Are you amongst those people who are reluctant in buying products from China?
Or, do you think goods with a “Made in China” or “Made in PRC” label are always substandard and low-quality?
For a long time, the world believed that products from China are low quality and substandard. However, this is far from the truth. The modern development in China has enabled the manufacturers to produce high-quality products at the most attractive prices, making them the leaders in the manufacturing industry.
It is very safe to buy products from China, but it is important for the buyer to have the right information about the process of buying safely. If you are not aware of the challenges and ways to import products, it can result in a big loss.
This article will cover every important aspect regarding safe buying from China. This blog will talk about challenges you can face when importing from China as well as provide the 10 best tips to follow to buy safely from China.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Challenges That Buyers’ Face When Buying from China
Sadly, even after being the top exporter of products globally, people have many misconceptions regarding buying products from China. For the past decade, China is leading the world when it comes to exports. The main products that it exports include machinery, electronics and other consumer items.
China made exports worth of $3.59 trillion in 2022. As compared to the last year, this shows a 7% growth in exports which is amazing!
Till today, the following are some reasons why people are double-minded before buying products from China.
1. Bad Rumors and Misconceptions about Made in China products
You will often hear rumors about cheap Chinese products being of low quality. Also, there are rumors and misleading ideas about the products not working properly (for example, mechanical goods), or late deliveries, or damaged cargo.
If you do your research, you will deduce that not all of these are rumors. There was a time when Alibaba was banned as the products being sold on it were counterfeits and fakes. However, this ban has long been lifted and since then Alibaba has improved their quality immensely.
If you ask the Chinese manufacturers, they agree to producing low-quality goods BUT on the pretext that the buyer was demanding them. They claim that there is a market for these low-quality products that is why the buyers get them manufactured. After all, not everyone can afford a 1000 dollar bag. Therefore, they product different qualities as per the budget.
In reality, Chinese manufacturers conduct proper Quality control for their products. Read about Quality Control in this blog.
2. Language Barrier with the Suppliers when Buying Products from China
Most buyers outside of China usually do not speak Chinese, while some Chinese suppliers do not speak other languages like English. That means there is a language barrier between buyers and suppliers.
This is a big problem because the import business requires clear communication between the two parties. There needs to be communication about the price, quality and quantity of goods, as well as the manufacturing details.
Consider the example that you tell your Chinese supplier to deliver a thousand boxes of toys of a certain quality. If there is a language barrier, that means the supplier did not understand your order.
If the supplier then sends a thousand toys, for example, then you’ll think that Chinese suppliers are unreliable.
3. Difficulty in Finding Trustworthy Suppliers to buy products from China
The Chinese market is very saturated with suppliers of all kinds. There are many trustworthy suppliers in this business, but you have to do some research to find one because there are a lot of suppliers that offer low-quality products as well.
There is also the problem of communication, so you have to find suppliers in China that understand and take orders in English or find a sourcing agent like EJET Sourcing to help you to place the orders.
You have to verify credentials, past transactions, and customer satisfaction. All of this is more difficult to do for a supplier who is in another country.