How to evaluate wholesale suppliers and understand which ones are reliable
Do you want to buy things from China to sell back home? The first thing we’d suggest is that you find the right Chinese wholesale suppliers among the many that are out there. In this article, we’ll try to figure out how to do that as quickly as possible.
One solution could be to go to China and meet them in person. For example, if you go to China and visit a Chinese factory, you could find out from a first look if the supplier is reliable and a good fit for your business needs, such as:
what kind of products are made and how they are made (so you know if the supplier uses subcontractors to make parts; if he does, you can’t ask him to make technical changes during production that he can’t do himself); how many pieces that factory can make in a given time; which customers already work with the supplier (you can tell from logos, labels, and certifications if he is used to trading with them); and how many pieces that factory can make in a given time.
In any case, the best Chinese supplier is the one who knows what laws are in place in Italy and Europe and makes products that can be sold in your reference markets.
Tips for visiting factories in China
When you make this visit, you need to look like you know who you are and what you want, or the supplier may try to take advantage of you.
Also, pay close attention to the samples in the factory and try to figure out if they were made there or somewhere else. If a sample catches your eye, find out how much it costs and who ordered it. If the supplier offers to sell you something, you should be careful because they could also sell your personalized items to other customers in the same way. If you’re not sure about this, you can still make a deal with him by having him sign a contract that says he won’t sell your products to anyone else.
Chinese Wholesale suppliers: when to visit the factory?
If you only buy a few things at a time, you don’t need to go to the factory. In fact, if you only buy a few things at a time, you might not even want to negotiate too much on the price. Try to keep the deposit small, approve the samples, and only if your budget allows it, send an inspector to the factory to check on production.
If, on the other hand, you need to place a large order and want to find a supplier with whom you can build a long-term relationship, a visit to the factory is a great idea.
If this is the case, then you must:
Choose a supplier from the many available (you might have met him at a fair), ask for a quote, and use search engines to learn more about him, such as his business license, company information, customer references, and opinions.
If it makes you want to buy it, place an order or ask him to make a sample.
pay a down payment, which is usually 20–30%; visit the factory, approve the sample, and start production.
At this point, parts and raw materials will be ordered, and production will start.
In this order of events, the factory visit could also come a few steps earlier. This could happen, for example, if the production process had to meet certain standards.
Before you go to China, confirm with the supplier that you will be there on the day you plan to arrive. Get all the information you might need, like an address and phone number, and make sure you have it in both English and Chinese. Make it clear that you want to visit the factory and don’t want to meet in the office. If you want to visit factories of other wholesale suppliers in China, you should book your own flight and hotel. If you don’t, the supplier who planned your trip could take over your time there. Before leaving:
ask the supplier to write you an invitation letter that you need to get a work visa;
watch videos on YouTube that show how factories like yours work to get ready;
ask the supplier for a sample of the product so you can make changes.
Chinese Wholesale Suppliers: Tips for Newbies
If you’ve never been to a Chinese factory, here’s what you should do:
go to the warehouse where the things that are coming in are kept. Ask if you can see the inspectors, maybe while they are checking the materials. If that’s not possible, pick one of the materials that you think could be useful for the products you want to order and ask to see the report that the inspectors made about the quality. If you are turned down, it’s likely that the material in question has never been checked. Go to the main plant to see how the products are made and try to find out if there is someone in charge of quality control. Go to where the products are packed and look at some samples to see if they can work for you.
How to evaluate suppliers if you can’t go to China
If you can’t go to China, the easiest thing to do is hire a local agent to go to the factory on your behalf. There are different kinds of inspections, such as:
standard inspection, which means that it is based on facts. If you visit more than one factory, you can compare the information you get from the inspections. It gathers information about the biggest problems that can be fixed by asking for corrective actions. In this case, the visit is repeated a few months later to make sure things are going as planned. The inspection for the project is when the buyer’s agent goes to the factory to explain the project and find out how the supplier feels about it. It is a more personal method in which the other person is studied and impressions are made. The next step is to ask for information about similar projects that have already been done, production, etc. The inspection before production starts is done after the order has been placed, the samples have been approved, and the down payment has been paid. This inspection puts pressure on the supplier to start making things right away. It also lets the buyer see how good the products are and decide whether or not to ask for changes.
How to Find Serious and Reliable Wholesale Suppliers
It’s not easy to find reliable Chinese wholesale suppliers who can give you a guarantee that the goods will be well made. Also, if there is a delay or problem with the production of the goods, your business could lose a lot of money.