一个老外总结的中国采购攻略

我想中国供应商们或多或少都考虑过：“到底怎么和老外谈生意”或“怎样才能让其下单”。其实远在大洋彼岸的老外也在头疼不已：“怎么找到适合的中国供应商，怎样与其打交道？”在这里我们想通过另一种方式回答这一问题。让我们来看看外国专家是如何指导他们自己的采购商去中国采购，也许会给我们带来一些启示。

以下便是一位法国专家的观点，特此翻译整理出来，以供参考。

想必大家都在思考如何找到好的中国供应商。为了能够找到合适的，我们需要跑展会吗？必须亲自去中国实地考察吗？除了应用互联网外，是否还有其他较好的方式找到优秀供应商呢？答案如下。

地球人都知道中国产出了世界上大多数的产品，任何超市和商店里物品的商标，十有八九都是“Made in China”。

各国采购商去中国寻找其供应商，其中最重要的原因就是价格具有竞争力。实际上正是由于这个原因，大量的外国厂商涌向中国。

话外音：此乃老外实话实说，咱也没啥好惭愧的，在法国看到过媒体有评论其本国厂商将工厂转移到中国的这么句话C’est la Chine ou la mort!——要么去中国，要么等死！ 不管你是生意人还是采购商，只要你还在关注你的产品使其在本国保持价格竞争力，你就不会坐以待毙，你会想方设法搜寻解决方案以免你的企业倒闭。其中的一些解决方案包括：

1. 停止销售那些受到低价冲击的产品。这绝对不是个好办法，除非你还有大量的其他存货或者你干脆想去度长假！

2. 尝试搜寻本国更具竞争力的厂商的产品。

3. 从低成本国家直接进口。如果我们认为这种方法最合适，那就有不少事情等着我们。比如：选择哪个国家进行采购？如何找到能理解我们处事方式的厂商？但是你会发现找了一

圈之后，你还是会选择中国。接下来的问题便是如何找到中国供应商？怎样选择？怎样与其沟通？你可能决定对于你感兴趣的产品先发几封询盘试试看，还会购买个样品看看，如果这样，那么在样品上你可能就得花费数千美金仅仅为了不做出错误决策。

实际上，还有很多优秀的中国厂商没有出现在B2B网站上。这些优秀的厂商在生产制造方面是非常厉害的，但很不幸的是他们不知道如何有效地进行营销推广。

话外音：这个说得非常中肯。老外说咱们挣的是“Hard money”，而他们挣“Easy money”。生产制造当然辛苦，再加上不重视营销推广与品牌，挣的永远是加工费；而老外把精力只投到高附加值的行业。营销说白了就是教你如何把产品卖得更贵，比如LV的一个包包卖上万人民币，有人说卖的是牌子，那牌子是如何来的？就是通过营销手段创造出来的。

因此你可以去一些大型的专业性展会去寻找那些在B2B网站上找不到的供应商，现场与其参展人员进行交流，建立初步合作意向，保持好关系。

但是需要注意的是，如果你不会说中文又没有翻译陪同的话，那么去参展基本上是白搭。你需要懂中文熟悉中国人的处事方式。显然，聘用翻译等陪同人员需要开销。若你没有钱也不打算在这上面花钱，那就得想办法搞到你感兴趣的厂商的联系方式，你可以向展会组织方寻求帮助。你也可以向你周边的人打探中国供应商的信息，越多越好，必要时也可以寻求专业的采购机构的帮助。

 

第二篇：老外总结的中国采购经验

偶然逛到美国佬的论谈中去了,看了这老外总结的中国采购经验很到位. 比我们自己总结的还好!

Some people are planning to import something from China to start their small business and, they assume it'd be a lot easier and cheaper to buy directly from Chinese manufactories and skip a local wholesaler or other middle steps.

But after several rounds of contacting and negotiating, they sense deep frustration and many of them end up dropping their purchase plan. Well, when things don't work out, you should at least try to understand why and how. Thinking without knowing is mere imagination. Depend on it if you are satisfied by just imaging your profit and success.

Before you start your purchase, know these.

Many foreign buyers complain it is so hard to import from China. Their find their purchase inefficient and ineffective, long-winded and usually full of "surprises".

Here are some typical problems and obstacles they encounter.

1) High MOQ (mininum order quantity)

This is the biggest barrier that keeps the small buyers out.

At the very beginning, the buyers may be very excited to have found the suppliers for the product(s) they want to buy. But soon they will find out that the manufacturer has high MOQ requirements to even make a quotation.

Why do the factoreis have high MOQ requirement?

A. The factories invested huge amounts to build a factory and, more importantly, write the paychecks.

Maintainance of assets is also a constant hole that sucks in cash.

They need big orders and big buyers to keep their factory operation in a good flow.

They need big profits via these big orders to cover these production costs.

B. The factories also have to buy the parts and materials from the material suppliers. No matter how small an order is, they will need to make moulds and dies for it, and they'll need to purchase all required materials. Unless the order is for regular models that the manufactorer frequently makes and, while it happens that there are preserved quantities available in their stock, they may be able to offer you a wholesale rate that they usually give for a large order quantity. In reality, however, many buyers want to have specific design(s) for their order. The manufacturers' material suppliers also have their MOQ. In order words, the factories will have no choice but to order a relatively large amount of each material needed for a specific order. They thereby lose but not profit from the order. Concern about price will be discussed below.

C Unlike the stockmarket where deals are made virtually in a flash of time, production of an order takes real time and space. The manufactorers need to schedule dates and times, and number of workers and meterials for the production of any order, regardless of the quantity of it. This process itself produces cost. Nevertheless, when an order is rolling on the line, other products will have to be pulled over or delayed. This is to say, that the opportunity cost of a small order partially includes the profit off a confirmed large quantity order. The real question is, why should they compromise so much for unconfirmed small orders with uncertain potential customers over existing cashcows?

2) Unit Price is not cheap!

Besides MOQ, the buyers are often surprised to learn that the unit price for their order, or even just for the sample, are much higher than expected.

They expected prices in China to be very cheap.

But when they receive the quotations and work out the final prices (including the transportation fee, import duty, handling fee), they find it is not worth to buy from China. It is more economic to buy from their local wholesaler.

Why are prices excessive?

For small order quantities, or trial orders with specific customized designs, the manufacturers will need to include many items while making your quotation. They will put all the expenses into the prices, which inlude comprehending, designing, and confirming product and production requirements, moulding and die making, sourcing and purchasing of parts and materials, scheduling production, labor costs, asserts depreciation, opportunity cost of other orders while the assembly lines are occupied for your production, etc. Remember, they actually lose not profit if the order is way below their MOQ. If you think that they are making profit out of your trial order or sample order, you are way mistaten. No factory will bother making so much effort for such insignificant gains. If they agree to make a sample or deliver a trial sample to you, they hope to establish further win-win relationship with you.

What must be mentioned is that the per unit cost for making a small amount of products is usually much higher than that of a large quantity, because less units share all other costs except for parts and meterials. This is the reverse of the economy of scale of mass production.

Some may ask why the factories would not try to pose a friendly gesture by offering a low sample price or trial quotation. Well then our buyers would be a little floaty with their thinking. The manufactures do not recognize you. They do not intend to profit from you on a trial or sample order, but it doesn't mean they are willing to make a potential lose for some non-solid opportunities. They, as factories, are not likely to run, but new buyers won't be given much credit until they proove themselves.

What's more, a proper order may not be placed after the sample(s) or trial orders for many possible reasons. The manufacturers have to take precautions for femage control.

3) Payment

Most of the new buyers are new to the "mysterious China import business".

They want to earn profits but they are frightened by so many rumours from thousands of aspects, of various forms and versions.

They learn that many fraud transactions happen in e-trade. They are very cautious when buying something outside their country.

They only accept safe payment platform or banking system, like paypal,escrow, credit cards, etc. But these paying platforms are used mostly in retail business and for small orders only.

Most of the sellers on B2B website are manufactories. They are not wholesalers or retailers.

They accept the normal international payment methods, like wire transfer, Letter of Credit, and so on. They don't appreciate paypal and escrow and any of their type much, and they won't accep these.

4) Lead Time(production time)

Almost all manufactories don't have excessive stock of finished products, nor do they have large spare of material or parts, unless when they just had a cancellation of order by their buyer, or if dective products occur. You obviously can't not count on the chance of the coincident that the factory having just enough right products when you need them.

As mentioned above, even for a small or sample order, the manufactory has to source materials before they can produce, just like for large orders. This means it can take from 1 week to 2 months for them to be ready for your production. In peak seasons, factories can be overwhelmed by orders. Since they've been so busy, and that your order is so small, they will have to work around the clock to fit your production into the gaps of others, to minimize delay and lose for making your products.

This may be very different from the buyers'expection. They can't imagine to pay 30% deposit first and wait for 1-2 months's production.

They feel unsecure. They don't know what may happen during this period.

In contrast, if they buy from their local wholesaler, they can get the goods as soon as they pay.

5) Limited Choices (for models/patterns/colors)

Buyers are usually upset with the limited chocies they can have. For instance, they want to order 3 tailors of shirts with 3 patterns designs, 4 color combinations each patterns designs, 1,000 peces for color combinations. They want to order more models with small quantities, so their e-shop or paper catagories will has a large range of model collection. They will be told by the factory, that this isn't going to happen. Why? The reasons are sort of a repetition of those for problems mentioned above.

A.The sellers have to source materials and parts from their suppliers. Their suppliers also have MOQ requirement for each part and meterial. They can't purchase a trace amount of them just for your little order.

B.It will make them countless troubles in production, and the scheduling and arranging for production, management and communication can all be a mess, if they try to make so many small productions at the same time.

If you are aware of these crucial facts about the REAL WORLD of PRODUCTION and TRADE, and you sincerely are willing to take on your part of risk and responsibility alongside profit, to create a win-win situation, you may then start looking for your opportunities. And for those who are not prepared, or are taking things for granted, it will only waste your time and others'. Please stay away, or you will end up with nothing but frustration and disappointment, or worst.

--Wrote by jasmine from jasmineservice dot org

Hi, I am a Chinese supplier. I agree some descriptions of you, it seems you were experienced purchase from China.

But let me clairfy below:

1. High MOQ issue:

Every customer would like to have best price, the best piece price base on large quantity. Since we can get favor price on material from our supplier. We also happy to make samll order for customer, but the price will a little expensive as you said. More quantities, more cheaper, it's very fair for supplier and buyer.

If you are a samll whoesaler or retailer, I suggest you may not buy from factory, but buy from our local wholesaler/distributor on line at our local.

For example, all our product on accept small quantity MOQ, some model we accept MOQ=1pcs. why like this since it's FINISHED product, we have enough quantities in house for distribut.

2.No Stock quantity issue

Yes, I agree with you this. But It's depend on what product you would like to buy. For example, the wholesaler/distributor have store quantity, it's for finished product. If you would like to manufacture a OEM model, we have no store of it. As well as we can not sell the made finshed product of our regular customer.

Another issue is many of our factories is only the manufacturer, they don't have the right to sell customer's product. Now most of our factories in China manland is switch their business from manufacturer to FINISHED OWN BRANDED product. For example we are the manufacturer only for , it's a mold factory of us. But is our finshed and branded product company. we have store quantity for wholesale.

3. Unit price not cheaper issue.

We often work like this. We are happy to return the sample charge and express fee once the mass production order placed, customer can deduct it from future payment of us. It's the best fair business for buyer and factory. we often working like this. The piece price will cheaper a lot if so.

4. Payment issue

The popular payment term is 5:5, 4:3:3 etc. For orders, we prefer use T/T or L/C(if necessary). For

very samll orde such as sample fee/express fee etc, we accept paypal, westunit etc.

If the product is speical and only for you, you have to pay us some downpayment since who we can sale if you give up the order in our production time. So pay some % down payment is fair for both of supplier and customer. If you feel the credit of supplier, you may come here visit our factory, our Chinese is very firendly for customer/friends, no matter business will be closed or not.

5.Lead time issue

I agree with you that the lead time is not short, it's amlost depend on what's prouduct you would like to purchcase, and it's peek season or dead season. If you buy fininsh product from distributor/wholesaler, the lead time is very short. If a special model only for you, you have to waiting patient since we should completed step by step. hehe... ...

We are a Chinese plastic mold and injection maker, and also a jewelery and jewelery packing box maker. please contact with me if what I can I help.

Your Sincerely

May Fung

Marketing Manager

Hao Yu Technology(Hong Kong) Co.,Limited

Mayrain Craft & Gift Co.Ltd