The last few weeks i have been on the Internet and LinkedIn searching for reliable suppliers of very good quality human hair of European and Indian origin.
There is no general definition of good quality, but there are international standards and product specifications. What your Chinese supplier considers to be good quality may be considered junk in the UK. Hair product quality is defined by product specifications such as;
1.) Length
2.) Style (i.e. Wavy)
3.) Hair Grade (i.e. Remy Hair)
4.) Place of Origin (i.e. India)
5.) Virgin / Non-Virgin hair
6.) Material (Human hair in this case)
7.) Shedding / No-Shedding
8.) Tangle free / not tangle free
9.) Softness
10.) Gloss
11.) Other treatments
When importing from China and other low cost country you are expected to provide the specifications for your product. The best way is to sign a simple and short Sales Agreement with the supplier. A Sales Agreement is more than a legal document, its a way to communicate your requirements to the supplier and it can certainly prevent disastrous misunderstandings!
Btw, check out Aliexpress, HKDTC and Alibaba as well.
I receive replies with prices and always seem to have to pay for samples (ok, fine).
Yes, these suppliers receive tons of enquiries every day. If they would start to send out free samples they would have to charge much more for their products to cover the expenses.
But im starting to hear people losing a lot of money once they decide on a supplier so i want to ask how you decide who is a good supplier and who isn't?
Yes, mostly because of misunderstandings regarding product quality. Again, theres no universal definition of good quality. Earlier today I wrote another reply on this subject so Ill quote myself;
The good thing about Alibaba is that they offer the users a lot of free information about the suppliers, such as the name of the Legal Rep, Location, Type of Company and Registered Capital. My personal advice is that you select a supplier based on how specialized they are in their field of products. Below I tell you how this can be done;
1.) Go to Alibaba.com
2.) Input your product keyword (A3 t shirt printing machine)
3.) Select suppliers instead of products and click SEARCH
Now youll see a list suppliers instead of products. The most important piece of information is the number of matching products each supplier has. A high number of matching products is a strong indication that a supplier is specialized in the product youre looking for. Buying from a specialized supplier has a number of benefits, such as;
1.) They are more likely to be a real manufacturer
2.) They are more likely to offer product customization options
3.) They are more likely to offer a better price since they are not a middleman
4.) They are more likely to give you what you want instead of whatever junk they may have in their warehouse
5.) They are more likely to have certification papers and test reports (small traders are almost always lacking this)
If the email address is hotmail / gmail etc, does this mean its not a reputable company? Shall I ask for vat certs?
I prefer to work with companies that use proper company domain emails, mainly because its reducing the risk for payment fraud. Follow this checklist when you pay a Chinese supplier;
1.) Is the bank account beneficiary name matching the company name on their Alibaba page?
2.) Is the bank account beneficiary address matching the company name on their Alibaba page?
You may also ask them for their Business License and Bank Account Certificate. These are in Chinese, but the tactic scares off most scammers.
What else shall I look for? Does anyone have a contact of an agent who can help me source a decent factory?
I think you can source the product yourself. Many agents out there are unprofessional and those who are not tend to charge quite a bit of money for their services.
They're hundreds out there and its proving tough.
Yes, but Alibaba Supplier Search is your friend
