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Finding a Supplier in China

If you have a product idea and want to find a Chinese producer of the product, there are good ways to find a suitable supplier. Even if your idea is not novel, you can find manufacturers in China which produce the type of product you have in mind.

Some people have had significant frustration in their efforts to find manufacturers to produce the items they want. Sometimes it is the fault of the one who wants to buy the items. Here are a few tips for those who seek suppliers.

Some people have done preliminary searches on the Internet but have not managed to find suitable suppliers. Sometimes those people have not expressed their exact needs to prospective factory owners.

One should decide whether he wants to deal with a large company in China, a smaller company or even a family-owned business. Is there interest in simply buying products which are already on the market and changing the logo or is there a need to manufacture a completely new product. If a generic type of product is desired, a third-party supplier may suffice. If one needs a small number of products with a unique design, perhaps a family-owned business would be better as the supplier.

After getting beyond this point, a search on the Internet can help to find Chinese suppliers which produce particular products. Use the product name as part of the search criteria. It would be a good idea to set up a data table to enable the prospective buyer to compare various suppliers. If using a search engine on the Internet, one should not go beyond the first one hundred entries as the later ones will likely have less to offer.

There are also business directory type web sites which list Chinese suppliers of various product types. Consider the names that are listed there. Sometimes one can also get more information on various suppliers from those directories.

After getting a few suppliers' information on the data table, begin comparing your own needs with what each supplier is able to produce. This should help toward narrowing the list to the better manufacturers for your product. After this, it is time to begin contacting those few which seem preferable for your needs.

Consider several tips as you do the above activity. The Chinese are most likely not fluent in English so they hired someone to put their web sites together. You should find someone who is fluent in Chinese to look at the Chinese version of the web site to be sure that it agrees with the English version.

Do not be confused about a web site's value for your purposes. Being ranked highly on a search engine does not guarantee that the business is better than those which are ranked lower on the same search engine.

Whenever you decide to make contact with suppliers, email is good enough for product information, pricing and shipping information. However, a telephone call is preferable for making a good impression. An in-person meeting is better yet, however. Be aware that every email you send can result in many years of recurring sales emails. Even if you buy from another supplier, the ones who see you as a prospect may continue to email you regularly.

It is wise to ask for customer references as well as bank and business references. Most suppliers in good standing are listed on B2B web sites along with more information about their work.

It is best to choose suppliers who already have international experience. Then, work out the contract terms. Include order size minimums, the time it takes to produce your items, any return policy for unacceptable products and other information which seems important to your company. Sometimes it is wise to ask if the supplier will sub-contract the order or do it himself.

An alternative way of seeking suppliers is by attending trade shows which feature Chinese suppliers. This is one way to become acquainted with someone within the company, someone who may become a good friend after a while.

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