Importing promotional products from China seems to be easy, as long as you have enough money and choose the right products, it all seems to fall into place. The fact is that this process is full of potential problems. A small mistake will lead to a large amount of money and time lost, and may even cause you to lose business credit. I’ve thought about it. Instead of telling you how to gradually import from China, I’d like to share some common mistakes. In this way, you can avoid those mistakes when you wholesale or purchase products from Chinese manufacturers.
Mistakes When Choosing Products
A lot of customers have asked me, Angela, I find a product selling very well in our local market; could you help me to purchase some for sales? In fact, I don’t recommend they do so. First of all, many large importers will conduct a lot of market research and advertising investment before selling a product. There is no doubt that under the overwhelming advertising campaign, consumers will have a subconscious mind that these companies sell this product professionally or their style is the latest. If you step into the market at this time, you may not be able to compete with these companies. Maybe your only way is to sell the same products at a discount, but what’s the point of doing so?
Secondly, when you see a product selling well in the market, frankly, you may have missed the best sales opportunity. Generally, the production time of orders is about 30 days, and the time of shipping, customs clearance, and inland transportation is at least 30 days. This means that your product will be on sale at least 2 months later. Obviously, by the time you officially start selling this product, the sales trend may be on the decline.
So, how should we choose products? I think the best way is to observe the current product trends through SNS, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and so on. Of course, you could also pay attention to our LinkedIn page, and we will update the current popular promotional products from time to time. Of course, Google Trends is also a good way to help you determine if you should sell the product.
Ignore the relationship with suppliers
We have to admit that there is a huge cultural difference between the East and the West, which is also reflected in business.
Most of the eastern countries are committed to: I recognize your moral quality, so we are friends and then we could cooperate better. The mainstream Western concept is that business is business, and we may become friends, but first of all, we should do our job well. After these two different cultural concepts collide with each other, there will be a huge communication gap.
For example, a supplier in China did not make perfect samples but assured customers that the details would be improved when making the massive production. As the delivery time is urgent, so please confirm the order and deposit firstly. We have worked together for so long, we have been friends, and you should believe that we have the ability to solve problems. But I think most professional buyers will not accept this statement, although we have worked together for so long and recognize your ability, but we need to let the facts speak. If you can’t even make sure of the sample before delivery, how can we believe you can improve it in massive production?
Human relations and business principles are indeed difficult to reconcile in the context of different cultures. I could only say that both sides need to try to find a balance point in it. In fact, I think this is the necessity of the existence of trading companies. Trading companies are familiar with international trade rules and understand the purchasing habits of foreign buyers. At the same time, they also understand how to communicate with Chinese suppliers, which is the embodiment of their value.
Mistakes When Selecting Suppliers
When we choose suppliers, we often fall into the price trap and always think that we have the opportunity to find cheaper prices. But we have to keep in mind that you get what you pay for.
Indeed, sometimes we can get better prices from our suppliers. For example, in the off-season, your suppliers often lack orders, so they will reduce prices to attract customers to place orders, so as to ensure the normal operation of the factory. Or when the price of raw materials goes up, some factories order a large number of raw materials before the price goes up. Therefore, they can take orders at a more advantageous price.
But what I want to say is that this is only a small probability event, and there is a huge risk behind most low prices. Let’s not talk about the impact of low prices on quality. In fact, for example, for the same product, the price you place an order to the factory is $2, while for other customers is $2.10, there is no doubt that the factory will give priority to other customers’ orders. This is also the main reason why many orders are delayed.
It is not easy to purchase in China. It often takes a lot of time and energy to identify and select the suppliers. And, in the process, you need to stay patient and focused enough. If you are planning to import from China or have some trouble or confusion in the process. Feel free to contact me and I’m willing to assist you.
