5 Tips to Help you Source Products from China

For over 50 years the Canton Fair allows Western companies to find suppliers in China. Since the explosion of e-commerce many B2B players offer trade opportunities from China without having to go there. This is the case of the official platform of the Canton Fair (www.E-cantonfair.com). But be careful, this can quickly become a wild jungle for newcomers. Here are the pitfalls and tips to properly source in China via www.e-cantonfair.com



1. E-commerce Vs. Professional Directory

Any company which is concerned about low production cost in China probably knows it, with over 200,000 visitors per session the Canton Fair is one of the largest fair in the world. Their official E-commerce platform, which has just (re) started, aims to win the market share very quickly in the field of B2B sourcing and is obviously a main actor to take into consideration.

E-cantonfair.com website offers to companies worldwide (including the smallest ones) an easy access to Chinese production facilities. Unlike many B2B platforms already present in China, E-cantonfair.com aims to offer a complete supply chain solution to its buyers and not just a list of suppliers. How? By offering its users a complete online experience following the coming steps:


1. Search and find products;

2. Make contact and negotiate with the supplier;

3. Place an order and pay online;

4. Find thirty party companies on the platform for quality control, logistics, custom formalities, etc;

5. Receive the products in your warehouse.


E-cantonfair.com is actually more than just a business directory but a one-stop solution for sourcing in China.


2. Know what you want and where to look for it

In the same way as Canton Fair, a buyer visiting www.e-cantonfair.com for the first time can quickly be overwhelmed at the huge number of potential partners. It is essential to always keep in mind that for this B2B platform like most of the others, it is the suppliers who register by themselves on the platform and not the website who register for them one by one.

Research can be complicated in some situations, especially in the case when some factories choose to appear in several categories. The buyer, who is looking for a partner able to supply a particular product, will have to visit several categories before making his choice. It is also highly recommended to search with synonyms to maximize the options since suppliers may not use the same word to describe a product. The use of filters at your disposal is also important, it will let you choose the geographical location you prefer, selection of materials, standards available, etc.



3. Using the "lead express" tool

A major added value of ​​E-cantonfair.com platform is its functionality "post lead express". This tool allows the buyer to post an online enquiry without searching for manufactures by himself. If the request is precise, it will be sent directly to suppliers with the highest guarantee to meet the demand.

In case the request is too vague, an employee of the platform will resume it, if necessary request additional information from the buyer and send the information directly to a selection of top suppliers maximizing your chance of an useful reply.

This feature helps buyers to save time as they don’t have to personally conduct research but also to be linked with previously selected and audited suppliers.



4. Search for Your Products Among the "E-cantonfair Gold Supplier"

As a result of the Chinese supplier poor image in Western countries, E-cantonfair.com seeks to support buyers. For this reason, the site has created the gold supplier status. What are the criteria to access this status as a supplier? Firstly it is important to know that this status is not awarded by the company but sold in various package for suppliers visibility, therefore factories buy the trust of potential customers. However, E-cantonfair.com undertakes to verify all the information indicated by the supplier, factory, number of employees, standards, certifications, financial documents, insurance etc. Therefore, it is much safer to deal with a GOLD Supplier especially if you are not experienced in online shopping.

Caution, it is strongly advised to always put more suppliers in competition; three is often the reference number, so choose the best manufacturers.

A mistake often made by buyers, when searching online for new suppliers, is to underestimate the presentation of their company and the accuracy of their request. As the buyer chooses its suppliers, the best manufacturers also have certain standards and will not lose time on incomplete applications. To improve your credibility, buyers should make clear request about the products they want, the markets they sell, the standards needed etc. A link to their company’s website will always add value to the process.



5. Identifying Wholesalers

Be cautious with wholesalers, many suppliers in China claim to be manufacturers when in fact they are only an intermediary between the buyer and the factory. To identify them, at first, look at the range of products available. A plant usually produces a single item or products very close to each other (Ex: small electrical appliances → factory will often manufacture coffee machines, toasters, etc ...), or a specific material (Ex: silicone, plastic, etc ...). If from your sourcing you find a wide selection of products belonging to different categories, there is a good chance that you will have to deal with a trader. Another tip is to look at the company's capital, a factory almost never have a capital lower than 300 000USD.

Why the manufacturer rather than the trader? Two main reasons, the first regards the production. If you deal with the manufacturer directly and notice some defaults or want to change some elements of the products, you will have a good chance to achieve it. However, the trader will be much more difficult to convince.

Secondly, the price: a trading company means intermediate in the supply chain and consequently less attractive price for the final buyer.

As a buyer, if you follow those steps and advice, you will definitely reduce the chance of having an issue and will increase the number of opportunities to do online B2B sourcing from China.