Buying in bulk, from China

[teapea]

Very interesting thread guys, I too am looking at importing from china (timber products) and the info. on here is very helpful

I guess my first step is to find a suitable supplier, will have to work out where to look, then getting a part shipment of their products shipped over.

[Kudos]

We've been sourcing from China for ourselves and others for around 10yrs now. Thankfully neither us nor any sourcing customers have got fingers burnt.

There is a myriad of stuff to buy - whatever you think of. One our most popular sourcing requests that works well - ladies sex toys! If my mother could see the stuff lying in my warehouse...

[stuthemong]

Kudos said:

We've been sourcing from China for ourselves and others for around 10yrs now. Thankfully neither us nor any sourcing customers have got fingers burnt.

There is a myriad of stuff to buy - whatever you think of. One our most popular sourcing requests that works well - ladies sex toys! If my mother could see the stuff lying in my warehouse...

Ah. Very cunning, you just know the returns rate on lightly used products that fail will be miniscule.

[EINSIGN]

teapea said:

Very interesting thread guys, I too am looking at importing from china (timber products) and the info. on here is very helpful

I guess my first step is to find a suitable supplier, will have to work out where to look, then getting a part shipment of their products shipped over.

What sort of wooden products? Bringing in anything made from real wood will require certification that it has been treated against pests, diseases and so on...

[BigBen]

EINSIGN said:

teapea said:

Very interesting thread guys, I too am looking at importing from china (timber products) and the info. on here is very helpful

I guess my first step is to find a suitable supplier, will have to work out where to look, then getting a part shipment of their products shipped over.

What sort of wooden products? Bringing in anything made from real wood will require certification that it has been treated against pests, diseases and so on...

So do the pallets most other stuff comes on iirc so no different.

[EINSIGN]

BigBen said:

EINSIGN said:

teapea said:

Very interesting thread guys, I too am looking at importing from china (timber products) and the info. on here is very helpful

I guess my first step is to find a suitable supplier, will have to work out where to look, then getting a part shipment of their products shipped over.

What sort of wooden products? Bringing in anything made from real wood will require certification that it has been treated against pests, diseases and so on...

So do the pallets most other stuff comes on iirc so no different.

True for packaging but it can be different when buying specific wooden products. I got stung for around an extra $1000 a couple of years ago for a few pallets of items that needed specific certification. Just worth knowing at the outset if some people are new to this.

[Hunky Dory]

As usual, excellent advice and as Odyssey alludes to - be very careful.
Legislation (and public opinion) is changing around these types of products and unless you are clued up, I'd steer clear.

Too many people have done the import-a-cheap-ATV thing and failed to support the products (or failed to choose decent quality ones in the first place) and have consequently given the market a nasty case of burned fingers. Selling such products now is a lot harder than it was 5 years ago!

Also, there are apparently a million and one ATV/Buggy "manufacturers" out there when you look on the net and they appear to look fine, but actually visit the factory and you could well find out that the pictures and info you've seen relate to a one-off prototype, or often soemthing that isn't even that far developed!
Don't hand over any cash until you've seen the factory actually making the products and looked the people you are going to be dealing with directly in the eyes. (In fact that last comment is not exclusive to buying ATV's from China.. )

[odyssey2200]

Been there, done that, got away with it , just, and got out of it intact.

There was an explosion of Chinese bikes, scooters and quads onto the UK market a few years ago and the Chinese have no moral problems with selling the exact same product from the same factory to your neighbour.

There is a company in the UK that has the UK distribution rights to a Chinese scooter (or so he says)
They happen to be the best selling Chinese brand in the UK and for over a year they were the top selling product in the country.

They outsold Honda, Yamaha etc every month despite not having an official importer at that time.( no back up, no parts, no warranty but cheap)

Now there is a guy who is the official importer I still get emails from the factory offering me ridiculous deals to take bikes.
When I pointed out that they had an official importer into the UK they didn't see that as being a problem for them but if I wasn't happy they would put a different name on mine.

They are slippery!

[maser_spyder]

odyssey2200 said:

Been there, done that, got away with it , just, and got out of it intact.

There was an explosion of Chinese bikes, scooters and quads onto the UK market a few years ago and the Chinese have no moral problems with selling the exact same product from the same factory to your neighbour.

There is a company in the UK that has the UK distribution rights to a Chinese scooter (or so he says)
They happen to be the best selling Chinese brand in the UK and for over a year they were the top selling product in the country.

They outsold Honda, Yamaha etc every month despite not having an official importer at that time.( no back up, no parts, no warranty but cheap)

Now there is a guy who is the official importer I still get emails from the factory offering me ridiculous deals to take bikes.
When I pointed out that they had an official importer into the UK they didn't see that as being a problem for them but if I wasn't happy they would put a different name on mine.

They are slippery!

Yes indeed.

Wercum tu Chynah.

[Goochie]

We often think about writing a Chinese to English dictionary, including phrases as follows:

You are my friend = I can make some money out of you
You are my best friend = I can make lots of money out of you
You are my very best friend = I'm going to sell you loads of stuff, make loads of money then refuse to answer your emails.

[BPD]

Hi all,

This has been a very good read. It took quite a while but was definitely worth it.

I have been thinking about doing this for the past couple of years. I am now thinking about heading over in October and just wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions on where to stay?

Cheers

[Goochie]

BPD said:

Hi all,

This has been a very good read. It took quite a while but was definitely worth it.

I have been thinking about doing this for the past couple of years. I am now thinking about heading over in October and just wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions on where to stay?

Cheers

That depends on where you're going - A trade show?

The place is massive so you cant really turn up and easily drive from one place to the next like you can in Europe.

[BPD]

Goochie said:

BPD said:

Hi all,

This has been a very good read. It took quite a while but was definitely worth it.

I have been thinking about doing this for the past couple of years. I am now thinking about heading over in October and just wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions on where to stay?

Cheers

That depends on where you're going - A trade show?

The place is massive so you cant really turn up and easily drive from one place to the next like you can in Europe.

Whoops, forgot to say. The Canton Fair.

[maser_spyder]

BPD said:

Goochie said:

BPD said:

Hi all,

This has been a very good read. It took quite a while but was definitely worth it.

I have been thinking about doing this for the past couple of years. I am now thinking about heading over in October and just wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions on where to stay?

Cheers

That depends on where you're going - A trade show?

The place is massive so you cant really turn up and easily drive from one place to the next like you can in Europe.

Whoops, forgot to say. The Canton Fair.

Best stay in Guangzhou then.

Be prepared, even the Chinese think this city is crazy (and that's saying something).

As for which hotel, they're all much of a muchness.

HTH.

[southernlygm]

Importing goods from China can be challenging. Not only do you have to worry about import regulations and tariffs but you also need to get to know the Chinese business culture.

http://www.import-from-china-business.com

[K50 DEL]

maser_spyder said:

BPD said:

Goochie said:

BPD said:

Hi all,

This has been a very good read. It took quite a while but was definitely worth it.

I have been thinking about doing this for the past couple of years. I am now thinking about heading over in October and just wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions on where to stay?

Cheers

That depends on where you're going - A trade show?

The place is massive so you cant really turn up and easily drive from one place to the next like you can in Europe.

Whoops, forgot to say. The Canton Fair.

Best stay in Guangzhou then.

Be prepared, even the Chinese think this city is crazy (and that's saying something).

As for which hotel, they're all much of a muchness.

HTH.

Maser,

Are we at the right time of year to be thinking of ordering in time for Christmas, or has that boat sailed now?

Thinking of taking a short term rental on a high street retail property and filling it with cheap toys, presents and decorations in the run up to Christmas.....

Of course, this idea only works if it's possible to get mixed pallets from CN?

[maser_spyder]

K50 DEL said:

maser_spyder said:

BPD said:

Goochie said:

BPD said:

Hi all,

This has been a very good read. It took quite a while but was definitely worth it.

I have been thinking about doing this for the past couple of years. I am now thinking about heading over in October and just wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions on where to stay?

Cheers

That depends on where you're going - A trade show?

The place is massive so you cant really turn up and easily drive from one place to the next like you can in Europe.

Whoops, forgot to say. The Canton Fair.

Best stay in Guangzhou then.

Be prepared, even the Chinese think this city is crazy (and that's saying something).

As for which hotel, they're all much of a muchness.

HTH.

Maser,

Are we at the right time of year to be thinking of ordering in time for Christmas, or has that boat sailed now?

Thinking of taking a short term rental on a high street retail property and filling it with cheap toys, presents and decorations in the run up to Christmas.....

Of course, this idea only works if it's possible to get mixed pallets from CN?

I placed my Christmas orders a month ago.

But then I'm super organised, and my orders are fairly large (in the millions of USD). We also work with our factories rather than shafting them by placing Christmas orders in mid August when everybody else is doing the same. They appreciate it!

Really, Christmas tat is probably best sourced from UK importers directly, rather than from China. Ordering from China is going to involve a lot of work to find the products, then negotiating with the factories, working out what will fit and how much of each thing. Experience tells me this normally takes twice as long as a 'normal' order once you've sorted the details. A 'normal' order takes about 7-8 weeks from placing to delivery, with the faffing and messing around, I would expect you to be getting kit here in mid to late October. A bit too late really.

I can help you with the cheap toys, but not much else I'm afraid, unless you want to sell electric guitar starter packs and drum kits? These are very, very good sellers at Christmas, but definitely not £1 shop fodder.

Happy to talk you through it if you like, drop me a pm with your number and we can talk.

[BertyBigBongos]

K50 DEL said:

maser_spyder said:

BPD said:

Goochie said:

BPD said:

Hi all,

This has been a very good read. It took quite a while but was definitely worth it.

I have been thinking about doing this for the past couple of years. I am now thinking about heading over in October and just wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions on where to stay?

Cheers

That depends on where you're going - A trade show?

The place is massive so you cant really turn up and easily drive from one place to the next like you can in Europe.

Whoops, forgot to say. The Canton Fair.

Best stay in Guangzhou then.

Be prepared, even the Chinese think this city is crazy (and that's saying something).

As for which hotel, they're all much of a muchness.

HTH.

Maser,

Are we at the right time of year to be thinking of ordering in time for Christmas, or has that boat sailed now?

Thinking of taking a short term rental on a high street retail property and filling it with cheap toys, presents and decorations in the run up to Christmas.....

Of course, this idea only works if it's possible to get mixed pallets from CN?

What sort of decorations are you after? A couple of years ago we bought approx 500 pallets of xmas stock from a company that went bankrupt. We havent got it listed as stock items, but each year we lay it all out and invite people to our warehouse to view / buy it. Theres literally thousands of product lines, and this year we want to try and get rid of the lot so wil be offering some good prices. Hoping to get it all laid out in August (at the minute its all on mixed pallets). If its something you, or anyone else is interested in pm me and i can let you know when we're ready to show people.

For ordering from china, we ordered all our xmas products in january and february. Nothing worse than the shipment being delayed, coming in late and then your stuck with it for a year!

[CHIEF]

I've been buying from the far east for over 12 years now and only been stung twice and then i've been very lucky.

First time i bought some connectors, thankfully a very small amount (less than 2k) The samples were great, yet the batch was a crock of poo. In the end we wrote them off and put it down to a bad day.

Second time we approached a company with regards to some obsolete components that they were advertising and we needed. We didn't know them from Adam but we were desperate and paid them just over a grand. We waited and waited. All we got was 'we'll look into it' or 'the order has been shipped' effing' balls it was.

Anyway my boss said write it off but this would have looked bad on me as i'd sourced this company so i thought feck it and i cant believe what i did worked in my favour.

I found out it was a kosher company, but they were just trying to fob us off so i found out the address of the local police station - i couldn't believe it actually had a website with a picture of the local police chief and trust me in his uniform and his stern face he looked a right nasty piece of work. I told the company if we didn't recieve our parts that we had paid for i would send the station an e-mail telling them what had happened and i would if i could have them arrested for theft.

Tbh i expected two fingers, In fact i got an apology from the MD telling me they had located my parts and were very sorry, they sent them by UPS and we had them inside two weeks.

I dont think anything would have come of it had they said ps off but on that occasion it worked and we got our stuff.

[cqueen]

Hey maser, I can't locate your 'email me' link.

Could you email me? [e-mail]

I have some china ordering questions

Thanks