Building a business from scratch is no easy task. Especially if you’re looking to build it by sourcing products from China. You need to find the right supplier, avoid all sorts of scams and copyright issues, find high-quality production factories, and more to receive the product you want to sell. Putting all of these pieces together might seem complicated or downright impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. All you need to do is follow the right steps.
So, How To Build A Business By Sourcing Products From China?
To start your own business by sourcing from China, you need to do some digging, find the right supplier, or skip all the process and hire the right sourcing agent. In any case, the steps are pretty simple:
Do Your Research
According to Ramon den Hartog, the “ first step to making money by selling Chinese products online is research.” This step is crucial because if you want to actually profit from this business, you need to see how in-demand the product is, how many competitors you may encounter, and how much work it will take to compete and succeed. If you enter a very crowded niche, you might find yourself struggling to meet your margins and surpass your competition. Make a list of products you believe will sell profitably and will not enter a difficult and highly competitive market. Once you have that list, narrow it down to three products you have personal experience with and can brand and market as your own.
Find a Supplier
The next step is finding the right supplier for your product. In order to find a trustworthy supplier, you need to start with a list of possible manufacturers that can actually make your product. Once that list is finished, your next step is to verify that the suppliers are reliable. Ask for VAT invoices, request to see their audited accounts, and physically visit the factory to ensure it runs up to par and according to ethical manufacturing guidelines. If you can’t physically travel to Chinese soil, then our team on Chinese soil can visit suppliers for you. For more information, we have a complete article on how to find a good manufacturer in China.
Get Your Samples
Samples are extremely important when it comes to how to build a business by sourcing products from China. They ensure you are getting the best quality level with little to no defects. Because to be honest, the last thing anyone wants before starting a business is a faulty, flimsy, or damaged product. If you aren’t satisfied with the quality of the samples, you can check back in with your suppliers to fix this. GlobalTQM offers a Sample Concierge service where we receive the samples for you and notify you with all the details. This allows you to get your samples in half the time and at half the cost - without any risk of receiving broken or incorrect samples.
Avoid Trademark Copycats
Don’t lose your brand to Chinese hijackers and copycats. In order to protect your hard work and everything you have invested into building your brand, you need to have everything set with your trademark application and approval. This can be complicated if you aren’t on Chinese soil yourself, but it’s not impossible thanks to our China Trademark Expert Package. We’ll stop others from selling products with your trademark in China and from shipping cross-border to your market.
Swipe Your Credit Card!
Once you have landed on the right supplier for your business, you can go ahead and make your first purchase order. We have a full 30-day sourcing package that can help speed up the entire process and have your products ready for you in no time. We also provide a pre-shipment inspection service where we review your products before they leave Chinese soil. That way, if anything is faulty, damaged, or not up to the quality standards you need, it doesn’t leave the factory.
Find A Sourcing Agent
“If you want someone who can help you with the entire sourcing process from end-to-end, hire a sourcing service provider, which can provide a wide range of services: supplier identification, price negotiation, supply management, quality control management, logistics and shipment management, and other sourcing matters.”
Rick Frasch, Contributor at Forbes
When it comes to how to build a business by sourcing from China, one of the easiest and foolproof ways to do so is by hiring a sourcing agent. At GlobalTQM, we focus on becoming your office & team of experts on Chinese soil in order to get you the stress-free sourcing support you need to build your business with Chinese imports. We offer all sorts of services for every sourcing need, but our best packages include an expert Chinese sourcing package that can help you get a product to sell in 30 days or our A-Z package, where we do absolutely everything for you - find the suppliers, source your products, manage your order quality, run a pre-shipment final inspection, and run a trademark search and registration process.
Get Your Marketing On
Once you receive your products, it’s up to you and how creative your marketing strategy is! Start by promoting your products on Amazon or Shopify along with a strong social media presence (can be paid, organic, or both), and try to make your products stand out from the competition. Once you start selling, analyze your numbers to see if everything is running smoothly financially speaking.
For more information on this, we have a full training on how to build a business through sourcing products from China. It’s tailored for anyone who wants to import from China but isn’t sure where to start. We’ll teach you all the steps to take once you have a product idea, how to choose the right manufacturer, understanding the Chinese cultural differences and common misunderstandings, critical product areas to focus on when creating your first order, navigating trade shows, and more!