Assisted Direct Purchasing
I dare to say that you can start importing even with a blank slate. I firmly believe that if you have an idea for a product, then anything is possible, for as long as China remains the world’s biggest manufacturer of merchandise exports.
For anyone who’s new to the business of importing products from China, your first successful foray into the unknown can just be a phone call away.
However, before you pick up that phone, I’d like to remind you that I am not advocating for something that is too good to be true. Finding an individual or company to assist your importing operations is more often than not, tricky. Why so? It’s because your assisting entity may not be purely focused on helping you import your goods successfully.
I know it’s kind of unfair to get your hopes up and then smack you with a, “Get back to reality,” punch, but finding the right partner for your importing business may not be as easy as doing a quick online search. There are sourcing companies that may have split loyalties, and as far as I know, such entities represent a majority of available import assistance firms.
The next thing you have to know is the services that your import assistance firm provides. If your agent promises to do the full complement of services, then I assume that they would include the following:
- Tender your product out. When you wish to find the best prices and the best quality that your budget can buy, your agent should be able to exhaust all possible qualified suppliers that can manufacture and deliver your product. There should be a balance achieved by finding as many qualified suppliers as possible, while using time efficiently. Much time can be saved when your agent already has a large database of qualified suppliers on hand, for any product you wish to import, even if such a product has yet to exist.
- Validate all potential suppliers. Your agent should be able to match your needs with only the best qualified manufacturers.
- Present actual samples of your product.
- Negotiate the best prices for you.
- Perform the necessary quality checks.
- Arrange delivery to your doorstep!
Don’t think though that I am making this sound simplistic. I am rather making it simple enough so you don’t find it intimidating. After all, that’s part of what an assistance firm should do. You should know what you’re getting into with a sufficient level of confidence.