| Sourcing & Importing
frequently asked questions |
The
most frequently asked questions about importing
successfully are:
| How
can I be sure the quality standards will be
met? |
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We deal with a sample and with
companies who already made the right product now,
or if new, similar products. This alone
makes a great difference. The sample
and specification become the agreement. Money
changes hands on that agreement. We get the items
inspected independently before shipment, which
adds to piece of mind. There is always risk,
but from experience, most issues occur where
the specification is either not clear enough,
or a client retrospectively introduces a technical
or packing detail that they assumed everyone
knows. The Far East is full of good business
people and they understand the value of the
second order, things can go wrong, but then
people come to us in order to remove or reduce
that risk. |
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| How
long will the goods take to reach me? |
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Typically
2 to 3 months from order. Occasionally less,
but rarely more. Production is usually 20
– 30 days, and shipping is typically
a month. |
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| Won’t
you also sell to my competitors? |
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We are prepared to sign
a confidentially agreement, stating we will not
sell anyone the same product for at least a
year or longer after the last shipment for you.
We are in the business of building up long
term relationships with clients, not merely
selling products, so we do not sell on the
same products to others |
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| How
much do I need to buy? |
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Whilst
everybody assumes you have to buy in FCL (full
container loads), many orders are less. FCL
are the best value for shipping, however volumes
can be two cubic meters and upwards. The only
aspect understandably is cost of shipping
as a proportion of the goods - the smaller
the amount, then the higher the shipping cost
is as a total percentage of the deal, and
the less the savings may be. Value is far
more relevant than volume. Typical deals are
£8,000 - £12,000 but we find manufacturers
are not interested if the spend is less than
£3,000 - £4,000. |
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| You
deal with China, aren't they rogues? |
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Not at
all. From experience, I think there are more
Western crooks than Chinese. There are always
those after the easy fortune, the con men,
but there are ways to find a sincere supplier.
There are crooks in all countries, India,
China, America and the UK. Our job is to find
them out before we part with any money. |
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| What
currency do I deal in? |
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If the cost is delivered,
then understandably it is in your local currency
£, $, €
.
If the client is worried about currency fluctuations,
then it can be in
RMB, the Chinese currency if you wish. |
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| Can
we source quality items? |
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This
is a most telling state of affairs. According
to a BBC
news report in November 2002, 50% of the
worlds cameras, 30% of the worlds TV’s,
20% of the world’s fridges, 10% of the
world’s computer monitors and 37% of
the world’s hard disk drives all come
from China. Admittedly many more basic items
(toys, furniture and the like) come over,
but we are seeing huge quality producers such
as Motorola, Philips & GE are now producing
over in the Far East. Quality can be excellent. |
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| What
products typically come out of China? |
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Of
the £4.753 billion worth of imports
to the UK from China in 2002
17% were miscellaneous manufactured items
11% electrical machinery and appliances
11% office equipment
10% clothing
7% telecoms equipment
6% pressed metalwork
5% furniture & bedding
3% textiles
3% footwear
2% travel goods such as handbags |
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| What
if, despite all the assurances, the products
are not up to scratch? |
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The agreement is with the
sample and specification. If in the unlikely
event the product is different to that, then we
work to resolve the
problem. Be it replacement goods, correction of
the product, reduction in price. What is the most
practical solution for both parties. Business is always
a relationship game, and almost all of our
clients are after repeat orders,
so want to find a practical solution going
forward. We never walk away. This is
a major benefit of dealing with Product Sourcing
Services. |
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| What
can go wrong? |
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Assumptions and timings. If
it was not agreed for the goods
to be packed in 50’s then they may come
in outers of 20’s or 100’s. Were they
wrapped in paper or left loose, it is
the little details that we work hard to
quantify, but the assumptions are one risk. The other
is a slight risk of delay in shipping,
or slight risk of damage in transit.
Customs are understandably a rule
to themselves and can have a
delaying capability as can the weather.
We insure all goods, inspect before shipment, and
use the best of our experience to check all
that we can, but as mentioned it
is the small oversights that will catch us out if
anything will. The sample not inspected correctly, so for example
a glue fails in heavy use, but
it was as per sample. Rust from salt air,
on painted goods where not antirust paint
was specified. Inadequate packing when something heavy next
to them in the container moved.
Issues which are grey as to who is at
fault, but we work to resolve any issue, and
move on to get the next shipment
perfect. |
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