Recently I was asked by Global Sources to share best practices about buying product samples from Chinese suppliers.
I never skip this step in the process because this is like auditioning an actor before you hire them for a role.
Imagine if you are Steven Spielberg casting a new lead actor for your next blockbuster movie. If you’re considering some new unknown actors would you blindly hire him without first interviewing him? Of course not!
You would want to bring them in for an audition so they can recite some lines so you can get a flavor for their skills, character, and ultimately decide if they’re a good fit for the role before you commit to signing a hundreds of thousands of dollars to them!
Well the same logic applies to evaluating a new potential supplier for your private label product.
Watch this short 8 min video to get a crash course on ordering product samples from your suppliers.
In this action packed video you will learn:
- Why you should never skip ordering product samples
- How you can protect your designs and “IP” when requesting samples so they don’t get stolen
- The ROOKIE MISTAKE I made when I first started and what you can learn from it
- How should you select a supplier if all the samples seem the same?
- Why Gary DOESN’T recommend 1688.com for most private label sellers
- What you can do to build relationships or “Guanxi” with Chinese suppliers
-Gary
PS: What’s the #1 takeaway you learned from this video? Comment below and let me know!
Hi. I have been trying to cast a wide safety net by reaching out to several suppliers. But, only three initially replied. Two of these said they would send me a quotation soon but never got back (I feel that I must add that I reached out around Chinese New Year) despite following up after quite a few days. Only one of the suppliers responded promptly and we have reached the stage of a sample order.
Therefore, basically, I will be receiving samples from only ONE manufacturer. Now my question is that if the samples satisfy my requirements, would it be ok and safe to select them as a long term supplier since I have no other comparison samples? I have taken all the basic initial precaution I personally know (requesting documents, pictures, videos, cross checking, asking references etc). I know that is not enough and will be conducting a deeper company check if we proceed to a large order however. But essentially would it still be a smart one to pick the supplier then?
Thanks!
Hi Ash,
You mentioned that you reached out during Chinese New Year which is the longest holiday of the year in China.
I would try to reconnect with the other two suppliers who didn’t reply during the holiday.
In China there’s a saying “you must compare 3 shops when buying a product”. You have one sample from one shop so far. I would at least get more quotations so you can have a better idea of the lay of the land.
That being said if for some reason there is ONLY ONE supplier that can manufacture this product and the chances of that are slim, then I would do my due diligence to make sure that all the boxes are checked and I’m happy with them before placing an order.
Good luck and keep me posted!
-Gary