Sourcing goods from China to resell in Western countries can mean huge profits. At the same time, many end consumers choose to buy products from Chinese online retail stores as they can save really much by bypassing the various levels of middle men. However, it is never easy or hassle-free to trade with Chinese suppliers before trust is established. This post is going to talk about the major concerns over doing business with Chinese suppliers online and a few small recommendations on how to cope with them.
Payment Security
The biggest concern is about the security of payment: Which payment method do I use? Will my money go forever while my order never arrives? If the product I receive does not work as described or is damaged, can I get my money back?, and so on. We all know that paying by credit card is the safest option as we can file a chargeback on the purchase if we are not satisfied for whatever reason. Or, at least we should use Paypal to make the payment as it is an internationally reputable payment service provider. Nevertheless, we have to face the fact that most Chinese suppliers, especially smaller ones, have great difficulties in applying for credit card because of the strict government regulations and criteria. As a result, while being the least safe to buyers, Western Union and wire transfer are the most popular payment methods accepted by the vast majority of Chinese sellers.
If you pay direct to the seller by either of them, your money is completely exposed to any potential risks. Anyway, to minimize such risks, you use transaction websites like AliExpress.com (similar to eBay) as such they provide payment protection service – money is sent to the sites first and then released to the suppliers after items are received. Of course, you are encouraged to choose suppliers who provide safer payment options as possible as you can. Generally, bigger China-based online stores all accept Paypal and credit card payments: Lightinthebox.com, DinoDirect.com (also see DinoDirect Alternatives), Milanoo.com, FocalPrice.com, to name just a few. If you really want to try smaller Chinese online shopping websites that only accept Western Union or wire transfer, we would suggest you start with a fairly small order first to test the water before you build up your order over time.
Quality & Name-Brand Products
The quality issue is the second biggest concern. Made-in-China products tend to be viewed as poor quality, partly because they are extremely low priced. In our experience, it all depends. Comparatively speaking, products offered by more world-renowned companies are better in quality as reputation is what they are striving hard to gain and maintain in order to keep long-term business relationships with buyers. However, it does not mean that all small suppliers sell inferior quality merchandise. On the whole, apparel and accessories have less complaint in terms of quality while consumer electronics, computers and communications products have more.
Continue reading Major Concerns about Online Shopping from Chinese Suppliers
