Finding a trustworthy supplier is one of the vital steps for your LED lights importing business. If you want to find a supplier online without visiting China, spend one minute reading this blog before making your final decision.
This blog is mainly from the following aspects.
- Why is it so hard to find the right supplier?
- Where to find suppliers?
- How to select a suitable supplier for your business?
- Big or small factory?
Why is it so hard to find the right supplier?
Whether you are just trying to start your led flashlight businesses or expand your existing ones, the first important step is to find a professional, trustworthy supplier who provides you with good quality products at reasonable prices. A supplier is so important that it can be the beginning of making or breaking your business.
In the past, buyers came to China to participate in exhibitions and visit a factory to find suitable suppliers, which is the most reliable method. Things changed after Covid-19. It’s not easy to make an international business trip now. But today’s internet is so convenient that you can find the right supplier online.
Why is it so hard to find a suitable supplier online? The reasons are as below:
- Finding suppliers is time-consuming.
- China’s market is very complex, and it’s hard to see the whole situation, so verifying a manufacturer’s reputation can be challenging.
- A large number of suppliers in China with varying quality and prices
- Pictures and videos are all so beautiful after PS technical. So, it’s hard for you to see the actual product.
- Language, communication, and time zone barriers make communications go slowly.
Where to find suppliers?
Finding the right supplier that meets all the relevant procurement criteria is one of the most time-consuming things.
In this article, I will tell you how to find the right Chinese supplier from the perspective of a Chinese supplier. You can search for suppliers in China from many sources, and suppliers from different sources have different characteristics and costs.
Due to the Google search engine ranking rules, it’s now easy for suppliers to show up on the first page of google small and medium-sized factories. Google only shows quality websites and gives them good ranks. So if you see a supplier website show up on the first page without a Google Advertising logo, it must be a supplier who has been in business for a long time. Suppliers from Google are usually more experienced and reliable. Suppliers from google are more trustworthy.
China’s B2B markets
Alibaba is the biggest B2B marketplace. It’s found by Jack Ma in 1990. You can find all kinds of suppliers easily. But becoming a supplier of the marketplaces is also very costly. Especially the pay-per-click ranking. All suppliers must pay an enormous cost to show up on the first page. I believe you understand that it’s no doubt the B2B marketplace cost will be to spread the cost of the unit price of the product you purchased.
If you are looking for hardware parts manufacturing, then go to Made in China.
If you want to search for more suppliers, then visit Global sources. It’s the top third China B2B marketplace.
There is another new B2B online marketplace CantonFair. It was formerly known as the Canton Fair.
AliExpress
AliExpress is an online retail service based in China and owned by the Alibaba group. It was launched in 2010, and it is made up of small businesses for door-to-door service all over the world.
DHgate
DHgate.com is a Chinese business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer online marketplace. It’s the cross-border e-commerce marketplace that facilitates the sale of manufactured products from suppliers to small and medium retailers.
1688
1688 is a local platform used by Chinese people, and most of the sellers inside do not speak English. You can use google Translate to get the page into English or ask a China agent for help.
SNS
Find suppliers from LinkedIn, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
It’s hard to judge the background and capacity of the suppliers on SNS, so they are not the channels I recommend.
How to judge is choose the factory is suitable for you?
Finding Read below:
Communication
Different languages, cultures, and time zones make international communication quite time-consuming. When selecting a supplier, the first thing to check is to see if the salesperson can answer your questions quickly and accurately and whether their service attitude is sincere, patient, and professional. A professional supplier can answer your questions and provide decision-making advice on purchasing products based on their experience and market data analysis. A good salesperson should be proactive. They should try every effort to solve your problems and meet your request to make your purchasing in China easier.
Quality
Well, if the quality is vital for your market, then here are some tips for you to find a suitable LED flashlight：
Which regional supplier produces the products that meet my requirements?
China’s LED flashlight industrial chains are mainly concentrated in Guangdong and Zhejiang, these two provinces. Zhejiang flashlight factories are good at producing middle and low-quality lights at incredible prices. In comparison, suppliers in Guangdong province can’t offer competitive prices, but quality from Guangdong is always more convincing. Guangdong suppliers are focused on middle and high-end quality products. If your marketing is focused on price, go for Zhejiang province’s suppliers.
Product development capability
If you choose a small or medium-sized factory, you first need to judge whether they can develop products. A factory with development capability allows you to customize non-standard products. They can make changes to your project according to your requests. They can provide you with the product’s appearance drawing, structural engineer design drawing, packaging design drawings, sample test report, and discharge current diagram of a flashlight. You will get professional flashlight knowledge. Be professional. It’s easier for you to convince your buyers.
Certificates
For LED flashlights export and import business, there are four main parts of certificates:
- A factory must have a business license and an export certificate. If possible, ISO certificate.
- For the flashlight, there must be Rohs and CE.
- For battery, it usually requests MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet),
UN38.3 report. UN 38.3 is a Certification for Lithium Batteries transportation. UN38.3 is the prevailing United Nations standard. It requests lithium batteries must meet to receive certification for safe transport. That is to say, before lithium battery transportation, it must pass the high simulation, high and low-temperature cycle, vibration test, impact test, 55℃ short circuit, impact test, overcharge test, and forced discharge test. It prevents the battery from breaking, leaking, decomposing, or catching fire during transportation. If the lithium battery is not installed with the device and each package contains more than 24 cells or 12 cells, it must also pass a 1.2-meter free drop test.
Certification for Safe Transport of Goods
It includes Air Transport Identification Report and Sea Transport Identification Report. The air transport company requests this certificate.
- For charger,
CE and LVD
Different destination country customs request different certificates for the charger. Usually, it asks for CE and LVD certificates. The low voltage directive (LVD) (2014/35/EU) ensures that electrical equipment within certain voltage limits provides a high level of protection.
Tips for the certificates for flashlights, batteries, and chargers are essential. The order might not be shipped smoothly without them. So, ask a supplier if they are able to provide the certificates before ordering.
After-sales service
For LED flashlights, headlamps, and outdoor lighting products, the Warranty period can be one year, two years, five years, or a lifetime. Be clear about their after-sales guarantee policy and how they proceed after-sales. Suppose the supplier can offer you free replacement parts, such as the battery, battery cartridge, battery casing, and more. In that case, providing after-sale service to your customers will be easier.
Big factories or small and medium-sized factories?
Many people want to cooperate with big factories because they seem more professional and experienced. Indeed, the product quality control of large factories may be more systematic. But the disadvantages of big factories are also obvious: the factory’s price will be higher, and its delivery time will be longer. In the big factory, any unexpected s situation has to be reported step by step. It’s time-consuming. And the cost of management is very high. The administration costs are allocated to the unit price of each product.
But what is the most important thing to get your product to market and profit? It’s not the best quality with an extremely high price, but e a market-acceptable quality with a competitive price and fast delivery.
Because small and medium-sized factories, when a problem is encountered, several vital leaders will immediately meet and discuss solutions. In a small factory, issues are solved in the shortest time.
Another point is that you can get better customer service in small and medium-sized factories. The principle of small factories is not so vital, and many things can be negotiable. Choosing a factory that can support your business 100% is beneficial.
Big factories are suitable for big buyers. If you are a small or medium-sized buyer, you may not get enough attention and support from big factories. Small and medium-sized factories may be your best choice.
How to choose a reliable small or medium-sized buyer?
My experience is checking the background of the factory. In China, many founders or primary leadership teams of small and medium-sized enterprises have been in large factories for a long time, and they fully understand the process and quality control of big factories. They have worked for a long time and have rich experience. They can completely follow the quality requirements of the big factory, but the price should be very competitive. They may be your ideal choice.
Conclusion
Getting the right supplier is a troublesome job. If you are not professional enough, don’t have time, or it is challenging to control risks, you can let professional people do professional things. Finding an agent can also be considered. Hereoutdoor is a China agent, and I can provide professional product design services and reliable product quality. We help your China import business get easier!
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