Importing and sourcing products from China is much different than sourcing products from a US manufacturer or wholesaler. It’s not necessarily more difficult, but you must go about the whole process a little different.
I’ve been sourcing and importing my products from China for about 4 years. I was previously going through a middleman in the US who was doing the legwork for me. This was costing me a premium on the goods I was having manufactured. After paying the premium for a few years I thought it was time to learn how to do it myself and save some money. At first I was nervous about the process, but soon learned it’s not that hard to do as long as you know how to properly do business with a Chinese company.
From time to time I’ll be posting tips on importing and sourcing products from China. My first tip on importing and sourcing from China is below. Please feel free to add your comments and personal experiences in a comment below.
Tip #1 on Importing and Sourcing products from China
The most important tip I can pass along is that the Chinese look at business is a whole different way than Americans do. For Americans it’s all about the business at hand, the numbers, and the customer… with the buyer always thinking they’re the most important part of the equation. For the Chinese, business is never just business… it’s personal and all about building relationships.
Before you even begin to try contacting a Chinese company, I highly recommend you learn about the Chinese culture, China’s history and proper etiquette when working with a Chinese company or businessman / businesswoman. Without knowing about China’s culture and history, you’ll be spinning your wheels. Chinese men and women are extremely smart businesspeople. If you take the time to build a relationship with them, both you and your business will benefit.
There are a huge variety of books on China, it’s history and doing business in China. Take the time to read a few and you’ll be glad you did.
Below are just a few of the books that I’ve personally read and would recommend.
- Doing Business In China: How to Profit in the World’s Fastest Growing Market
- The Chinese – An insider’s look at the issues which affect and shape China today
- Poorly Made in China: An Insider’s Account of the Tactics Behind China’s Production Game
- 42 Rules for Sourcing and Manufacturing in China: A practical handbook for doing business in China, special economic zones, factory tours and manufacturing quality
Hi, I'm Steve... an eCommerce merchant that writes about eCommerce, advertising, marketing, blogging, design, social media, seo, tech and other randomness.