Many people foresee that China will be the largest economy in the world in the 21st century and will soon outshine the United States. Although the relative cost of China sourcing has increased in recent years, the country is still often the cheapest location for American retailers and manufacturers to source goods or parts.

1. China Sourcing: A Guide
for Small Businesses

2. Many people foresee that China will
be the largest economy in the world in
the 21st century and will soon
outshine the United States. Although
the relative cost of China sourcing has
increased in recent years, the country
is still often the cheapest location for
American retailers and manufacturers
to source goods or parts.

3. Use of Internet Search in
China Sourcing

4. The easiest and economical
place to start a search for
China sourcing is on the
Internet via search engines.
And B2B sourcing platforms
like Alibaba, Global Sources,
and Made-in-China.com.

5. Thousands of suppliers are listed
on these sites, and you can
streamline your search and
upsurge the number of valid
sources by filtering results for onl
those entries labeled as “gold
member,” “verified supplier,”
“onsite supplier,” or “accredited
supplier.”

6. Good reviews offer some sign
that the supplier is legitimate
Some B2B sourcing platforms
have recommended service
provider lists and supplier
blacklists. For example,
Alibaba has a list of debarred
members.

7. Some sites also provide special
services to further safeguard buyers.
For example, Global Sources has
credit-check services and supplier-
capability-evaluation services that
will deliver suppliers’ key business
information including company
status, production capabilities, and
product quality.

8. Be mindful that verified suppliers at
these sites may only mean that the
companies are proved to exist. It
does not essentially mean that their
reputation, production capability, or
quality has been verified. Further,
while these sites have huge
directories of “suppliers,” some are
traders or wholesalers, not
manufacturers.

9. You won’t get the best price from
traders or wholesalers, so you need
to do your own meticulousness on
potential suppliers.
It is worth declaring that Global
Sources also has China Sourcing
Reports (CSRs) that have in-depth
studies focused on specific China
sourcing industries.

10. Social Media

11. Social media is not
automatically an ideal
platform to recognize
suppliers. Only some suppliers
have a social media existence,
but they can be a good basis
for feedback or reviews of
potential suppliers.

12. Therefore, be thoughtful
when trusting on such
platforms and remember to do
your own due thoroughness as
the information provided is
often unconfirmed, reviews are
often anecdotal, and sample
sizes may be small.

13. China Sourcing
China Sourcing Forum
China Sourcing, Networking,
Import, Export, Trading, Manufacturing
China Sourcing Group
China Trade Group
Trade Shows
Also, there are now several
professional LinkedIn groups
focused on China sourcing:

14. Trade Shows

15. Are another way to find authentic
suppliers. By attending trade shows,
you have the chance to talk to
potential suppliers face to face about
their companies, products,
production capacity, quality-control
procedures, and other primary
business areas. Such direct
interaction can help you assess
suppliers and validate their abilities.

16. www.originalsourcingpro.com