WELLCARE Blog for Business

While there are many challenges to overcome when it comes to importing products from overseas, the benefit of importing products from a foreign country usually outweighs the hard work involved.

For starters, the low labor cost for countries in China or other Asian countries will usually make your product more competitive and give you a higher profit margin. However, you should not use low cost as the only deciding factor as it usually comes with a cost of lowered quality.

Finding and working with a foreign manufacturer from overseas such as China is very different from dealing with a local manufacturer. We’ve compiled a list of things you should keep in mind when importing goods from overseas.

Start your search online

When searching for specific products for import from Asia, a good starting place for your search is to use specialized online resources such as Global Sources and Alibaba.

You should also try searching the internet with specific keywords to see what’s available online. Looking at search results will also give you a better idea of what is popular currently.

Make sure the manufacturer you find is a good fit

Having good chemistry is extremely important. If you are having trouble communicating with them on emails or Skype calls at early stages, then you may need to think twice. The problem will only snowball as time goes on.

You want to find manufacturers that are ready to achieve world-class reputation in the industry. These are companies that have high standards on quality and pay attention to details.

Look for product information on their website and also check to see if they have impressive packaging and price. It’s also worth spending the time to check other sources such as social media presence and feedbacks of their company and products on the internet.

Check the quality of the companies’ official websites. Many Chinese manufacturers have low quality websites. If you see that they have a well-constructed website, they are probably more serious about their merchandise and work.

Look for similar values in your business partners. If you think being eco-friendly and having excellent customer satisfaction are important, then you should try to find manufacturers who also value highly on them.

Make sure they can keep up with the demand

Search their company online to get a better picture of their company size, sales volume, the number of employees, etc.

Companies with more exposure such as having a sophisticated website, an active blog, and having exhibition presence can all improve the chance that the manufacturer can keep up with consumer demand.

When you start negotiating with manufacturers, remember to ask them directly how much order they can take each month.

Travel abroad to meet your potential business partner in person

While traveling overseas to visit potential manufacturers may not be a viable option every time. You should try to at least visit your business partners once so you can both put a face to a name. Having met and talked to your business partner in person is very beneficial in building a trusting relationship.

By traveling and visiting the manufacturer in person, you also get to see the actual product. Generally, a direct visit is much faster than waiting for manufacturers to ship a sample to you from another country.

However, there is a way to achieve both of the above.

And that is by…

Attending international trade shows

Going to an international trade show is one of the best ways to finding profitable products and ideal  business partners. You get to meet the manufacturers in person and see their products first hand.

The only problem is that there are usually a lot of things to see within a limited amount of time. So preparation is strongly advised.

Want to know how you can get better prepared for exhibitions? Check out this article: 6 Tips for Buyers in Getting the Most Out of Trade Shows and Exhibitions

Conclusion

Remember the relationship between a buyer and a manufacturer is always mutual. When you are ready to approach and contact a manufacturer, you must have the confidence and passion in their product that match their own. If you have concerns and doubts about importing their product, they will have have concerns and doubts about you too.

Want to know what manufacturers are thinking? What is the best way to communicate with manufacturers? Download our FREE eBook below to learn more!