5 Ways to Help You Import the Best Pet Toys from China

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.