Buying in bulk, from China

[R2D2]

I want to set up a little business, just been made redundant so need something to keep me busy and keep some money coming in. I already have a LTD company set up so my first thoughts are to buy in bulk from China, something electrical related. But where do I find somewhere that will send it over to the UK that is trustworthy?

[A1]

Be careful, usually electrical items that come from china that most people flog on ebay, my personal experiences are 20% are normally faulty when buying large bulk.

Try alibaba and contact the gold suppliers. They are normally very reliable.

[R2D2]

A1 said:

Be careful, usually electrical items that come from china that most people flog on ebay, my personal experiences are 20% are normally faulty when buying large bulk.

Try alibaba and contact the gold suppliers. They are normally very reliable.

Just been having a quick look at Alibaba, not to sure about the Gold members dealing with Western Union etc, would you use them??

[scratch pervert]

Be very careful, I've recently got done for a few hundred quid. Not a massive amount of money but I deliberately kept the first order as small as possible due to the lack of trust I have in suppliers over there.

[A1]

R2D2 said:

A1 said:

Be careful, usually electrical items that come from china that most people flog on ebay, my personal experiences are 20% are normally faulty when buying large bulk.

Try alibaba and contact the gold suppliers. They are normally very reliable.

Just been having a quick look at Alibaba, not to sure about the Gold members dealing with Western Union etc, would you use them??

No i wouldnt but yea NO WESTERN UNION. Bank transfer, keep first order small and slowly build up your orders when you feel more comfortable and you develop some trust with the suppliers.

[Calculator]

I'd advise building a relationship with a supplier that you can trust. Go over there, meet them, look at the product, review trade references, accounts if available etc.

[scratch pervert]

A1 said:

R2D2 said:

A1 said:

Be careful, usually electrical items that come from china that most people flog on ebay, my personal experiences are 20% are normally faulty when buying large bulk.

Try alibaba and contact the gold suppliers. They are normally very reliable.

Just been having a quick look at Alibaba, not to sure about the Gold members dealing with Western Union etc, would you use them??

No i wouldnt but yea NO WESTERN UNION. Bank transfer, keep first order small and slowly build up your orders when you feel more comfortable and you develop some trust with the suppliers.

In my experience bank transfer offers you no more protection than Western Union

[SystemParanoia]

yeah, try and use a CC if poss

[JonX2C]

I buy quite a lot from Hong Kong.

every other month I import quite a bit of stuff, all done through Paypal, very easy and safe.

[JonX2C]

OP, I would love to share suppliers, but im harsh like that.

[loltolhurst]

JonX2C said:

I buy quite a lot from Hong Kong.

every other month I import quite a bit of stuff, all done through Paypal, very easy and safe.

out of interest do u make much money selling the stylus pens? is that all you sell? genuinely intrigued not looking to copy.

[JonX2C]

loltolhurst said:

JonX2C said:

I buy quite a lot from Hong Kong.

every other month I import quite a bit of stuff, all done through Paypal, very easy and safe.

out of interest do u make much money selling the stylus pens? is that all you sell? genuinely intrigued not looking to copy.

Stylus pens yes I do make a nice margin.

But looking to move my focus away from them now.

[derestrictor]

R2D2 said:

I want to set up a little business, just been made redundant so need something to keep me busy and keep some money coming in. I already have a LTD company set up so my first thoughts are to buy in bulk from China, something electrical related. But where do I find somewhere that will send it over to the UK that is trustworthy?

CE kite marking: anything retailed here without is not cricket --> trading standards will eat your grundies.

[EINSIGN]

I own a company in China. PM me if you need any assistance..

[R2D2]

EINSIGN said:

I own a company in China. PM me if you need any assistance..

I cant James, your profile wont allow it.

[transactor]

indiamart.com is always another one, for india rather than china obviously

[thisislife]

Best bet is to do it through someone on these forums. I have an agent in China and i could get you anything you wanted with zero risk. Speak to EINSIGN i think he has a factory out there and again your risk of getting screwed is zero.

[ian_uk1975]

Don't forget about bloody Distance Selling Regs. These are totally unfair to retailers who trade in a mail-order capacity and force you to accept returns within a 7-day timeframe from receipt of goods. There are a few exemptions (audio CDs and DVDs, for example), but just about everything else is subject to DSR.

In my experience of importing electronics from HK, about 5% were faulty.

Most Chinese wholesalers will not take PayPal or credit cards. Most will want SWIFT transfers, which is risky for you, but safe for them! I purchased a sample first, spoke to the seller on the phone, visited their website, Googled them, etc, before placing my first large (£10k) order. Everything was fine, thankfully.

[Martial Arts Man]

In my field (martial arts), there have been a wave of people attempting to have goods made in China (gloves etc.) to be shipped over and sold to their students, thereby cutting out the middle man.

The number of horror stories I have heard would beggar belief.

Containers arriving full of empty boxes, no containers arriving at all, odd items (all left boots for instance) and numerous others.


Be careful!

[Baxter 69]

Importing from China could be a dodgy decision, they seem to get away with anything!