Blog
Amazon’s Quality Troubles and What They Mean for Sellers
The Wall Street Journal has brought a lot of (probably unwanted) attention to Amazon recently. In August, WSJ released an exposé pointing out the many issues that the eCommerce behemoth has had with product safety. The piece asserts that, because of Amazon’s...
AQL Special Inspection Levels: How Do They Work?
AQL is an important standard used in the quality control industry for conducting product inspections. In a previous article, we answered the question, “What is AQL?” and explained how it works. But, in essence, the AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit) standard helps you...
Sourcing in Vietnam: a Good Alternative to China?
Since the U.S.-China trade war started in early 2018, many importers in America and elsewhere have been re-examining their supply chains and considering moves to other countries. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the trade war has been Vietnam. The country has seen...
What are Pantone Colors and Why Should Importers Care?
A number of years ago, one of our customers, a big-box retailer, informed us of a problem they were having with one of their products. As they were looking at the product on the shelf, they realized that some boxes had one shade of their brand’s signature color, while...
5 Recent Product Recalls and What Importers Can Learn From Them
Imagine you’ve just launched a new consumer product. You’ve sold 22,345 units to a major retailer and your product is now on the store shelves. You're exceptionally proud of yourself and all the hard work you’ve put in to get there. And then you get that dreaded call,...
California Prop 65: This is What Importers Should Know
California is the most populous U.S. state, and its economy is also the nation’s largest. With a GDP of over $3 trillion USD, on its own, it would be the fifth-largest economy in the world. That means it is a large market for consumer product importers, and if you are...
Moving Production Out of China Poses Big Challenges
With the U.S.-China trade war in full swing, many importers are finding themselves negatively impacted and considering their options. And with the recently proposed tariffs on $300 billion worth of consumer goods from China ominously looming overhead, many in the U.S....
Is the Quality of Products Made in China Really That Bad?
There is a common perception in the West that China only makes poor quality goods. This is evidenced by the fact that there is no shortage of Internet memes like the one you see below. Sure, there are poor-quality goods made in China and other low-cost countries like...
New Round of Tariffs on China as the Trade War Continues
On August 1st, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he would be levying a new 10% tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods. He stated that the tariffs will go into effect on September 1st. This was a surprise to many, as the United States and...
Factory Audit Checklists: How to Screen New Suppliers (Free Download)
For consumer goods importers, screening a new supplier takes a significant amount of time and energy. Whether you’re deciding to move away from a current supplier or you’re choosing a supplier for the first time, it is important not to rush the process. A hasty...
What Should Importers Know After the Recent Trump-Xi Meeting?
On the sidelines of the recent G20 summit in Osaka, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met to discuss the ongoing US-China trade war. To date, the U.S. has slapped $250 billion worth of tariffs on goods imported from China, while China has...
5 Types of Factory Audits That Will Help You Assess Suppliers
Managing the supply chain for a retail brand can be challenging. You need to properly vet potential suppliers and ensure that current suppliers have the systems in place to continue producing quality products. You also need to be sure that your products are free of...
5 Types of Quality Inspections All Importers Should Know
For many importers sourcing products in low-cost countries, third-party inspections are an important part of their quality control efforts. Inspections allow you to get an eye on what’s happening at the factory when you can’t be there in person. They are also...
Insight Employee Spotlight: Kevin Su (Inspection & Sourcing Manager)
At Insight Quality, we take great pride in our employees. We aim to hire great people and always treat them right. Doing so helps us get the best possible results for our customers. Since we have such a great team, we decided to start a periodic feature to help us...
Mobile Phone Quality Inspections: This is How They Work
At Insight Quality, we inspect many types of products. Anything you can find in a retail store, we’ve probably inspected, from electronics to clothing to home furnishings and more. When it comes to electronics, we can’t forget about mobile phones. These devices have...
Want to Reduce Inspection Frequency? What You Should Know
As an importer, you know that product quality inspections are important, but that they come at a cost. It’s natural to want to reduce that cost, and if you’re thinking about doing so, you need to consider how to go about it carefully. You don’t want to give your...
What is Quality Fade and How Can You Avoid It?
Imagine you’ve been working with a supplier for a couple of years to produce a solid stainless steel grill. Everything has gone well. You’ve received good feedback from consumers and garnered favorable reviews. Until, one day, you notice a complaint. Then there is...
Celebrating 5 Years of Quality Control Excellence
It was in March of 2014 that we began our journey as a company. Now, with 16,139 inspections under our belt and more than 500 factory audits completed, we’re here celebrating our 5th anniversary! Starting out as a one-man team, our founder Andy Church took the leap...