Buying direct from China at factory prices: why you should do it

 If you have a company that sells products online or you have a small business, you can make your business more competitive if you decide to buy directly from China at factory prices. Alternatively, if you already manufacture your own products, you may purchase packaging, parts or raw materials from China, which can be very convenient for your business.

 Until recently, only large companies could have a sales office that could import and supply products abroad. But today, thanks to technological advances, they are all available online and there is no need to go to China, organize expensive and difficult business trips, visit Chinese factories and contact suppliers.

 Obviously, e-commerce has its pros and cons because although it can be fast and cheap, sometimes you can be in for some nasty surprises. That's why we decided to write a short guide with some useful tips on how to buy direct from China

 Buying directly from China: useful tips

 If you decide to import Chinese products, you should first note that the quantity plays a very important role. If 50, 1,000 or 10,000 pieces are requested, as well as the shipping method used, the supplier's price will change. In fact, it is possible to send small quantities of products by air, this is not possible for larger quantities

 Typically, buying in bulk is the best strategy to save money. This system is very easy and depends on the market logic that exists between the Chinese supplier and their manufacturers. Both manufacturers and suppliers must follow a minimum order quantity (MOQ) to produce goods, if the MOQ is not met, they cannot accept your orders.

 Therefore, those who decide to import products from China should know that each seller must respect a certain MOQ, below which the wholesaler cannot sell the requested product, if this limit is exceeded, the wholesaler can accept. Because he will be able to make a profit, albeit minimal (just think that Chinese suppliers have very small profit margins, ranging from 2 to 4%!)

 How to deal with Chinese suppliers

 Keep in mind that production and delivery times are also important. In fact, when you decide to buy from China, you should consider finalizing your order in advance, as it could be months before you receive your items. Just think that one shipment takes about 45 days

 Therefore, it is a good practice to explain clearly and precisely what you want, the quantities and the timing in which you want your goods delivered.

 Many companies often start their relationship with Chinese suppliers by providing vague information, for example, they ask for unit prices and do not provide totals or timeframes. Although this behavior may seem reasonable, this attitude often works against you, as it increases the order time and annoys your supplier.

 Just keep a few things in mind

 A supplier, even a committed supplier, cannot give you a single price for the item because the price varies greatly depending on the quantity.

 A quote means a lot of work and the supplier changes drastically depending on the production time, so if you constantly change your requests, you can become an unhappy customer.

 Chinese suppliers receive thousands of requests every day and are not afraid to lose you as a customer, especially if you request a small amount of products.

 Therefore, what we recommend is that you decide what you want: what products you want to buy and how long you need them. In this way, you will be able to send very clear and precise information to the supplier. Always remember that a quote is free and non-binding. Clear communication speeds up turnaround times and makes you a customer-friendly supplier, and it also limits the misunderstandings that can arise when constantly changing your requests to supplies with limited knowledge of the English language.

 How to find the right supplier

 Another issue that needs to be addressed is how to search for suppliers. If you look for them online, on websites like Alibaba, you will find that there are thousands of suppliers for the same product: how do we decide which one is the best?

 Write a price request with the quantities and times you need the products and send them to several suppliers

 Ask if such products have been sold in the EU or US in the past

 Request certificates to sell the mentioned products in the European Union

 Ask specifically if the supplier can arrange shipping and what type of method is included in the quote.

 Carefully read and check the reviews of that supplier and how long he has been active (the longer he has been active, the safer your investment will be)

 Customs and duties

 It's also a good idea to check in advance what the custom duties are on the products you want to import, because

 Customs duties vary depending on the imported products and can greatly affect the final price of the goods

 While VAT can vary, custom duty is the same for all EU countries and cannot be waived, so it must be factored into product costs.

 Buy directly from China without any problems

 If you have researched online, you may have noticed that the minimum order quantity on websites like Alibaba is very high

 However, if one has a small company, high MOQs can be problematic. In fact, importing large quantities of products from China is difficult for small companies that do not have the budget or space to store the ordered products.

 How to buy directly from China at factory price in small quantities?

 Buying wholesale direct from China is very convenient because you can cut prices, but it is also true that finding the right supplier, arranging shipping , clearing customs and most importantly being concise and transparent is difficult.