Tag: general

Quality Management Systems in China Explained: Q&A with Renaud Anjoran

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 2 Comments

Renaud Anjouran

Pre-shipment quality inspections are critical when buying from China. Yet, they may be of limited use if you’ve selected a supplier neglecting your quality requirements from the very beginning.

This is where a Quality Management System (QMS) comes in. We get a lot of questions from our readers about ISO 9001, and other QMS, and how much of an impact these actually have on the final product.

So, we decided to ask an expert – Renaud Anjoran, founder Sofeast, one of China’s leading Quality Inspection and Quality Assurance firms. In this article, Renaud explains what a QMS is, and why it matters when selecting a manufacturer.

Renaud, tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into Quality Assurance, to begin with?

I got into this field by following opportunities at the beginning of my career, as often happens. In 2005 and 2006 I was working for a small Hong Kong trading company, and I was spending a good part of my time checking production status and quality in factories.

When I started my company, the first client trained me to do quality control in their suppliers’ factories, and slowly I hired and trained my team. Continue reading Quality Management Systems in China Explained: Q&A with Renaud Anjoran

Product Sourcing – Why Suppliers Keep Ignoring your Inquiries

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 2 Comments

Supplier inquiries

You’ve finally found the perfect product. All you need to do now is to go online, send out a few inquiries on Alibaba and wait for the bidding war to begin! Well, at least that’s the way plenty of importers wish things worked. But, as many of you are painfully aware of, the reality surrounding suppliers sourcing and price research is very different. Getting the supplier’s attention is one of the main issues faced by small businesses sourcing products in China.

It may sound rather absurd that you, the buyer, should be the one fighting for attention, and not the supplier. However, Chinese suppliers do indeed have very good reasons to be somewhat picky. In this article, I explain why suppliers don’t reply your inquiries, and what you can do to change that.

“I’m the buyer. Why should I need to convince a supplier to work with me?”

This is indeed a valid question. However, try to put yourself in the suppliers shoes for a moment. Chinese suppliers are accustomed to manufacture products according to the buyer’s specifications. This requires a serious commitment from the buyer. Suppliers listed on Alibaba, and other B2B directories, can receive large numbers of inquiries on a daily basis. They are, just like any business, doing what they can to cut through the clutter and avoid wasting time on leads that are unlikely to ever give a return. Continue reading Product Sourcing – Why Suppliers Keep Ignoring your Inquiries

Alibaba Suppliers – The 3 Biggest Myths and Misconceptions

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 1 Comment

Myths about Alibaba

You’ve heard the stories. Small businesses importing from China run into issues every day, and Alibaba is often (wrongly) blamed by buyers. But things are not always as simple as they may seem to be. In this article, we explain – and debunk – the three biggest myths and misconceptions about Alibaba.com, and its listed suppliers.

Myth #1: All Gold Suppliers are suitable for your product and quality requirements

We receive emails on a regular basis, from desperate importers that picked the wrong supplier online. Sometimes it regards payment frauds, but more often quality and compliance issues. This comes as a very unpleasant surprise for these importers, as they did their due diligence and picked a proper Gold Supplier. Continue reading Alibaba Suppliers – The 3 Biggest Myths and Misconceptions

US Customs Procedures Explained: What Importers Must Know

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 147 Comments

US Customs Procedures

Trying to get your head around US customs regulations and procedures? Not sure what a Customs bond is, or when you should submit the Bill of Lading? Getting your cargo through customs is the final step importing process, and the stakes are high. Without complying with the established customs procedures and regulations, you may face very serious complications – including costly delays and refused entry of the shipment.

In order to straighten things out for our American readers, we got in touch with a real professional – Kathy Rinetti, Customs Manager of Flexport.com, based in San Francisco. In this article, Kathy explains what US importers must know about freight documents, customs bonds, port fees – and why you need a Customs broker.  Continue reading US Customs Procedures Explained: What Importers Must Know

California Proposition 65 Compliance: What US importers must know

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 5 Comments

California Proposition 65

American companies selling products in, or to customers in, the state of California must ensure compliance with California Proposition 65. This law regulates more than 800 substances in all consumer products. Yet, many American start ups and small businesses importing from China, and other Asian countries, are largely unaware how California Proposition 65 applies to their products.

That’s why we decided to reach out to Daniel Herling, Member at Mintz Levin, a general practice law firm with more than 450 attorneys. Daniel, based on San Francisco,  focuses on commercial litigation representing U.S, and international clients in the Americas, Europe and Asia. In this interview, he explains what American importers must know about California Proposition 65 – and what the consequences are of selling non-compliant items. But before we look into details, let’s begin with a brief introduction. Continue reading California Proposition 65 Compliance: What US importers must know

Product Testing and Certification when Buying from China

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 14 Comments

Product testing and certification in Asia

Compliance is a big part of our business, and we often write about directives and standards in the United States, Europe, Australia and other countries. Using a third party testing and certification company is the only way to be sure that your items are compliant. In this article, we explain why testing is critical when importing from China, when the time is right to test your product and how you should manage a failed test.

Different types of product testing

The purpose of product testing is to verify whether a product is compliant with one or more directives, acts or safety standards. As there are different types of product regulations, there are also different types of testing, including: Continue reading Product Testing and Certification when Buying from China

Chinaimportal.com featured on Bloomberg TV

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 3 Comments

Alibaba Group is going public this Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. That’s big news, as the Alibaba IPO is expected to become the biggest ever – raising around US$25 Billion. As we are not in finance, we’re not qualified to say anything but the IPO itself.

However, as leading experts on product compliance and supplier sourcing in China, we do have a few things to share on buying from suppliers listed on Alibaba.com. This week, we did get the opportunity to share our views with financial journalist Mia Saini, on Bloomberg TV. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to New York this time, but watch the video and learn why buying from Alibaba listed suppliers takes a lot more than simply pressing a “buy now” button.

Continue reading Chinaimportal.com featured on Bloomberg TV

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

ChinaImportal @ China Sourcing Fair: Garments & Textiles by Global Sources

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist

Fredrik Grönkvist

Two weeks ago, I spent some time in Hong Kong, attending the “China Sourcing Fair – Garments & Textiles“. The fair was organized by Global Sources, the leading business-to-business media company – aimed at connecting Chinese suppliers with importers in the rest of the world.

It’s the first time I’ve represented ChinaImportal.com at a major event like this one. Apart from talking to other people in the industry, and drinking overpriced beer in Lan Kwai Fong, I also held an hour long presentation on “Buying Small Volumes from China”. In case you didn’t attend my presentation, you can download it here.

Continue reading ChinaImportal @ China Sourcing Fair: Garments & Textiles by Global Sources

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