How Trade Fairs Help In Identifying Potential Suppliers! Ever wondered why trade fairs are so keen of getting potential suppliers? Trade fairs as you might know assist in bringing buyers and suppliers on a single platform to negotiate deals effectively. The million dollar question is “What exactly should a buyer ask a supplier?” Are you in the same dilemma? Don’t worry! Here are a few simple topics that you should definitely cover if you are planning of sourcing products from China. Export license: Probably one of the most important and the first thing you should be asking the supplier is whether they have an export licence to export your required products to your country. What if you finalise the deal and at the end of the day you discover the supplier doesn’t have an export licence to your country, it would be a serious disaster, isn’t it?
Quality: Considering you have done effective research about the product you are importing from china, you should be fully aware of the supplier’s quality control procedures. Quality checks indeed form an essential aspect for buyers who are importing from china. Ask the suppliers if you can have your own quality checks at regular intervals or whether they would be providing you with regular reports of the same.
Payments: Payment terms have to be negotiated prior to the import. Inquire the supplier about the payment terms; generally it is 30 per cent up front and 70 per cent when the order ships. Discussing about the shipping costs prior to the import would be a good idea as prices may rise up eventually in the future.
Contact person: Finally if you are into the deal, then ask for the details of the China sourcing agent you would be in contact with. You might want to ask few questions like, who would be the point of contact. Who will ensure the delivery from the start to the end? Do they speak English or any other languages? Is it possible to meet them in person? And so on. Guarantees! Cancellations! Returns! What if the quality of the product delivered is not as requested? What if the shipment didn’t arrive on the date mentioned in the contract? What guarantees are offered in case of troublesome deliveries? On what conditions can the order be cancelled? What are the terms and conditions of return policies involved? Be extra careful if you want to have bulk orders! Ask the supplier if he can reduce the order cost if the order is in large quantities. What is the price of the single unit? What can be the minimum quantity that needs to be ordered? As far as possible, try to go for licensed and experienced suppliers from China so as to ensure trustworthy import and long-term relations.