Comparing Different Channels for Sourcing from China Part 1/2
Generally speaking, if you do not have your own sourcing team in China, there are two ways to source from China : 1) Deal with the original suppliers directly, or 2) Use an intermediary.
Dealing with the original supplier directly
One can easily find some suppliers’ information via the internet and start talking with their sales departments. Sometimes this can work well and the buyer can source the right products in this way. But often you will be unable to find the right person to talk to, or you cannot understand the salesman so well. You may also find that you do not have enough evidence to judge if this supplier is the best one in the industry, and it’s not so easy to get a general look at the industry in China. Some suppliers you contact may not be able to export. It’s hard to easily solve the problems that can occur during the transaction, which can result in late delivery, quality problems, or a host of other potential risks. Besides the language barrier, cultural difference is another main difficulty of doing business with Chinese people. These difficulties can sometimes confuse us or annoy us greatly which can severely inhibit one’s confidence in sourcing from China. There are some successful cases where sourcing from China started with a cold call from a foreign buyer to a Chinese salesman. But you need to carefully analyze if this model suits your sourcing needs and accordingly deal with the suppliers with extra circumspection.
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