Buying from China - Help

[choorian]

Hi Guys,

I've been sourcing products online from various chinese companies and most of them seem legitimate. They've sent me copies of company registration, export licence and test certificates I've asked for but I'm still worried about buying from china because of all the 'fraud websites' i've seen on the net for chinese companies. Most of the certificates are in chinese????? So they don't really mean anything.

I'm starting small and I cannot afford to lose any money. I can't really afford to send someone to check each and every company I want to buy from as they're asking for nearly 200-300USD per visit. Is there any other way (cheaper) to verify these companies?

I have also asked for samples but the courier costs are out of this world. For 4 samples from 4 different companies I have been quoted £400 and the products are costing me less than £50? Anyone know of cheaper couriers in China? DHL, TNT ect are way too expensive. I'm starting a new business with my own money and every penny counts.

If anyone can advise me on freight charges/container costs, that would help.

ANY HELP AND ADVISE WOULD REALLY HELP.

 

[tongsinjoe]

Hi Choorian,
It seems you really know a little about the situation of Chinese companies. I'm just a Chinese businessman.Certificates don't make any sense while telling true and scamming companines.
Another cheaper way to avoid being cheaped is that you might also hire a Chinese person to keep close touch with your suppliers under the name of your agent, hence, suppliers will be carefully while supplying to you.
What's the weight of each sample? DHL, TNT or EMS does not matter, what matters is that the price who offered you. I might give you the true cost after knowing the sample cost.

 

[red-source]

Choorian,

your quite right to be suspicious as these scams do happen often unfortunalty, and China`s reputation as a whole has suffered. However there are 10000 good company`s for every bad one so dont fear too much.

I import from china, with 40ft containers being delievered twice daily. Finding those suppliers was scary and yes I have visited china on numerous occasions, but starting small as you are I would recommend you invest in an agent as suggested by joe in the previous post.

Now your question is going to be... well which agent do you trust ! You are in the same predicament. I use an agent for every single bit of business that I do and I have to say that he is worth his weight in gold !! Without my agent, I would probably cease doing this importing business all together

As a guide price... my agent will charge approx £35 per hour for his time when actually face to face discussions with suppliers etc. Then on top of that I also cover all transport costs... remember, China is a BIG place so flights are often the only way. All reciepts are handed to me aswell as a breakdown in costs on the "35 quid" chit chats he has etc. It works really well for me this way. Getting friendly with an agent ( my agent is now one of my best friends ) also is a great advantage when visiting China, as I simply would NOT go if I didnt have a guide to take me about.

Good luck with it... and dont be put off by all the scare mongery that we hear. It may just mean testing the waters a few times until you get it right for you.

 

[jdpackaging]

I think you can find a agent to do everything for you in China, it is safty and cheap

 

[Max Tuodda]

choorian,

I am in Shenzhen, China. If by any chance one or two of your suppliers are in Shenzhen area, I might be able to check them for you as long as it is to my convenience... no charge...

 

[Wowgiftchina]

I really agree what "red source" says.Use a souce agent is a good way for small business.

 

[onlineseoserivce]

you can try some agent in chinese mainland or in hongkong they are legitimate company especially in products. you can also try our products here in philippines if you don't mind

 

[zgj512]

If your samples aren't weight and the packing volume isn't huge. You can consider to use HongKong Post Air Mail, which is cheaper. But the delivery thime is long.

 

[Steven China forwarder]

hi, choorian,
there do are frauds here in China, but not all of companies are, it's the same things that one will face in other countries, when doing biz. so don't be fear too much.
to verify companies, you can get an agent or a friend in China to help.
to save freight, you can get a reliable forwarder/person, send cargoes to them by courier from different places in China, then export it in one time. it will sure reduce freight.
you can also get a better rates from DHL/UPS/TNT agent forwarders, but rates depends on agents.
hope helps.

 

[peace7828]

For all documents like company registration, export license and test certificate, a good company with exporting exprience should have English copies, so you can ask them to provide them.
Especially for international quality certificate and safety accreditation, all original documents should be prepared in English edition. So they must have it.

 

[stone21]

Hi Choorian,I have a suggestion to verify these companies , I am not sure if it can work in UK . You could check in custom data if you can find a comapny who specialize in offering custom data .If you have a custom data, you can check for these companies name and their export record .

Re samples sending , I think you can asked the companies you contact for sample freight ,and find a best choice.

 

[AnyiMeasuringTools]

Calm down, It is Ok

 

[haligihandicraft]

I used to import some products from China. Their products are not really good but cheap,

 

[stone21]

I used to import some products from China. Their products are not really good but cheap,

In fact , there many good products in China , but they are not cheap . For good products , both material cost and labor cost are much more expensive than before .

 

[haligihandicraft]

I know that, in China, they can do anything they want.
If on the world we had, China will have so their products also are more cheaper than the main products.

 

[findnewland]

hi, choorian,
I am a chinese freight forwarder, You could use lcl freight to delivery the sample.It is soo cheaper then express DHL TNT etc...

 

[n9ga12011]

more details, i can check it for u .

 

[n9ga12011]

I used to import some products from China. Their products are not really good but cheap,

sigh, it wont be happened in future..the price will be keeping up up up up ...

 

[globalsourcesupply]

We could possibly help you please see www.globalsourcesupply.com and email any of your requirements to [email protected].

We can source and supply quotes for free. Check out the website for more information. We are based in the Midlands UK and have contacts all over the world to get the best suppliers.

Regards

Global Source Supply

 

[BensonYan]

hi
what products are you dealing with?
can we talk on MSN?
benson"at"sz99and1"dot"cn

 

[ribica]

I am interested too

 

[Clement]

I used to import some products from China. Their products are not really good but cheap,

An old Chinese saying goes:You get what you pay for.So when people complaining quality pls think about how much you've paid first.
All I know is clients wanna everything cheap but with a high end quality.When we compare quality,we must first take into account the prices of the products.You give me 8 so I cant return 10 to you,I have family to raise too.

 

[michellepaul]

Hi, friend. I'm Michelle from guangzhou, China. If any help, please email to me. I can try my best to check the company for you. Of course, free of charge.

No doubtly that there are many defrauded company in China. It's very hard to identify. So i'willing to help you if you trust me.

 

[dannier]

It seems the China Mail,the freight cost are quite low,but anyway it will take a long time to arrive.

Hope that could help.
Regards,

 

[Clement]

To choorian:
Everyone hates swindler first.
I used to work in small firm with no certificated as you warried and now in leading company of our business line.No matter which one,all they wanna is how to serve clients well,how to win the trust.Pls,there are more good people in the world.
Try to find an agent,or for future sake,come to China for an on-the-spot investigation.

 

[hatsandbags]

hi, can you tell me what is the product , what is the weight and the package measurement? We have good relations with our express agent. each of our package freight is much less cheaper than those courier. I have done international business for five years. I did each business on the principle of sincerity. I am pleased to help you. I can tell you price first for your reference

 

[John_F]

You need a Chinese agent.

 

[Augustyu89]

As a businessman, i can understand your situation very much and it is better to find some trusted guy or agency to help. Anyway, i am in Hangzhou, China. If needs any help or ask for questions, feel free to contact me.

 

[logoonlinepros]

Hi,
Well, if those companies are legitimate then I don't think so, there would be any problem with you. But precautions are very important before starting any kind of business.

 

[beatrice-sz]

I think that you can try HK Post,but it will take a little bit long time for you to receipt it.But what's the weight for your sample,they quoted was reallly high.By the way,there is risk in business,just do trial order with the supplier you have choosen first and then you will know their service,Hope you have good luck to find a right supplier.We always treat client well,because "client is god".

 

[Ryan.millettech]

Unfortunately,certificate are nothing else but papers in China. Brand is the price in here. It would be helpful if you can find someone in China to help you out.
Business is always with risk, once you started you have to prepare for the down turn, but you can make changes to get it back on the way it should be.

Try to find an agent or a friend in China,
Or actually , you can ask them to put it on Ebay , so you wont have to pay if the delivery doesnt arrive.

 

[necom-telecom]

you can pay by paypal for small orders ,
the supplier will be agree using it if you belive their good quality .
we offer mobile booster solver cellualr signal coverage problem , and cell phone jammer prevent confidence leak .. we accept paypal .

 

[jayeshpatel]

hello, my friend i can help u our office in INDIA , HONGKONG , INDIA AND UK also so you easily trust on us we provide all type of service like import help , factory inspection and every which need in import business.
i think u easily trust on us because we regular import from UK and u visit our UK office.

best regards
jayesh patel
+917874263621
skype id : jayeshpd

 

[Amethyst]

Hi Guys,

I've been sourcing products online from various chinese companies and most of them seem legitimate. They've sent me copies of company registration, export licence and test certificates I've asked for but I'm still worried about buying from china because of all the 'fraud websites' i've seen on the net for chinese companies. Most of the certificates are in chinese????? So they don't really mean anything.

I'm starting small and I cannot afford to lose any money. I can't really afford to send someone to check each and every company I want to buy from as they're asking for nearly 200-300USD per visit. Is there any other way (cheaper) to verify these companies?

I have also asked for samples but the courier costs are out of this world. For 4 samples from 4 different companies I have been quoted £400 and the products are costing me less than £50? Anyone know of cheaper couriers in China? DHL, TNT ect are way too expensive. I'm starting a new business with my own money and every penny counts.

If anyone can advise me on freight charges/container costs, that would help.

ANY HELP AND ADVISE WOULD REALLY HELP.

Not sure if you have sorted out, but just a little advice.

I am in UK, I just started my small business here too, so I understand how a penny worths for you now. If you are asking for samples from different places, you can ask your supplier to deliver them to one place in china and ask someone to send together. If you still need help, I can help you. I have very good friends in Shenzhen, also trusted courier company from there. If you need help, just PM me then. Before doing this, you need to get packing information of those samples(dimensions and weight, also value), I can check out a cost for you from my trusted courier, they you decide whether to move or not

Good luck.

 

[mdsltd]

Stay as far away from branded/designer products in mainland China as you possibly can & hopefully you will be ok!

 

[Shirley Gao]

Hi Choorian,

I am from Hangzhou, China. Maybe you don't know china well and haven't done business with chinese company. Trade with chinese company is very safe. As you said, there do have fraud in china and worldwide. but fraud is seldom to meet in chinese company. Most of companies have good reputations. your proposal is right. maybe chinese goverment should issue license in English and chinese. This is good for international business. As your worries, i can help you to solve. I can be your source in china and help you to investigate company. I have been a source for foreign people nearly one year. i help them to source supplier and investigate supplier for my clients. when they come to china. I take my client to meet to supplier as a guide and translator.

If you need help, please feel free to contact me.

Cindy

 

[vance99]

Very fascinating topic, I will bookmark your site to check out if you write more in the future

 

[rellin-jewelry]

After reading your question and the answer, I think you really find the right way, easy to contact Chinese factory. I am Laura from Rellin Jewelry Company Limited, from China, Shenzhen.

For a small business, or retailer who order directly from China, I do not suggest that you buy the products from the factory. Because if you buy from factory, that means you need buy bulks at a time. And if you want thousand goods but few quantities for one style, you could find an agency and let him buy for your from the wholesale market. That is more fast and good for your selling.

Please do not worry too much if the company is a cheater. Because most of chinese companies do very good in the international market. If you find in some website, the price is too lower, and you could buy huge of styles just one piece. And the suppliers could following all the rules you made, you need think about more if the company are real.

Or you could try to make some friends from China, and let him help you to check the company again.

We hope to be your chinese friends.

 

[necom-telecom]

its good , i agree

 

[vivin_johnson]

You'd better select big companies with good reputation or power in cash.