Category: Importing Guides

Importing from China to India: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 49 Comments

Import to India

India is not only a rapidly developing country but also the fastest-growing market for Chinaimportal. In terms of visitors on Chinaimportal.com, India is the only second to the United States. Thus, we decided it was about time to dedicate our weekly article to our Indian readers out there, and of course to everyone else with an interest in importing from China to India.

What makes importing to India different?

India is, by all means, a developing country. However, its product regulations and labeling requirements are fairly well established. Then there’s the bureaucracy, that makes confirming applicable product safety standards, labeling requirements and getting the cargo through customs rather complicated. But, that’s about as far as the differences go, as compared to other countries. Continue reading Importing from China to India: A Complete Guide

Managing Supplier Relationships in China – 7 Keys to Success

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist

Manage Chinese supplier relationships

Finally, you’ve received your goods from China. Apart from a few defective units, everything is just fine. Congratulations, you’ve made it. You’ve achieved something most small businesses will never do – establishing a successful relationship with a Chinese supplier. It can be a game changer for your business. With the right Chinese supplier, you might be able to bring in handsome profits for years to come. It might even give you the upper hand on the market. Now that’s certainly something that shouldn’t go to waste. Let’s look into how you can maintain your supplier relationship – beyond your first order.

Advice #1: Don’t be lured into switching to a “cheaper” supplier

Everything seems fine until one day when you receive an email from a supplier quoting a price, that’s way below what your current supplier is offering. Well, in case you didn’t make a proper price research (e.g. comparing prices between several different suppliers), you might actually be paying more than you should. Continue reading Managing Supplier Relationships in China – 7 Keys to Success

Product Specifications When Importing from China: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 1 Comment

Product Specifications

The main reason many small businesses fail (as in losing a ton of money) when buying from China is because they contact a random supplier Alibaba, refer to a product listed in the supplier’s directory and specifies “good quality” as their only requirement.

That’s also where the problems begin. There’s no universal definition of what good quality really is. Neither will you ever win a court case in China (assuming that you could even afford one), because a supplier didn’t provide you with products compliant to your imaginary and vague definition of “good quality”. Instead, you shall provide your supplier with a product specification. In this article we explain why a product specification is needed, what it shall include and how things can turn bad if you don’t make one. Continue reading Product Specifications When Importing from China: A Complete Guide

China Factory Management – We asked Kim Pen what’s going on behind the scenes

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 2 Comments

Kim Pen

Chinese manufacturers tend to work in mysterious ways. Well, at least that’s what they want you to think. Today we’re happy to publish our interview with Kim Pen, consulting director of CMC in Shenzhen, China. He explains how Chinese manufacturers are managed and tells you how to make an informed supplier selection.

Kim, please tell us about your company and what you do.

I am the consulting director of CMC (China Manufacturing Consultants). We work for importers that want their key suppliers to improve. Most of the time the client’s priority is better quality (less problems). My job is to find a few key issues to focus on and then accompany the factory as they act on these issues. But also to frame the action plan the right way, and get the factory to “buy in”. It is a sad reality that most Chinese manufacturers care only about costs, not about quality. Continue reading China Factory Management – We asked Kim Pen what’s going on behind the scenes

Chinese Suppliers – Trading Companies and Manufacturers Explained

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 11 Comments

china-trading-company-manufacturer

There are three main supplier categories to take into consideration when importing from China – Manufacturers, Trading Companies and Manufacturing & Trading Companies. While the type of company will not be the most important factor when selecting your suppliers, different types of suppliers will require a different approach during the sourcing process and have a major impact on the future of your import business.

Therefore it’s important to know what type of supplier you should look for when sourcing in China. Let’s begin with an introduction to the three major supplier types in China. Continue reading Chinese Suppliers – Trading Companies and Manufacturers Explained