If you ask any Amazon seller then he will tell you that there is a high probability of finding a certain dishonest Chinese supplier or of receiving your shipment of defective items. You can always expect a few bad apples whether you try to explore in any of the following:
- Online B2B marketplace
- An online supplier directory
- Visit any tradeshow
- Visit any wholesale market.
In this article, we will discuss how can you locate trustworthy suppliers of home products from China so that you can have a long-lasting business relationship.
Trading company vs. manufacturer
While sourcing from China often you may come across a few trading companies who may pose them as a manufacturer. If your need is long-term and want to source a customized product from China then it is better to identify a certain manufacturer rather than a trader.
How can you differentiate between a trader and a manufacturer while searching for suppliers of home products? The following are a few ways to spot them.
Manufacturers:
- To keep low costs and overheads, most manufacturers will be a specialist in a single product type or manufacturing technique.
- Typically, manufacturers will include in their business card the name of  city or town where their headquarter is located along with their company name.
- If you check to see the factory address then you will find it located in a certain industrial area and also a different office address of their sales office in the city.
- Although big manufacturers may have very complex sites, smaller Chinese manufacturers may not even have a website or it will be a simple site with poor Chinese-to English-translation.
- If you ask for the quality certificate of the manufacturer then most probably the certificate will be listed on their website.
Traders:
- If a business tries to promote a variety of goods, then it is more likely that it is a middleman and not a manufacturer.
- Typically, the business names of any trading companies will be very attractive to clients from around the world.
- In the company business card, you will find the address of the trading company located in certain downtown or on the 20th floor of any building. You may not find any factory address.
- Websites of any trading companies are usually in English to attract foreign customers.
- Traders will mostly avoid your question if you ask for a quality certificate and neither will you find it on their impressive website.
In certain cases, you may prefer using the services of certain sourcing companies to find the best suppliers of home products instead of going for any Chinese manufacturer directly.
- Although you may think that buying directly from manufacturers will be less expensive for you, however, if you are a small buyer then you will end up spending more to meet their MOQ requirement.
- You must also take into consideration the fact that sourcing companies have very good relationships with manufacturers and can easily negotiate extremely low costs.
- You could often be surprised at times by how the things that you expected are in reality quite different from what you actually find on the market.
- A sourcing agent is aware of Chinese culture and ensures that you will get what you actually want.
- Another crucial consideration can be if you hire any sourcing agent located in China, then they can control quality and easily address any issues that may often arise during the manufacturing and delivery of the items.
Conclusion
It is a little tricky job to find reliable suppliers of home products from China for those who have never dealt with Chinese companies before. There are both pros and cons to choosing a manufacturer or a sourcing company.
Depending upon your situation you may select the right option to source your products from China.