Quote:
Originally Posted by willhof
You can also ask for references from other buyers. Always speak to the 'referees' via the phone, as email addresses are not always reliable.
You can send a 'scout' to view their factory. This service is offered by Cbeebies (a member here). You would send her a small fee and she would send somebody out to check the factory and the legitimacy of the supplier.
You can potentially visit China and view the factory for yourself. I would advise you only do this if it is a very profitable product, and if you wish to have an on-going supply.
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Actually, if you are planning to do business in China (without paying directly or indirectly via an extensive and costly learning curve) I would say these are really the only three options.
Having someone independently perform a factory inspection is invaluable as in China, NOTHING is as it appears to be. The smartly dressed, English speaking guy in the business suite may in fact just be a middleman and the poorly dressed, no sense of style, non-english speaking older gentleman (who looks like he could not run a shoeshine stand) may be more likely to be the China factory owner and the one in charge. Again, in China, nothing is as it often appears to be - or better yet, it all makes perfect sense, just not when viewed and assessed through using western criteria.
An external outside individual (who is qualified and familiar with the environment and industry) can often provided a much clearer picture especially if they can communicate clearly to you the situation on the ground and help you look beneath the surface. You must be careful though with this, as sometimes you may also be creating your own middleman, who will then just both make a good recommendation AND collect a finders fee from the factory. Also, if the person is local Chinese then be extra cautious as they may not fully understand your expectations. (We don't understand them very well, why should they understand us any better?) Something they think is ok, may be completely unacceptable to you. Be clear in what your needs are.
Visiting China yourself is also a good idea - especially if you are one of those "its just like it is back home" types. It IS just like back home, except its just back home 100 or or more years ago, with less guns, but even looser ethics.
