Anyone done any business in China?

Y

Yellow Belly

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I am currently trying to source some products & have been emailing & conversing with potential suppliers in UK, USA & China. The product I require is not being constructed by any Irish supplier so I will need to import.

The price being quoted for the product in China is miles cheaper than USA or UK i.e.

UK- stg£3,500
USA- $4,500
China US$1,500

I have compared the specifications etc etc & all 3 products are identical. As I plan to place a substantial order (approx. 150 units) I had planned to visit the supplier no matter which country I decided upon. However I have never transacted any business in China, I don't have the language, I do not have any contacts there etc.

Has any body else found any problems in dealing in the Chinese markets? Is there any Chinese/Irish body established to provide introductions, verify Chinese bona fides etc etc?

Any other advice would also be welcome from people with experince in this area.
 
Wicklow Enterprise Board are doing a course in "Doing Business in China", perhaps there are other courses around, as this course started last Monday.

I worked for a company who did business in China, and it is not a straightforward matter, and I would advise anyone considering sourcing goods from China to take advice and care.
 
we have done business in China for many years Most manufacturers of any size will have english speakers.You should ask your supplier who they sell to in Europe if they don't sell in Europe I would not deal with them no matter what the price is.Make sure any product you buy has appropiate approvals You can hire companies based in Hong Kong who will carry out pre shipment inspections for you.Check with the Hong Kong Trade Council you can get them on the net.We have found it to be very easy as long as you stick with companies who have experience in selling to Europe
 
Agree with dinjoecurry.

I have extensive contacts in China and Hong Kong. PM me if you need any help. I have a business partner based in Guangdong and we can arrange some business information checks or product/factory inspections etc....

Cheers,

D
 
There is an Irish company - Sercom - (owned by DCC) who can do all this for you, from sourcing the suppliers to quality control to supply chain management. Take a look at some of the case studies on their website ( http://www.sercomsolutions.com/) for an indication of the issues and problems dealing with China.
 
Hi there,

I am part of a small business that imports goods from china and have had no issues thus far, shipping can take up to 6 weeks and costs of transport have fallen by 50% and they are keen to do business. There are a few chancers out there as here but a visit over to them with 24hrs notice to view their manufacturing facilities always frightens then away. Would agree with previous poster about avoiding suppliers that have no european customer base. There are a lot of middle men if you involve supply chain management but it does give you added security. Fly out there and meet them
return flights from heathrow to hong kong with Cathay Pacific are aroung 500 euros and it is cheap out there to stay etc. We have a guy going next week for ten days to source goods in 7 chinese cities, so if you want a hand please pm me.
Good luck
 
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