Buying from China

RoyaleGraphics

Free Member
Jan 6, 2009
136
15
Nottingham
There is a product I am interested in shipping over from China, but as I have never done this before I am a little worried.

The company is sz-wholesale has anybody dealt with or heard about this company? The reviews on the internet don't sound very good plus they only accept T/T payment or Western Union which also makes me very wary. Should I just forget about it?
 
  • Like
Reactions: okbuyfakelv

paulears

Free Member
Jan 7, 2015
5,657
1,666
Suffolk - UK
This is quite normal for them - there aren't really that many other ways of doing it. The chances are that they are a small firm in a unit, so finding out much about them isn't easy. If you're really worried, ask them for a UK reference from a customer you can talk to.

Never order from a new Chinese contact at price levels you cannot absorb if it goes wrong. Buy some samples - if it's below the minimum order quantity, they may add 5% or so, but at least you can see how good it is. If you're happy, put in a bigger order.

The main snag for the product I sell is delivery time - in months! and cost. Shipping can be amazingly expensive.
 
Upvote 0
U

ubuyinchina

Where are they based , If you have a contact number for them I can ask one of the girls in our Dongguan office to call them and find out a bit more. Let me know if I can help. Im back out on the 11th mainly in the south Dongguan and Guangzhou but I will be in Shanghai for one day and also Chongqing.........another hectic week. Any way the offers is there
 
Upvote 0

Mister B

Free Member
Aug 31, 2007
2,658
639
The reviews on the internet don't sound very good plus they only accept T/T payment or Western Union which also makes me very wary. Should I just forget about it?

You've answered your own question.

There are lots of really good suppliers in China it's just the fine art of finding them. Instinctively, if you've heard bad reviews and they accept WU as a method of payment, the writings on the wall and I would walk away.

That being said, if it's low value and you fancy a punt then go for it.

Don't forget to factor in the import charges into your landed price:)

Mister B
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wavecrest Ltd
Upvote 0

Bonny lad

Free Member
Aug 4, 2010
23
13
Hi,

I have been buying from China ofr 5 years now. I have lost money a a number of occasions but now have it down to a fine art. I spend upward of $200,000 a year there now.

My method is to engage the services of a buying agent. If the product you want is valuable it is also a target for Chinese fraudstersm and I have been a victim.

A buying agent will check the company out for you. They check business registration, export licenses and in some cases I have them inspect the goods.

Since ding this I have not lost money.

Go to bpovia.com or elance.com they are an escrow service for freelancers. Make sure you post the job spec to people in China.

I generally pay $1-150 per investigation. It is worth it because you get the truth. It has saved me vast sums.

If you need any more help, please feel free to PM me, I have a wealth of contacts and experience.

Best of luck
 
  • Like
Reactions: socialite
Upvote 0
P

Paul Stuyver

I think the crux of the matter is that you shouldnt trust any supplier just based on a website. If you dont speak the language, have someone else call, do an internetsearch on the address and mobilenr (yes you can find online where they are registered)

When just spending a few hundred Pounds then you will be taking some risks as usual there isnt the budget to let someone physically check the company and do a small audit of their operation and licenses. For more substantial business it is really better to do so, this does not only go for chinese companies but for all international business.

General rule is here in China that if the factory knows someone local is looking out for the customer overseas that 90% of potential problems are avoided.

Lots of times, when you want to start the business, local agents will help you for free to get things going. Including myself. Making a few calls, have someone do some searches in Chinese etc doesnt cost too much.

If the intent to establish business on an ongoing basis then you can find lots of good partners who can help you grow, allow you to focus on your sales and not unlikely help you increase your profitmargin.
 
Upvote 0

maruf

Free Member
Jul 24, 2010
3
0
There is a product I am interested in shipping over from China, but as I have never done this before I am a little worried.

The company is sz-wholesale has anybody dealt with or heard about this company? The reviews on the internet don't sound very good plus they only accept T/T payment or Western Union which also makes me very wary. Should I just forget about it?
China stuffs looks quite impressive but, i guess you cant TRUST from the looks.
I used to import stuffs from china regularly but certainly i didnt work for me.
 
Upvote 0

Eastgate Global

Free Member
Jul 29, 2010
22
4
Hi

Your right to be concerned. Im in Guangzhou, South China. My company deals with many of these kind of problems. We also QC for clients to make sure you get what you pay for. TT is the most popular method of payment. I would stay well clear of Western Union payments, and also demand a business account, not a personal. Let me know more details maybe i can help you. Im from Sheffield originally, been living here nearly 8 years now.

Paul
 
Upvote 0
T

tiggohandbags

Hi,you should go with a sampling order firstly.If all goes well,start your minimum order.By the way,what kind of products you want to purchase ?
Maybe I can give you some helpful advices for different type of products.Wish you all the best.
 
Upvote 0
In fact,many people to order some samples at MOQ before they give a big order.

It's the good way for testing the factory and service.

of course,the sample price is a little higher than the big quantity price.

the cost and the other charge is the same as the big order,so in average unit charge is not the same.
 
Upvote 0
This is quite normal for them - there aren't really that many other ways of doing it. The chances are that they are a small firm in a unit, so finding out much about them isn't easy. If you're really worried, ask them for a UK reference from a customer you can talk to.

Never order from a new Chinese contact at price levels you cannot absorb if it goes wrong. Buy some samples - if it's below the minimum order quantity, they may add 5% or so, but at least you can see how good it is. If you're happy, put in a bigger order.

The main snag for the product I sell is delivery time - in months! and cost. Shipping can be amazingly expensive.
May i ask what do u want to import ? And is it big quantity? If small package,u can ask me for detail,our company is specialize in international business for years,welcome to visit our homepage:www coolssg com
Would like to help u if i can.
 
Upvote 0
There is a product I am interested in shipping over from China, but as I have never done this before I am a little worried.

The company is sz-wholesale has anybody dealt with or heard about this company? The reviews on the internet don't sound very good plus they only accept T/T payment or Western Union which also makes me very wary. Should I just forget about it?

Hi Roy,

I browse the webiste a moment before, lots of products shown on the website !! It may be a big wholesaler.

I help you check on the internet, the company often looking for factory supply products, the earliest record can be found is from year 2007, you can have a reference, and as I can see, you can have a try with them to check the quality. Hope this help.

Joe from China
=====================
Sarine Perfections Bags Co., Ltd
[email protected] [email protected]
 
Upvote 0

Wavecrest Ltd

Free Member
Oct 31, 2007
780
138
Kent
General advice if you are importing from China always ask for an FOB or ex works quote so that you can make your own shipping arrangements with a UK based shipping agent and have total control over your costs.

If the Chinese supplier arranges the shipping it is pot luck what charges you will end up paying for port handling etc when the goods arrive in the UK.

We had a call earlier this week from someone who is being charged over
£ 800 UK handling charges for a shipment of only 27 cartons :(. This figure did not include the UK customs clearance and delivery!

For comparison purposes, we quoted the client for the same job including the freight from China, UK handling, customs clearance and delivery at only £ 700 - a saving of about £ 200.

Glen
 
Upvote 0

davek17

Free Member
May 14, 2009
440
97
Hi There

I've done a bit of importing and manufacturing of products in the past with China/Taiwan. This is what I would add:

1. Be explicit, if you don't ask it the cheapest will be assumed. I made the mistake years ago to assume just because a sample was made with the top grade of plastic, that the actual would be too. Its kind of the same as working with an Indian software house. You have to spec out exactly what you want and be very specific.

2. Visit the factory
I can't stress this enough. If you're spending anything that could put you at risk then go out there and check them out and see who else is there too as there are loads of places you can go visit. The factories sometimes even put you up and you can stay and develop products with them and the cost of a flight and a few beers might save you thousands in the end. We went to a place in Taiwan and it ended up being a flat in a tower block and was very shady. We had no idea.

3. Someone else mentioned this but I would also stress that you hire a local translator, preferably with some knowledge and no affiliation to the manufacturer/place you're dealing with. Chinese culture, including business culture, is very different to that in UK so you need someone who can deal with this and the language gap.

4. Learn some Chinese. Be polite, learn a bit about the culture and learn a bit of chinese as if you are seen to make an effort it can go down very well indeed. I learnt some basic words, thank-you's etc and I got some special business cards made up with some Chinese on the back, a neighbour helped me but just pop in to your local Uni and place an ad on a board for help. It went down a storm and over dinner I was in fact told how much of an impression I made where other English companies were seen as a bit arrogant in their approach.

5. I would also check out a well established trade fair like www.globalsources.com. Yes they're a bit main stream now but you can go to the fairs for free 'where you can talk face to face with b usinesses form China and you can learn a lot. They hold free seminars for newbies and paid for ones too.

Hope to have helped.

Dave
 
Upvote 0
Hi, I would like to suggest you
1.check their company info. from popular B2B websites ALIBABA or MADE-IN-CHINA etc.
2. If the product value is not too much, it is really a routine for the manufacturer only accept T/T or west union, and you need trust them
3. You need also check the import formalities in your custmos. or else it will be a great trouble.

hope you will be satisfied with the items made-in-china.:D
 
Upvote 0

AllSiliconeProduct

Free Member
Aug 23, 2010
1
0
You could try to purchase through small wholesale B2B site, like aliexpress, dhgate etc. They will on hold the money you paid for the goods, untill you received it in good condition. Otherwise, you could report to system on any complains that could lead to degrade the seller credit, or somewhat you can get some refund etc.

But once you have established reliable supplier, you can go offline to have better margin as seller could somewhat lower the price as they did not need to pay commission to the portal.

Hope this helpful.
 
Upvote 0
S

ShoppingInTaobao

hi,

We are shopping agent located in china who help people from overseas to buy goods in china. we can help you to find and hunt prices, you just need to tell us what you are looking for with details and we will get back to you with prices and sample pictures, so you can compare with prices you found on internet. we have helped many UK business to import goods from china.

please let us know more details with your enqiry so we can see how much we can do for you.

kindly regards
 
Upvote 0
I wish you can find your best chinese business partner soon, I think, the important in business is safe payment, fast shipping and good service.I don't know what kind of goods you want to import from china company, you can view our website, we are in shenzhen,china, our company have so many different china electronics plus china cloths, and we accept paypal.feel free ask any question to our customer service online. good luck.
 
Upvote 0
W

Wowgiftchina

This company is in the same industry as ours -Promotional gift.As I known,it is credible.But we can provide safer payment term such as paypal.And better quality.We have coustomized promotional product for many European companies since 2004.Google search "wowgift-china"
 
Upvote 0

olivialam

Free Member
Sep 12, 2010
1
0
Yes,this is right way to get sample for testing for international business.but the payment is mostly considered question for the buyer specially for international business,
don't worry , there is a new and safty way now.the process is that you place order from the wholesale webpage first,then you can pay charge to third-part,such as paypal,the seller will ship order after getting the notice.when you get the parcel ,then you release the charges to the seller,you will not worry about your money ,it is most safty ,fast and cheap way for internaitonal business right now.and also no matter order is big or not,you can get anyone you want and save money,because it is directly send to you from china supplier.

If you are interested in ,please contact with me here,I can offer you the webpage


Have nice day for all !!!
 
Upvote 0

SV000

Free Member
Sep 12, 2010
2
0
Guys....I also deal in Chinese goods. If you buy a cheap goods definitely you will not get that much good quality. If you really pay a good money then you can find a good quality too. People buy chinese goods b'coz they find the stuffs little cheap and can be sold in the market. If you use one branded thing for 1 year at cost of $100....and same chinese stuff comes at the 80% less amount and can use it for 4 months...then you can think. This is the way to save money. I'll prefer to buy that stuff 3 times and pay only half of the money. Thats why people around the world buy chinese goods.

If any one interested can PM me. I am not chinese.....but i am favouring the market. As a business personality.....i like to share my point of view towards chinese products and would like to hear back also from others.
 
Upvote 0

G.Easy

Free Member
Sep 12, 2010
7
0
I've been on Alibaba for days now, trying to get a Screen Tension Meter for a decent price. But after doing a little reasearch into a couple of company's I found most of them to be a little suspect. And after i decided to post the a advert online for it, when I got replies I insisted that i would only be interested in Escrow or Paypal, but this seemed to put people off.
 
Upvote 0
S

swisslogistics

If you still need help, drop me a PM.

Have had people on the ground for over 10 years now so wont be hard to find out who they are, if you need payment or inspection done on your behalf can arrange that as well, same goes for shipping and customs clearance.

Best Regards

Khalid
 
Upvote 0
There is a very rare chance that people here may have dealt with the same suppliers as the one you are dealing with. Just simple check on alibaba, see how many suppliers you can find in China. But to find out the turth, you can have them fax you the business license, export licensetax license, company bank account.also usually these export-oriented companies have E-port card which records all the trading information that the company has been involved.
Starting with a small order is always a smart way to check out products and service of the company, sometimes samples don't mean the later order. Some factories may be able to make nice products, but with not reallynice management.
Hope you good luck!
 
Upvote 0

jqlaser

Free Member
Sep 7, 2010
1
0
to my surprise to know your are worry about .
now chinese factory pay much attention to marketing.
to confirm legalization you may contact saleman for product details .
you may visit this factory for large order.

To frank most factories are formal to meet market demand.
i am sorry to know these affairs take your time and energy.


by the way we are manufacturing factory of laser machine for adv,DIE board in china.
 
Upvote 0

RoyaleGraphics

Free Member
Jan 6, 2009
136
15
Nottingham
to my surprise to know your are worry about .
now chinese factory pay much attention to marketing.
to confirm legalization you may contact saleman for product details .
you may visit this factory for large order.

To frank most factories are formal to meet market demand.
i am sorry to know these affairs take your time and energy.


by the way we are manufacturing factory of laser machine for adv,DIE board in china.


What??? Not sure I know what any of this is supposed to mean
 
Upvote 0

Latest Articles

Join UK Business Forums for free business advice