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How do Sourcing Agents Work, and Should You Hire One?
Many international traders import goods from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other countries due to their low manufacturing costs. And whether you’re an entrepreneurial Amazon seller or you work for an established consumer brand, you’ll find that importing from these...
Shipping From China to the US: What do Importers Need to Know?
When you’re getting started with international trade, there are certain factors that you must consider. First, you need to decide what to sell and where to source it — and for many importers, that means sourcing from China. It has a well-developed manufacturing...
What is the Difference Between Quality Control and Quality Assurance?
To manage product quality as effectively as possible, you need to have a quality management system in place. An effective quality system helps ensure that each time your products ship, you can be confident that they will be free from excessive defects. When putting...
Incoming Materials: How Good are Your Supplier’s Inspection Practices?
When your manufacturer is getting ready to start a production run, they need raw materials to make your product. But if they do not have the appropriate procedures in place to ensure the quality of those materials, you could be courting disaster. Raw materials are the...
Quality Inspection Checklists: How to Create Them
When you sell consumer products in the US or European market, working with manufacturers in low-cost countries can be fear-inducing. The possibility that you might randomly receive a shipment of substandard or unsafe products is like an ever-present shadow looming...
How do You Maintain Quality When Moving Production Out of China?
In recent years, an increasing number of companies have chosen to either adopt a China Plus One strategy or move production out of China altogether. While many importers initially flocked to China for low labor costs, the cost of manufacturing has increased over time....
Furniture Regulations in the USA: 5 Important Sets of Regulations
If you are looking to import and sell furniture in the USA, you need to know the various regulations governing this industry. Like many other consumer products, substandard furniture can cause injury and even death. To prevent such occurrences, the U.S. Consumer...
What is Supplier Quality Management? Plus 3 Important Tips
Today’s supply chains are complex, and manufacturers rely on them to get the raw materials and parts they need to make their products. A car might have over 30,000 individual parts, and while an automaker will manufacture some of those parts in-house, they’ll likely...
What is DDP Shipping, and How Does it Compare to Other Options?
As an importer, you may be familiar with some of the eleven Incoterms that play an essential role in international trade. The Incoterms, or International Commercial Terms, are a set of internationally-recognized rules around the global transportation and delivery of...
What is the Difference Between Inspection and Quality Control?
Once you’ve decided to import a product, you need to identify a suitable supplier for that product. You may reach out to several manufacturers for quotations and product samples. And when you’re happy with one, you’ll place an order and make the required payments.But...
How to Manufacture a Product in China: 3 Important Keys to Success
The global pandemic, US-China trade war, and increased labor costs have all put a dampener on China’s manufacturing dominance. In addition, a shift in China’s manufacturing niche to more high-end consumer goods, has paved the way for developing countries to get a...
Understand Supply Chain Risks and How to Manage Them
When importing consumer products, it is vital to understand the different supply chain risks that might affect your business and take appropriate steps to mitigate them. These risks can manifest themselves in many forms, from political unrest to container shortages to...
5 Important Tips for Dealing with Chinese Manufacturers
China has carved out a niche as the world's manufacturing powerhouse. According to UN statistics, it accounted for 28% of all global manufacturing output in 2018. The country attained this position by rapidly evolving its business ecosystem, offering low labor costs...
FOB vs. CIF: Understand the Difference
If you’ve just ventured into international trade, then you’ve no doubt come across the acronyms FOB and CIF. Likely, you have already used one or the other in your initial transactions. Nevertheless, you may still not be entirely certain of the difference between them...
Product Inspection vs. Testing: What is the Difference?
If you've developed a product and want to get it into the hands of consumers, you need to learn how to manage product quality and compliance. You may have heard the terms 'product inspection' and 'product testing' thrown around and been unsure about whether they were...
Trading Company or Manufacturer: What is the Best Choice?
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated e-commerce growth — it’s been forecasted that online sales grew by 32.4% in 2020. The types of products consumers are interested in have also shifted, with exercise bands, kayak accessories, kitchen furniture, and others seeing...
Manufacturing in India: Is it a Viable Alternative to China?
There is nothing like a global pandemic to make you rethink your supply chain strategy. Long before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on global markets, companies worldwide sought to mitigate supply chain risks. There was already a trend of limiting dependence on China through a...
10 Important Quality Control Tools for Product Inspections
When you’re managing product quality for a consumer brand, it’s important to have a robust quality control plan in place to ensure that your products are well-made, safe for consumers, and compliant with all regulations. Many importers include third-party product...