My client, Daisy, complained
again last week. She only can find products that are made in China. She asked
me, “Have Chinese goods taken over the world?” I told her that she is one of
the importers too.
China exports a large
number of goods overseas every year, the ‘Made in China’ labels on goods all over
the world, but sometimes in offering the lowest price, quality issues arise. Is
it really true that there’re no good goods at a low price, as the Chinese
saying goes? Not really, because we all use products
made in China and also enjoy the benefits of their low cost. The goods China exports
cover all aspects of life, ranging from Vale’s gigantic ships to Daisy’s cat
toys. Many importers are concerned about this issue. Actually the quality issues could be resolved if companies choose the best suppliers.
Today I want to talk about how you can import the best pet toys from China, thanks to Daisy for bringing up the topic.
Primarily, let's look at
the pet products manufacturing industry in China. China has millions of pet toy
production enterprises, mainly distributed in Guangdong
province, Zhejiang province, and Jiangsu province. Some of these
enterprises are specialized in the production of pet toys, but for other
companies, it is an avocation, their main enterprise might even be completely
unrelated, such as manufacturing bricks. In addition, there are actual manufacturers
and some trading companies. We generally choose to contract with trading
companies, send our requirements to them, and then they send our requirements
to Chinese manufacturers. Now, we will talk about how to find reliable
suppliers who have quality products and competitive prices for pet toys.
1. Make sure your existing suppliers understand
your needs before placing an order. On the one hand, tell
your supplier what you want as clearly as you can, including colors, materials,
product standards, and even weight. On the other hand, it is important to ensure
that your suppliers understand exactly what you mean, so be sure to provide
clear information instead of vague answers to their questions. You will learn that
your Chinese suppliers will always answer with a “yes”, although the end result
may be unsatisfactory or even worse.
If
possible, a sample needs to be sent to them to ensure that the pet toys you
receive are exactly like your sample, instead of a box full of toys that are
the wrong shape, size, or color.
2. Stay away from unprofessional trading companies
and sham companies. A large number of trading companies were established
along with the development of China as a world-wide manufacturer. Inevitably,
there are some inferior companies, even sham companies. So should you be worried
about them? Yes, you should. Therefore, it is important to choose genuine
suppliers, who are able to communicate with you effectively, and understand
your needs, rather than just providing you with equivocal answers.
As a result, many importers are only looking for
products from big trading companies rather than other suppliers. You might
think that is the best solution, as well as being fast and convenient. But, actually
companies miss out on the chance to work with other suppliers and
manufacturers. They can give you a more competitive price and quality products.
So, it is worth spending more time searching for suppliers.
So now
comes the question, how can you find those manufacturers? As noted above, they are
mainly distributed in China’s east coastal regions, such as Tianjin, Weihai,
Rugao, Deqing, Dongguan, and etc. You can easily find many pet toys
manufacturers in these areas, they provide colorful cat scratching posts,
interactive dog toys, and catnip mice, etc. Gathering as much information as
you can about the suppliers you are considering is a good way to insure they
will be good to work with and can provide you with quality products. You can
give them a call for more details or ask for a catalog by email, so you can
make a decision.
3. Checking throughout the process. Check the
details before placing orders to suppliers, including their production
capacity, their ability to understand your requirements, and their quality standards.
The most important thing is to ensure your pet toys are made with ingredients
that are safe for animals, of course you need to make sure all the ingredients
in the products are safe for cats and dogs.
Confirm the sample they supplied, as well inspecting the
toys after production is completed. You will want to ensure that the entire
production process is monitored and under control.
4. Along with controlling product quality, we can
also ask for a lower price. In general, we always contact trading companies
directly who have higher costs. We prefer to choose those manufacturers who can
communicate with us effectively instead of going with the least expensive
manufacturer but not getting a good product.
Now, more and more Chinese pet toy manufacturers
have set up their own trading departments, so they are able to communicate with
you in fluent English. They better understand your needs too, because they are
more skilled than trading companies because they know more about their
products. They can even recommend unexpected and interesting products for your
consideration. You can place the order directly with them, so that you can save
a great deal of money.
5. Choose companies that excel in innovation.
Our pets will always have a natural curiosity, so you cannot expect them to be satisfied
with playing with a rubber bone or a Frisbee, they deserve more interesting and
interactive toys which are different and better than what is already available
on the market. Therefore, you need to find creative suppliers who can provide
you with completely unimaginable gifts for your pet, maybe even a catnip toy which
looks just like your cat.
If
you follow the advice and steps above, then congratulations, pet toys you
import from China will be better than others. I know that you can find more creative
and valuable ways to import the best goods, you are welcome to share your
comments below. Thanks.
