Buying from China

ukbill69

Get an agent to do work, they will take a cut. Or go to factories and see what they produce. Ive bought lots of things from china and ok sometimes things go wrong and annoys you, but you are getting cheap so that the gamble.

martindow

Alibaba presumably includes anyone who pays their fee so not much of a guarantee. I have never met any of my suppliers and just negotiated and discussed with emails. I always write very old fashioned polite emails as politeness and formality is valued in China. Visiting would be ideal but unless you are going to import on a large scale the costs would wipe out any profit.

Perhaps you would be best to try a small order first. You may get them to agree an order below their minimum initially to confirm the quality of what you are getting. Make it clear that you want to be a continuing customer and if everything is fine you will be reordering on a larger scale. The problem with small orders is that the costs of importing can be relatively high.

I'm sure there are scammers, but I have dealt successfully with three different Chinese companies without problems.

naijapower

I also buy from China and can offer you some useful advise.
1st, avoid buy a huge amount until you build trust. No matter how attractive the proposition is i.e. buy 1000 items and get discount, do not do this for a 1st time order. Buy a small amount ...say a couple of hundred pound in total.
In this way, you can also assess the quality of the item etc
Being verified by Alibaba doesnt really help but i ve to say, China is not as bad as most make out. Be sensible and take your time. Dont be rushed.
I started slowly and have become comfortable in my niche area. I now have a good agent and we chat nearly everyday on Skype and messenger.
If you need further info, pls feel free to PM me. For example, my agent can assist check if the company you intend to buy from really exist