ones are attending trade fairs in China and using e-commerce portals.
Searching for Chinese suppliers via a 3rd party
The best way to look for good suppliers from China is to use the services of a specialized company. This may be the safest option to find a competent supplier. Such companies provide comprehensive services to entrepreneurs, making it much easier to contact suppliers who are interested in establishing new business relationships.
Searching for business partners at trade fairs
There are many ways to acquire a Chinese business partner. One of them is by attending trade fairs in China as a guest or exhibitor. Participation in such events allows you to meet potential contractors, establish interesting business contacts, and assess the products’ condition. Regardless of the business scope, every importer can find a trade event to visit or exhibit at. The vast majority of trade fairs organized in China accommodate foreign businesses, so completing the formalities related to travel and exhibition should not be a problem.
One of the main advantages is the opportunity to talk to potential partners face-to-face. You can exchange business cards and meet your competitors on the spot. The disadvantages may be the language barrier and the costs of traveling in China.
B2B platforms
Potential partners can also be found online on B2B (Business-to-Business) portals. They are a type of sites used for transactions between businesses. Using B2B platforms allows you to sell your products directly to other companies via the Internet, sites that are used for transactions between businesses. Using the Internet when looking for business partners makes life much easier. Everything is in English, which eliminates the major language block. There is a large selection of different companies and enterprises on the platforms, making it easier to find the partner we want.
The advantages are easier communication in English and the ability to search for and contact potential partners remotely. The disadvantage is the inability to talk face-to-face, especially since Chinese suppliers prefer face-to-face meetings.
Example platforms:
- Made in China is an e-commerce platform and a great tool for finding Chinese suppliers. We can get information about trade, products, and suppliers. It offers a variety of products, such as electronics, machinery, machine parts, lighting, and vehicles.
- Alibaba delivers products to over 200 countries around the world. It is the largest Chinese B2B e-commerce market. It offers a wide range of products, such as clothing and textiles, car parts, machines, furniture, accessories, and many others.
- DHgate connects Chinese suppliers with importers from around the world. It offers a wide range of small and medium-sized enterprise products, such as electronics, lighting, clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics.
What’s next?
If you have already found a supplier or potential business partner, make sure that the company is trustworthy. Companies can take pride in having various virtual badges proving their value. Don’t rely 100% on these badges. Even if a company has a Gold Supplier badge on Alibaba or a professional-looking English website, it doesn’t mean it’s trustworthy.
If you want to make sure that a given company is reliable, due diligence is a great method. You will receive a comprehensive report confirming the qualifications of a given company within a few days.
Quality control
Once you choose a Chinese supplier and sign a commercial contract, and the first batch of products is manufactured, you should carry out quality controls. To do this, you need to check whether the quality of the products meets your expectations and requirements. It is also worth checking whether the quantity of products matches the order.
The most important thing is to make sure that the documents and data are completed correctly and everything is in order. Sometimes, there were frauds where, when opening the cargo at the port, it turned out that the supplier had sent the wrong of subpar quality.
It is not worth saving on product quality checks. Such a procedure can protect your company against large losses if the goods turn out to be of poor quality, you will have to return them and incur huge losses. Such slip-ups could also significantly affect the company’s good name, and Chinese entrepreneurs pay a lot of attention to this. Losing the “face” of a company can sometimes have disastrous consequences, so it is always safe to have your products inspected.