How to tell a factory from a trading company? Four quick ways to spot middlemen from real manufacturers

How can you tell a Chinese factory from a trading company?  Often times when sourcing for a product from China using Alibaba, you’re not sure if the supplier is a middleman or a manufacturer.  For example one of my readers had this question:

“We have found a product and ready to place a order. But before that, we are dealing with a supplier and we are not sure if the supplier is just a “Trading Company” or a manufacturer.  The price she quoted seems to be higher and she keeps on increasing the price for a smaller change or any question with the product. We want to keep this product for the long run if the sales goes good. So, we are looking for a supplier for the long run and with the best price. Please provide your suggestions and what things to be considered.. I am looking for the manufacturer. Thank you, -N.”

Before we dive in, first let’s look at why people prefer to work with factories over trading companies? Here’s are some advantages of working with a factory:

  • Lower prices – You cut out the middleman by going direct to the source
  • Transparency – you are dealing with the factory directly.  In cases of any problems you know where to find them.  Factories tend (though not always) not to disappear overnight.
  • Guanxi – You are building a relationship with the factory and their boss, ideally.  Over time this trust leads to more cooperation, lower prices, better terms, and other intangibles that help to grow a business relationship.

Note there are benefits to working with a trading company if you’re able to find a trustworthy one.  Potential benefits of working with a trading company include:

  • Saving time – they can handle the sourcing process for you
  • Find suppliers that you cannot locate yourself – Alibaba is not a complete listing of all suppliers.  Many factories in fact do not have export licenses meaning that they cannot export products by themselves.  They need someone (usually a trading company) with the proper export license to do it for them.
  • Better communications and better English – Trading companies typically are more polished than factories.  They may have better presentations of their products and better English skills since they are focusing on the sales side (rather than the manufacturing).

Here are four quick ways to tell a factory from a trading company without flying to China.

  1. Ask them

    Sounds obvious but most times when I ask the question are you a factory or a trading company, trading companies will reveal their true identifies.

    Red flags – If they give you a wishy-washy answer like we have a “partner factory” that likely means that they are a middleman.  Real manufacturers have their own factories.

  2. Common thread test

    By checking a supplier’s product line, you can get a good sense whether they are a manufacturer or middleman.  Factories will typically have a common thread through their entire product line.  For example they may specialize in silicon rubber products.  So a factory will likely have silicon gloves, silicon baking sheets, and silicon measuring cups.  It makes sense because their entire production line and supply chain is configured to specialize in this one material.  They have “depth” in the product selection using this material.

    On the other hand, if a supplier offers iPhone cases, selfie sticks, and USB Power banks, it’s likely they are a middleman.  Why? Because there’s no way one factory can manufacture such a broad line of products.  The middleman is picking and choosing hot sellers from different factories and putting them on Alibaba.

  3. Ask technical questions

    I find that asking technical questions will reveal a lot about the supplier.  If they can answer them then this builds confidence.  If however they don’t know answers to simple questions that is a red flag.

    RED FLAG: In one case when I was sourcing iPhone charging cases, one of my team members found a supplier on Alibaba that offered cases similar to one of the leading competitors.  We contacted them and setup a visit.  Once we met I asked the nice ladies about the charging life and they couldn’t even provide the most basic answers about charging times and battery life. Upon further questioning, they admitted that they were a trading company.

    Ask technical questions to find the TRUTH: Factory or Middlemen
    Ask technical questions to find the TRUTH: Factory or Middlemen
  4. Ask to visit their factory

    If the supplier is truly a factory interested in doing business with you they would gladly welcome your visit.  In my years of sourcing, I’ve never been turned away about a legitimate factory that’s interested in doing business with us.  They have nothing to lose and everything to gain by hosting you.

    However, if they seem evasive about the factory or if they make an excuse that the factory is very far away then this hints that they are a trading company, probably with something to hide. In other words they don’t want to reveal the true identify of the factory to you, which is not a trustworthy way of doing business.

    In summary remember the 80/20 Rule.  These four methods will let you quickly identify about 80% of the middlemen found on Alibaba.  And you can do this without visiting China.

    What’s your #1 challenge when it comes to finding direct manufacturers versus middle men?  Or do you prefer to work with sourcing agents?  Hit reply and let me know!

2017 Chinese Holiday Schedule

China has just released the dates of the official holidays observed in 2017.  Here’s a calendar so you can plan ahead!

The two longest holidays are Chinese New Year, where businesses may be closed up to ONE MONTH (though the “official” holiday is only one week), and National Day in October where businesses are closed for a week.

Please note that these are the official holidays for MAINLAND China.  Hong Kong has a slightly different calendar as they celebrate some Western holidays as well.  So this calendar would be valid for your suppliers and logistics partners based in Mainland China.  For example in early February do not expect suppliers to be able to respond to you quickly or take our order while they are celebrating Chinese New Year.

  • Dec 31, 2016 – Jan 2, 2017: New Year’s Day (Observed)
    Same as in the West
Year of the Rooster
Year of the Rooster
  • Apr 2-4, 2017: Tomb Sweeping Day or “Qing Ming Jie”
    Traditional holiday honoring one’s ancestors
  • Apr 29 – May 1, 2017: Labor Day
    Same as in some Western countries
  • May 28-30, 2017: Dragon Boat Festival or “Duan Wu Jie”
    Traditional holiday
  • Oct 1-8, 2017: National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival
    The second longest holiday of the year.  Normally two separate holidays, this year Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are lumped together into one long holiday.   Expect closures up to one week.

 

 

How to find suppliers beyond Alibaba? Part One: “Yellow Pages”

iStock_000001814881_phone booksThink of Alibaba as the “Yellow Pages”

When you think of sourcing from China what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  Hopping on a plane and flying to Guangzhou to find a factory?  No, you go on Alibaba!  But can you really find the right supplier for you on Alibaba without getting scammed?  Or getting the wrong product?  Or deliveries getting delayed? Or getting shipped a container full of dirt?  You’ve heard the horror stories.

If you learn nothing else from this article, here’s the takeaway – Alibaba is an online directory just like the “yellow pages“.  In other words, it’s a listing of suppliers and you shouldn’t trust Alibaba to vet them for you.  Just like the yellow pages a supplier can pay for a bigger and nicer-looking ad.  This is exactly what “gold suppliers” are.  Alibaba does verify supplier information to a certain extent, but don’t naively believe that the “gold supplier” badge means they are a good supplier.  Many of them are in fact trading companies and middlemen and things can go wrong.

In my experience working with Chinese suppliers, I don’t trust anyone unless they prove themselves to me.  I’m not saying all suppliers are evil.  But they need to earn your trust through their actions.  Many suppliers with good intentions may have poor communication skills, misaligned quality expectations, dysfunctional teams, and other problems.  Having said that, there are the bad apples and I will share with you the common “dirty tricks” they play and what to look out for.  Think “guilty until proven innocent.”

On the other hand, if you are a multinational corporation like a Walmart, Target, or Carrefour you will have an entire supply chain department and sourcing team to vet suppliers and do the proper due diligence.  They may use Alibaba as part of their sourcing strategy but it definitely will not be the only method.

I’d like to show you ways to find suppliers beyond Alibaba to help grow your business. Here’s why:
1) Quality – Alibaba has a broad range of suppliers but there are a lot of middlemen, trading companies, and bad apples.  So you really have to sift through the mess to find the good ones.

2) Many quality suppliers are NOT on Alibaba – Do you honestly think that all Chinese suppliers are on Alibaba?  FALSE.  In fact, I have worked with numerous reliable suppliers who purposely choose NOT to be on Alibaba.  If you rely only on Alibaba then you will never find them.

You may be thinking why aren’t they on Alibaba – isn’t this the #1 marketplace?  True but the same low quality standard that you associate with suppliers on Alibaba, they associate with you the BUYER!  In fact it’s become so common and easy to use that there there are tons of looky-loos who “spray and pray”.  They blindly post requests for quotations (RFQs) to dozens if not hundreds of suppliers at once with no serious intention to buy.  They are just shopping around.  If you are the supplier, would you want to waste your time on them?  Of course not.  So many quality suppliers who want to deal with serious buyers do not bother with Alibaba.  There are other reasons as well such as language barriers, lack of resources, and different priorities but you get the picture.  Good luck trying to find Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn on Alibaba. Do you really believe XYZ trading company is selling real iPhone LCD screens? Get real!

Do you really believe XYZ trading company is selling authentic Iphone LCD screens?
Do you really believe XYZ trading company is selling real iPhone LCD screens? Get real!

3) Diversification – Your competitors are sourcing from Alibaba.  If you are sourcing from the same supplier how will you differentiate yourself?  Price?  I don’t know about you but anytime there is a price war I find it’s a race to bottom and there’s no money to be made.  The smart ones will find unique suppliers which deliver differentiated products at competitive prices.  So I will show you ways to find suppliers beyond Alibaba to differentiate your products from your competitors.

Now tell me why you are considering sourcing beyond Alibaba?  Welcome your comments below.

This series will be published in three parts: online, offline, and thinking outside the box.  If you want to have the articles sent FREE by email to you, please signup here.

How to source from Chinese suppliers and not get scammed – Best practices, Dirty Tricks, and Advice from an American Sourcing Professional in China

Evernote Camera Roll 20151106 181253My name is Gary and I’m an American based in Shanghai and have been sourcing from China since 2008.  I’ve sourced a variety of products for clients ranging from industrial products, solar energy products, exercise equipment, auto parts, and more.  I’ve worked with and visited hundreds of suppliers across China, big and small, and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I’m offering general advice to help you not get scammed when sourcing from Chinese suppliers on Alibaba.  I assume you know the basics of using Alibaba so I’ve focused on the strategy encompassing the process from initial request for quotation to negotiating prices and terms, to requesting samples and evaluating the factory, to placing the initial order and arranging a production inspection.  Also included are some best practices to follow and dirty tricks to be aware of to help you save time and headaches later.

1) Product

Your goal is to make sure the supplier understands your product specifications and the level of quality.

Define the product that you’re looking for.  To save time from going back and forth with the supplier as well as to organise your thoughts, spend 15 minutes to put together a Request for Quotation (RFQ) that you will send to the prospective suppliers.  Here’s a template you can use:

Product Name – WIDGET ABC

Detailed Description

  – Exact Product Name

  – Size/Dimension

  – Material and Grade/Quality Standard (for example 316L Stainless Steel)

  – Application

  – Packaging/Packing

  – Any other special factors you care about

Quantity Required

Annual Purchase Volume (estimate is OK)

Target Unit price

Shipping Terms: FOB port (for sea freight) or EXW Factory (normally for air freight)

Destination Port

2) Evaluation

As you send the RFQ to suppliers and get their replies, you will evaluate them not just on price but also  responsiveness and service.  Think of it as a dating game – e.g. looks will be the first impression but are they down to earth, or flaky, or materialistic, etc?  Some factors to consider include:

-Are they responsive?

-Do they answer your specific questions or do they give a generic auto response?

-Do they provide actual product photos or are they copied from somewhere else?

Best practice: Call them over Skype to follow up.  Find out more about their company background, factory and production information, their main products, and export markets.  Some questions to ask include:

-Do they manufacture these products themselves or are they a trading company?

Trading companies are middlemen.  In the best case scenario they have better english skills and can make it easier to communication if you don’t speak Chinese.  Also they may (or may not) have access to better suppliers which you may not easily find on your own.  Also they may be able to negotiate lower minimum order quantities from the supplier because they have bulk purchasing power.  

However there are some downsides which include higher prices due to their margins, lack of transparency as they may not reveal the actual factory, and the risk of getting scammed since they can disappear overnight.  There are instances of unscrupulous suppliers shipping out a container of dirt.

Be aware that the supply chain varies by industry.  For example industrial product manufacturers typically purchase components and in fact only assemble them.  Unless you are dealing with a huge player, it’s rare to find a fully vertically integrated factory.  For instance, even Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn does not manufacturer all parts themselves.  They purchase from component suppliers – for instance displays from Japan Display Inc, chips from Broadcom and Qualcomm, batteries from LG, etc.

Also it’s common practice for factories to establish their own trading companies in order to export.  Do you homework and find out.  

-Which countries do they export to?  

This is very important because you want gauge the quality of their product to fit your customer’s’ needs.  For example Yiwu has a famous export mart.  The suppliers here offer mainly mediocre to low quality product.  They are usually the domestic market and will quote in RMB.  They may not have export licenses so you will need to either have to export yourself (documentation, arrange freight forwarder, customs clearance, etc) or go through a trading company.  If these suppliers do export, they mainly export to African and Middle Eastern countries who’s markets prioritize lower prices and LOWER QUALITY than factories that export primarily to North America and Europe.  If you are going to sell this product in the US or Western Europe this may not a good idea.  Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole.  You will bound to have struggles trying to sell product from a lower quality factory to a higher end market unless you are selling them to the 99cent only store.

3) Negotations

There a saying in Chinese: “??????” “Yi fen qian Yi fen huo” – You get what you pay for

In China you get what you pay for.  The cheapest product will be low quality.  This carries the most risk of suppliers cutting corners and using inferior product (or substitutes).  As you compare suppliers and quotations you will get a feel for the market price as well as the professionalism, responsiveness, production, and export capabilities of each supplier.  You should make a decision based on these variables as well as the X-factor which is your level of comfort and trust with the supplier.  Successful importers build long term relationships with their suppliers.  Think of it as a marriage where both parties are invested in each other.

???? “Huo bi san jia” – Compare at least 3 suppliers  

Depending on your time, budget, manpower, and requirements never just talk to one supplier.  Request quotations from at least 5-10 suppliers to get an idea about the pricing, compare specifications, factory sizes, and also get an idea of where the product production is clustered.  Large corporations have entire sourcing and procurement teams that audit hundreds of suppliers.  If you are serious about sourcing you must do your due diligence.  Front-load your work to reduce risks and headaches later.

Best practice: Have at least one backup supplier in case you run into problems with your primary supplier.  For example there will be delays.  This is virtually guaranteed to happen and you don’t want to lose business especially during your peak sales period.  

Volumes

Ask for quotation based on various levels.  For example you can request based on the following three quantities: Minimum order quantity (MOQ), your expected first order size, and the best case scenario if your sales are explode.

For example 50pcs, 500pcs, 5000pcs.  This way you can plan for an initial trial order and at the same time gauge the price spread as well as milestones to aim for to get better pricing.  This also shows the supplier that you are serious about doing business.  

4) Due Diligence – Online research

When reviewing pay attention to the supplier’s Product mix.  This will be a clue whether this product is their strength, an ancillary product, or even if they are a trading company.  

Is the product you’re looking for the primary product they offer?  If you are looking for speakers and you see them listing of 60 variations of an unrelated product iPhone cases then most likely they are a trading company getting it from somewhere else.

Factory information – Keep in mind that this is normally self-reported so take it with a grain of salt

Factory photos – Good for a general idea but don’t trust it 100%.  Copying and Photoshopping is all fair game here.

Contact information – Do they reply to emails?  Do their telephone numbers work?

Company registration/Business license, registered capital – this is nice to know but not a deal breaker in my opinion.

Certification: It’s common knowledge that in China many types of quality management certifications for example ISO-9001, is easily bought.  Despite Xi Jinping’s best efforts, corruption is still here.  So take these certificates with a grain of sale.  There’s a saying ????? ti?n g?o huáng dì yu?n which means the Sky is high and the emperor is far away.  This means that there are limits to the reach of the government.  

Gold supplier certification – This is purchased by the supplier and one of Alibaba’s revenue streams.  To be fair, Alibaba does attempt to verify the factory’s information but I wouldn’t rely on just that.  

Website – Don’t judge a book by its cover.  Even a college student can put together a good-looking website.  Trading companies are great at this.  On the other hand, many legitimate factories don’t even have a website nor are they found on Alibaba..  They may not even have a person that speaks English!  Take the website with a grain of salt and do your homework.

5) Samples

After you have a good feel for the supplier and have decided on an agreeable product specification and initial pricing now it’s time to request a sample.  Some people take a leap of faith and don’t request a sample before placing an order so it depends on your risk tolerance, time constraints, and budget.  

If you do decide to request a sample, you will need to workout the payment and shipping method.  Normally for a small and lightweight widget you can ask the supplier to ship it by Fedex or DHL for most countries.  For low value items, the supplier may even waive this cost and only charge you shipping.  

6) Receive sample, evaluate and modifications if needed.  If OK then proceed.

7) Purchase Order 

Place a purchase order to the seller to clarify the product specifications, quantities, price, and terms.

8) Payments

Payment terms:

When placing orders with a new supplier, never pay 100% upfront.  The only exception would be for small samples orders where the amount is not significant.

There is no industry standard but 30% advance payment and 70% due upon shipment after inspection is usually fair.  Some suppliers request 50% advance and 50% before shipment for initial orders.  You should negotiate better terms as you strengthen your relationship.  

Payment method:

Bank transfer is typical for large orders.  Paypal is also common especially for small orders and this would work for credit card holders.  In all my years I’ve never used Western Union.

Dirty trick: Make sure that the beneficiary’s name matches the registered company name.  If it does not that’s a definite red flag and many have been scammed this way where the money ends up in a 3rd party’s account.

 

9) Shipment

Quality Inspection – The factory informs you that your order is ready for delivery.  Do you trust them to ship?  This depends on your appetite for risk, the complexity of the product, and your relationship with the supplier.

 

For low value total orders, you can ask the supplier to send a self-inspection report with photos.  Of course you would indicate the inspection criteria and be as detailed as possible with measurements, pictures, and accepted quality levels (AQLs).  

For medium to larger-sized orders, I suggest hiring a 3rd party inspection agency.  Asia inspection is affordable and sufficient for most simple product inspections.  They start at $309 per man-day.  For inspections that require a higher degree of technical expertise you can consider larger inspection agencies such as Bureau Vertitas and SGS at a higher cost.  After the inspection and if the products pass inspection then you will pay the remaining balance and have them ship the product.  

Dirty trick: Corruption is very rampant in the quality inspection realm.  Kickbacks to inspection agents from suppliers are very common.  There’s a saying that many multinational firms have become too “localised”.

BONUS: Advanced tactics to test whether a supplier is an A-player, mediocre, or a scam:

  1. Request a sample – and evaluate the quality.  While you are doing this you will be benchmarking their responsiveness, attitude, and service.  Think of it as a first date.  How do they look?  How do they behave?  Are their values similar to yours?  If you’re serious about sourcing, look to build long term relationships.  This is win-win as forward thinking suppliers would rather invest in a reliable long term partner rather than have to constantly go fishing for new leads.  After reviewing the sample, give the supplier your feedback and corrective action plans and see how do they react?
  2. Factory Visit – If you are serious about doing business with this supplier I strongly recommend visiting the factory yourself or hiring someone to do so.  This is a chance to see how things work and how things are made, meet with management and begin to build a relationship, as well as see if things add up.This also shows that you are putting some skin in the game and are serious about doing business.  If you put yourself in the factory owner’s shoes, making the effort to visit the factory separates you from your competitors in that you are serious about doing business and not just window shopping for RFQs on Alibaba.  After the meeting if you can have lunch with the supplier definitely do so.  This is a chance to build “guan xi” e.g. building relationships and even friendship with the factory staff.  The Chinese are normally very friendly and will be curious to learn about you and your country.    But watch out for drinking and toasting though.  But that is beyond the scope of this article.

Red flags

  1. Factory does not manufacture the product you are looking for.  Sounds obvious but you hear excuses such as we had a large order of widget B so we don’t have any widget A on the assembly line.  But I can show you widget A in our showroom.  This doesn’t mean anything.  Dishonest suppliers will event take products from competitors, other client samples, or even buy them elsewhere and put them in their showroom claiming they made it.  If you visit the factory and don’t see the raw materials, equipment, and production to product widget A then don’t believe it.
  2. Is the factory busy, slow, or empty?  Unless you are in immediately before or after a major Chinese holiday (insert Chinese holiday calendar) an empty factory is not a good sign.  They may be in dire straits and have laid off their workers.  Or they may be new.  Or they may be shutting down.  Don’t expect them to seamlessly onramp after you place an order.  Also don’t bear the risk for their learning curve if they’ve never produced this product before.  Good factories have busy workers and a palpable buzz in the air.

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