If your name is Rick and you called me on Saturday from the US and are still waiting for me to call you back--I'M SO SORRY. I've lost your number; it didn't record in my phone and I've just been praying

Chances are, a lot is coming from YOU! Think about what samples you are sending to your Chinese supplier to “copy” or “make adjustments too? Yup, that’s right. If you’re in the business of buying 6 or 8 items and copying aspects of each one to create your

More questions from buyers at the Global Sources China Sourcing Fair in Hong Kong. This was the last day of the show so I'll be back to more of the usual fare starting next week. But I think that the questions poised were helpful in illuminating some of

Notes from the Global Sources Show in Hong Kong, 21st April. Best new presentation of the show was from Mr. Francis Yuk, the Vice President, North America of Intertek. It's too bad that this isn't a recording as the presentation was really enjoyable. But here are

More questions from the Global Sources Q&A sessions in Hong Kong this week. How do you know in if you are working with a trading company and what value do they really provide?1. Your relationship with any middle man should work to get you the best possible

More New Buyer Questions from the GS show in Hong Kong this last week. Q. What do we do about MOQ’s? Do we tell the factory that we want 100K or 1K?A. Just like you, if you were told that your price changed just before you made a

Here is a question (and the answer, bonus!) from the GS show presentation that I thought would be valuable to anyone that is working in China. “What do you do about late shipping?”1. Contract out dates and penalties before hand. Certainly get your dates and penalties written down, but

It’s that time of year again—The semi-annual Global Sources Tradeshows. This week is electronics and swimwear and lingerie. It don’t quite understand the category groupings, but great for the techies that don’t mind taking a break from gadgets for the fashion show. Silk Road is

It goes without saying that not all factories are created equal. Not all factories with international experience are equal either. Certainly there is a level that you’d prefer to work with if price was constant. But this isn’t a perfect world so we need to talk about with

Amazing!Only in China can having an almost complete monopoly on a protected domestic market be a bad thing. The two largest suppliers, Sinopec and PetroChina are now being required by the government to supply more fuel to meet rising domestic demand. Sounds like a good thing right? Think again.