Category: Importing Guides

Suggestion: Watch the 10 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Purchasing and procurement agents have proven to be essential during the COVID-19 pandemic – keeping supply chains running when buyers have been unable to visit suppliers and trade shows in China. That said, all procurement and purchasing agents differ in terms of expertise, transparency, methodology, and pricing.

In this guide, I clarify what importers must know when selecting purchasing and procurement in China – or when scrutinizing their existing agents.

Overview

• Evaluation
• Methodology
• Supplier Networks
• Offered Services
• Revenue Model
• FAQ

Continue reading Procurement and Purchasing Agents in China: A Complete Guide

Suggestion: Watch the 10 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

The Chinese New Year (CNY) of 2022 starts on Tuesday, February 1st. This is earlier than 2021, when the new year didn’t start until Feb 12th. Hence, the time to get products shipped in the window between Christmas and CNY is even shorter than in 2021.

In Mainland China, the holiday officially lasts for 7 days – starting from Jan 31st until February 6th. That being, many workers don’t return for another week or two – resulting in a longer production halt.

In short, you can expect production to be closed for the first three weeks of February – with many suppliers not taking new orders starting as early as December.

Article Overview

• COVID-19 situation and CNY 2022
• How importers can prepare for CNY
• Why and how CNY disrupts manufacturing in China
• How to avoid delays to the CNY
• CNY 2022 timeline and dates
• Lunar holiday disruption in Vietnam and Southeast Asia

Continue reading Chinese New Year 2022: How Importers Can Prevent Disaster

In the age of Amazon brands, Aliexpress and Wish, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to succeed with generic private label products. Creating unique, custom designed, products is the only way forward for smaller E-commerce businesses that can’t compete on price alone.

Yet, while many E-commerce businesses have great ideas for custom designed products they want to bring to market, they lack the in-house design expertise, or budget, to turn their visions into practical 3D design files and technical drawings.

But, as I explain in this article, the creation of a custom-designed product is not nearly as complex or difficult as you might think. Continue reading How to Find a Design Freelancer for Your Customized Products

Many suppliers on Alibaba.com, and other supplier directories, claim to offer Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) products. In this article, we explain what OEM and ODM mean in the context of manufacturing in China, and other Asian countries.

Whether you decide to get an OEM or ODM product manufactured impacts the entire process, from supplier sourcing and RFQ to product samples and manufacturing. Continue reading What’s the Difference Between OEM and ODM Products?