Let’s say that for some reason your order from an overseas supplier, specifically one in China as we’ll focus on here, is completely unsatisfactory. You may wish to claim some form of compensation from them…but how is this done? Here’s … Continue reading →

Question: We received a marketing email from our Chinese supplier showing one of our products and claiming it is theirs. What can we do? This used to be more common about 15 years ago when suppliers would show their customer’s … Continue reading →

Now that Zero Covid has been scrapped in China we’re seeing an accelerating number of cases around the country. Covid restrictions have been mainly dropped and freedom of movement is allowed around the country, so these days on-site inspections can … Continue reading →

I’ve written before about Chinese trading companies masquerading as legitimate manufacturers before on a number of occasions on my blog QualityInspection.org, and the threats they can pose to importers haven’t disappeared. Here are some reasons why trading companies might be … Continue reading →

Lots of importers work with ODM suppliers to manufacture their new products. This is where the supplier’s existing design can be private-labelled and sold as your own branded product, for instance, you brand a generic toaster oven that they have … Continue reading →

Sometimes your supplier will tell you that an inspection firm’s QC inspectors demand to be given bribes in order to give the inspection a positive result while threatening to give a negative one if they are not financially compensated. What … Continue reading →

A common fear that importers have when outsourcing product development and/or manufacturing to Chinese suppliers is that they will suddenly increase prices without warning. After doing months or even years of work to prepare to launch your new product, you … Continue reading →

Anyone that has worked with Chinese manufacturers or suppliers for a period of time will no doubt have experienced times when they simply do not want to give you supply chain information. We recently discussed the problems caused by a lack … Continue reading →

Relationships with your Chinese suppliers aren’t always plain sailing. Oftentimes they push back against your requests and make the relationship more difficult. Let’s look at an real example we were sent of this (no identifying details given for confidentiality) and … Continue reading →

Sometimes your Chinese supplier will use various dirty tricks to push you into accepting products that don’t reach your quality standard. Why could this happen and what can you do about it? Find out here with a helpful example and … Continue reading →