China Sourcing Agent - Recommendations Please

[stevenuk]

[FONT=&quot]Hello, this is Steven. I am an experienced freelance English-Chinese interpreter in Hangzhou,China. I have extensive experience in interpreting for business purposes. Before I become a freelance interpreter, I was already an interpreter in companies whose clients are from English-speaking countries. Now I work as a freelance interpreter and purchasing agent. I live in Hangzhou and my city is close to Shanghai, Jiaxing,Huzhou, Haining, Ningbo, Shaoxing and Yiwu. So far, I have provided service to clients from US, UK, Netherlands, Indonesia,Thailand, Brazil,Germany, India, Sweden, Australia, etc. My previous clients include Amiya Capital LLP, Oso BioPharmaceuticals Manufacturing, Jupi Corporation, Sunny USA, Carlisle Brass,KMA Textiles, etc. Testimonials from my previous clients available upon request.
I offer the following services:
1.Travel arrangement including hotel booking
2.Factory visiting, on-site interpretation/translation
3. Business meeting interpretation
4.Trade fair interpretation/translation
5. Sourcing/purchasing agent
6. Factory/shipment inspection
7. Help start a business in China

Please contact me if you need my service.
[/FONT]<<Self-promotion removed by mod>>https://sites.google.com/site/histeventu/

 

[Direct Transportation]

Hi, a piece of advice; Use a one company for all. Freight forwarders are good but in the importing market its best to keep all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Faye828]

I'm Faye from China. Nice to contact you.

If you need forwarding agent and export the goods to or import from any ports in China,esp.South and East China(from /to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Qingdao, Guangdong, Hong Kong and 3 ports of Guangxi Beibu Gulf) by sea freight,please feel free to contact me.I will give you a very competitive rate and offer an efficient safe route.

 

[Faye828]

Hi,I'm Faye from China.Nice to contact you.

If you need forwarding agent and export the goods to or import from any ports in China,esp.South and East China(from /to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Qingdao, Guangdong, Hong Kong and 3 ports of Guangxi Beibu Gulf) by sea freight,please feel free to contact me.I will give you a very competitive rate and offer an efficient safe route.

<<Self-promotion removed by mod>>

 

[larry king]

hello Wilson,i send this messgae not because of promotion of our company.

but i suggest: the best way to test a agent is by a small order firstly.
a small order will give you experience how deal with your agent and you will also know how your agent cooperate with you.

Hello,
I am looking to import from China to the UK for the first time. Whilst I have managed to find several suppliers, I want to play safe and use the services of a professional product sourcing agent, who can take control of this process. i.e. quality inspection and shipping management.


Whilst I understand this will add additional cost, I believe it is the best and safest way to proceed in the short term – unless people tell me otherwise.
I would like to hear from any genuine UK companies that have successfully used china sourcing agents (for furniture / manufactured type goods – not electrical or technology) and which would gladly recommend their services.


Look forward to hearing from you.


Note: please do not contact me if you are a sourcing agent. I am looking for UK business that can recommend services.

 

[swisslogistics]

Not sure if you are still looking.

I can help you with this.

I am based in Birmingham (UK) for 6months of the year and 6months in China.
I have my own office, staff and relatives on the ground out there so have very well established and trust worthy contacts and infrastructure in place.

I have personal experiance in the following:

Furniture (home and office)
Clothing (mainly mens and womens Jeans, gloves, scarves, accessories)
Consumer Electronics (all kinds of gadgets, gizmos, and accessories)
Pound/Dollar Store items (some items from the same factories that Pound Land use)
Mens Watches
Branded Consumer Electronics (from Hong Kong)
Toys
Garden Furniture

Other products can also be sourced and quality checked, let me know your requirments and I will let you know if we can help.

Best Regards

Kal

 

[George Smiley]

Good thread.

Personally I have a slightly different issue with a China based Construction company.

I want to get into business with them but every time I call their main line, I'm transferred to PR dept who then transfers me to the department that I need where no one speaks English.

I've been struggling for 3 months now and I wonder if its just daftness or what from their end.

Anyone?

 

[venus_liu]

It seems there are quite many Chinese sourcing agent here...

 

[George Smiley]

So how do I get a direct contacts with this company?

anyone?

 

[shani1981]

hi Wilson, if i were you, i would rather to employ local guy to representative your company, he will report to you directly....so you could get anything undercontrol...thank you

This is a better way ,you can try.

 

[Deleted member 106864]

We have more than 10 years of furniture field. We know how to inspection furniture. Welcome to let us know if you need our service.

 

[Easternbuyer]

Hello,

I understand your hesitation. Our company easternbuyer.com is based in Toronto, Canada and we provide customers a comprehensive method to buying from China. We will accompany you to China and will advise you on all aspects of your sourcing trip.

Our team has been buying from China for the past 8 years.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

 

[banfa]

Hi,

When sourcing from China for the first time you have two options:

1. Go out and make the business trip yourself and do the inspections yourself and build the relationship with the factories yourself. This is the best way and is the way to minimise the chances of being shafted shall we say.

2. Find a reputable sourcing agent, perhaps not a large company as they may not look after your interests too much.&#12288;A smaller sourcing company is going to be hungrier for business and thus i think should provide you with a better service. Be careful when looking for a sourcing company and make sure they have all the right systems in place to look after your order: merchandising system, inspection reports, personalised seals etc.

Hope this helps,

Richard
Director
Banfa int trading
Guangzhou

 

[Easternbuyer]

I agree with Banfa. Those are basically your options.

The only problem is that :

1. A lot of people are apprehensive about going to China for the first time. They are unsure where to go, who to trust, not understanding the Chinese business culture and of course the language barriers, just to mention a few.

2. Finding a good agent can be difficult. Those who are new to the business will not be aware of the many ways the agents can rip them off. It can take years of experience to figure out all the secrets.

For these reasons, our company - Eastern Buyer takes buyers to China and teaches them how to start and prosper when importing from China.

 

[Maple Sourcing]

The Do’s and Don’ts in Evaluating a China Sourcing Agent

Importers who do not have the expertise, manpower or the time to procure and manage supplies from China will often turn to the services of a China sourcing agent. However, it is not that easy to find a sourcing agent you can trust, and trust is very important in this kind of requirement. You need someone who is trustworthy and not someone who works for hidden commissions. Below are some do’s and don’ts to help you in evaluating sourcing agents in China:

Do clarify the sourcing agent’s tasks and responsibilities. This is very important when using third-party service providers. Do you want them to handle everything from procurement to quality control? Or do you only require them to perform tasks that you cannot handle? You have to be clear with their responsibilities so you will know who should be accountable in case of problems.

Don’t forget to consider the sourcing agent’s geographical presence. If the products you want to purchase are from Shenzhen, then looking for a sourcing agent or company at Shenzhen would make a lot of sense than using an agent from the opposite end. The China sourcing agent will be working closely with suppliers. Thus, you need him or her to be near the location of your suppliers.

Do be realistic with your expectations. Remember that you are working with people and not robots. Even the best sourcing agents have their flaws. They cannot guarantee you low prices, and on-time shipments all the time. Thus, you have to know what is most important for you so you know in which areas you cannot compromise. Ideally, you want someone who is competent and reliable. However, it is better to work with someone with average skills but is hardworking and reliable than someone who is smart but untrustworthy.

Don’t micromanage the production yourself. You asked for the help of a sourcing agent, so let him/her do the job you paid him to do. You want to work closely with the agent, but you can do so without interfering with his work. You want to have control over your business processes, so you show the suppliers who’s the boss. As a result, the suppliers won’t listen to your sourcing agents anymore and you won’t be able to maximize the benefits of using their services. This doesn’t mean you have to rely completely on a third party sourcing service either. If they go out of business, you will want to be able to continue doing business with your good suppliers.

 

[joycehsiao]

hi,we are factory to produce the rack furniture.
We could be your supplier and also can be your agent in China.
As we are in this field

 

[easttrade.co.uk]

Hi
We might be able to help with this, we are a business association from China and we are looking to expand into the UK (we have setup our UK company and London office), focusing on helping small UK companies with manufacturing and retail needs. Just have a look on our website for more details or send me a PM.

 

[kulture]

The OP asked for recommendations in 2011. I suspect it is a bit late now. I am locking this thread