twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Does anyone have experience of importing goods from Chinese factories? I have thought about doing this for a couple of years but never managed to pluck up the courage because I don't want to be ripped off and there are, obviously, a lot of scammers out there just as there are in so many other areas of life. I believe that you can get people to inspect the goods before they are loaded onto the ship and at other stages along the way but I feel very unsure of the whole process and would love to hear from someone who really understands it. Please message me if you can help. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 What goods are you talking about..my friend has an import company that trades with China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Baby shoes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 He imports fabric..I'll ask him this evening and PM you, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 I was looking at importing hydrographic films, started with direct contact went from there. Did the same with some jewellery as well. I just took a punt and hoped for the best. both times the companies were very helpful. Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Thanks Will. Look forward to hearing from you later rtbiscuit, nice to hear that you had good experiences both times. I have been emailing both companies that I am considering using but I am still very unsure because I like to know what I am doing and it worries me when I don't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 The main thing I've found is not that they rip you off, its the quality. Some is good some not so good. I got samples sent, I ended up getting my films from Germany. the Chinese stuff was good, but on this occassion the Germans offered better patterns. Have you asked for samples? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Not yet but I will be getting samples when I decide which styles I want to see. I am just worried that the samples will be better made than the actual goods in my order so I would be happier if someone on the ground could inspect them for me as they are being made and before they are shipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 I know the banks provide a 'letter of credit' for this type of thing that both parties sign and provides a level of security ref quality, delivery etc. i.e. compensation. Probably a minimum spend though and you would need a sample first too in order to compare against the full order received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 flexib, I am not fully au fait with the letter of credit thingummy but I definitely have to spend a fair amount to meet the manufacturers' minimum order requirements. That's the same in this country as well though. I had some baby clothes made in a factory in Coventry and had to buy a lot of baby gros It's not too bad in one way because you get things for the right price and although the initial outlay is a bit eye-watering at least you have plenty of stock for the next year or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac@TarmacSportz Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Letters of credit are not really needed with China, it's more associated with poor credit rate countries and if you are selling large amounts to them. I speak to three or four Chinese companies a week lol, even got invited to the big trade fair last November. I bought one thing once from China, it turned out to be money down the drain tbh. If you are thinking of buying something then get a sample, it is cheap to buy stuff from there but cheap for a reason so ask for a sample and make sure it's the quality your after or it'll be a waste. Get them to post by Chinese mail and it will be on your doorstep in 3-4 weeks. Most companies are LTD like the UK, plus tell them you want to pay by PayPal or credit card then your covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Thanks for that Tarmac I do prefer to buy British but I haven't had much luck sourcing baby shoes in this country so far. I know exactly what I want and the only place I have seen them is China, apart from one manufacturer in Argentina whose quality I wasn't happy with when I got the sample shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Agree with Chris about the quality, sourced some photo frame samples recently, specified glass, arrived with cheap plastic instead of glass!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Oh dear. That sort of problem really puts me off. I think I could spend a lot of money and effort going to China and still end up with nothing to show for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Hi Twobears. Spoke to my friend who imports from China...He gave me some advice to pass on. Go to China and visit the factory your going to buy from. Get an local agent to do the buying on your behalf and negotiate a percentage with him, he's then your agent and is responsible to you. Get samples signed off on quality before committing to a run. Be careful of the exchange rate as they work in US dollars. Be careful on shipping charges and shipping agents depending on quantity. Hope it helps a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Thanks Will. That does help a lot so thank you and thank you to your friend as well I think I have a lot of research to do before I take the plunge! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Oh dear. That sort of problem really puts me off. I think I could spend a lot of money and effort going to China and still end up with nothing to show for it Luckily these were FOC samples and they paid for the shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 glrnet, that's good then. I had to pay for the samples from Argentina, not a huge amount but it was a waste of money nonetheless. I have managed to get someone in the UK to post me a sample pair of shoes today but I don't think from the photos that they are quite what I am after, unfortunately. I wish we could go back in time and still be manufacturing a huge range of British goods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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