Importing from China is Safe and Easy when Done Correctly!
If you are a merchant and considering importing from China in order to save money and still offer quality products, there are some points you should consider to make sure that your importing goes as smoothly as possible.
- Get quotes on merchandise from qualified suppliers with a good history of both quality and deliverability. Making sure that everyone is ‘on the same page’ and understands the requirements of the merchant is a crucial first step and qualified suppliers with a long history of importing can speed up the process.
- Have a list of packing and presentation details that will meet your requirements. Any drawing or graphics that are necessary must be included in this list when importing from China.
- Know and be aware of all your branding requirements. This goes without saying (hopefully). It’s on the merchant’s shoulders to know and effectively present their own brand.
- Research any safety standards required and make sure all certifications are in place if these are necessary. Again, a good supplier can guide anyone new to importing from China.
- Find out what each supplier needs in the way of ‘minimum orders.’ These can vary tremendously but most suppliers have these. This is where the supplier makes their money and where the merchant saves money, by buying in bulk. Importing from China is not the same as walking into a retail shop and buying one piece of merchandise at a time and it should not be viewed as such.
- Most importantly make sure the supplier knows the date the product is required and that they can MEET this date. Too many times assumptions can be made and this can and does lead to lost money and heartache for merchants and the suppliers!
As with anything else, importing from China does involve an initial ‘learning curve’, but a good supplier will offer assistance and support and some really great suppliers offer consultancy services, which will speed up the process. Once the ‘learning curve’ is surmounted, importing from China becomes routine and done easily. Importing from China also has one distinct advantage in the end, and that is cost savings to merchants. Taking advantage of importing from China does lead to more money retained by merchants that use Chinese imports, so it’s an invaluable way to increase revenue.
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