by Mike Bellamy in 'China Sourcing Information Center'

I learned tons from your AnotherChinaBlog.com so far, so thanks a lot for that. Here are some questions. When I place the order with the supplier, do I bring in my own contract? Do I have to go to a lawyer to write one for me? Or will the supplier come in with a contract in which everything we discussed is written down? And how does ‘signing the contract’ work when one cannot actually go to China? I will head over to China for the first purchase, but I am afraid I won’t be able to do that with regular purchases. Any info on how these issues are normally being handled is very welcome.

by Renaud Anjoran in 'Quality Inspection Blog'

I have been to Chinese factories a few times for solving problems. In one case, the factory pretended the goods really couldn’t be made as intended by the importer (that was true). In another case, the QC inspector found many defective goods that seemed to come from the same issue, production was still running, and the manufacturer was incapable of finding a solution.

by David Dayton in 'Silk Road International'

If you’re starting projects this month chances are, unless you’ve already had very explicit conversations about delivery dates with your supplier, you may be shocked when your supplier (and everyone in his factory) goes on vacation in Jan and you’re left waiting around for two weeks for an update on production status.

by Mike Bellamy in 'China Sourcing Information Center'

Often buyers are focused on saving money, but it is equally important to find ways to save time. What can we do to keep projects moving forward on schedule?

To answer your question, I would like to paraphrase some points made by my friend Whit Kelly on the subject. In a blog post he gives four common reasons for delays:

by Mike Bellamy in 'China Sourcing Information Center'

First, let us address how to set up your payments so that you are not exposed to problems.

In the opinion of Sophie Mao of www.chibridge.net, my lawyer in China, "The best way to protect yourself is to structure your payment terms so that payment and quality of the goods are linked. Make sure to keep the deposit as small as possible and do not make the remaining payments until you or a third party inspection agent has checked the goods."

by Eugenia Alliegro

There’s God, and then there’s the Devil. There’s Hercules and Hades, Batman and the Joker, Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West, Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort… and so the list goes on forever. Every hero has a villain who comes along and ruins everything; makes a simple daily task become a life-threatening mission! And in the world of China manufacturing, things are not too different.

Meet our Chinese super-hero: OEM.

by Renaud Anjoran in 'Quality Inspection Blog'

Many importers are frustrated and exasperated by the behavior of some Chinese suppliers, who are “playing games”.

Paul Midler’s book (Poorly Made In China) does a fantastic job at dissecting the tactics of a few Chinese suppliers. Actually, he originally wanted to call his book “The China Game”…

by Dan Harris in 'China Law Blog'

by David Dayton in 'Silk Road International'

Earlier this week, I got a few questions from a European importer who has positioned his brand as “socially and environmentally responsible”.

They asked me how they could make sure their productions are done in conditions they would approve of, and how to check the factories use the right types of materials. Ideally, they would like to know everything about their supply chain.

by Dan Harris in 'China Law Blog'

I am often asked by my clients what they can do to minimize the risks of getting stuck holding the bag when the product they import from China either injures consumers and/or needs to be recalled. My first answer is usually “not a whole lot” and then I talk about how they need to inspect the product as best they can and “get a really good insurance policy.” I then talk about how difficult it can be to sue and collect a full award from a Chinese product manufacturer.

by Renaud Anjoran in 'Quality Inspection Blog'

A journalist asked me this question: “Is China over, as a sourcing destination?”

My response was no… but it might be a destination for a different type of sourcing projects.

by Dan Harris in 'China Law Blog'

Every other month or so, we get a harried call from someone wanting our help in "getting their molds" back from their Chinese supplier. Though I know this cannot be the case, it does seem that nearly every time a foreign company decides to terminate its Chinese manufacturer, the Chinese manufacturer refuses to return the foreign company's molds. The Chinese manufacturer holds on to the molds either to extract money from the foreign company or simply out of revenge.

by Renaud Anjoran in 'Quality Inspection Blog'

The CSIC just published another good article (Too small to go factory direct?), which adds up all the fixed costs of buying in China.

From their calculations, it takes about $5,000 for visiting and qualifying one supplier, and for confirming product quality, for a first order. And about $600 just for checking the quality of following orders with the same manufacturer. That's excluding product safety testing, which might be required for your product (and which is quite expensive).

by David Dayton in 'Silk Road International'

First, for those who attended the presentations and couldn't receive the email with the PDF of the presentation, here are downloadable files of presentations from the Dubai show. Parts One and Two.

Second, this is another follow up on the "feeling" of the Global Sources show in Dubai. And while I'm not sure that this is good news—it now means that our worst fears are confirmed, problems in China are systemic—it is nice to know that "it's not just me." Literally every one of the hundreds of buyers that I talked to last week in Dubai had issues with their Chinese suppliers.

by David Dayton in 'Silk Road International'

One of the stories that my father always retells to others is about the time that I called him from the top of the Great Wall. He was in Utah on a quiet Sunday morning and I had just climbed to the top of the Wall at Huanghua, near Beijing. I think that it blew his mind to get a call from out of the blue from so far away (this was before my parents had ever visited Asia and still thought that I was living in a Quonset hut out in a rice paddy somewhere).