Advice For Promotional Gift Suppliers That Want to Begin Importing Directly From China

  If you are like most of the promotional gift suppliers in the UK, you most likely purchase your goods from UK or European suppliers. You will know and understand that the majority of corporate merchandise products you purchase from your UK suppliers are actually imported from China. You may also have wondered whether you might somehow be able to cut out the middleman and deal directly with the Far East factories. Doing so can be risky but if you find a good supplier you will be happy you gave it a try.

  Many UK promotional gift suppliers are scared to deal directly with China. This is due greatly to the fact that there are a lot of scare stories out there about how financially dangerous it is to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Although some of these stories may be true, the majority are made up by UK trade suppliers to discourage you from going directly to their suppliers.

  The truth is, your UK and European suppliers can continue to offer you a valuable service even if you do begin to make contact with Chinese factories for some gift lines. It would be very expensive if not impossible for the small promotional gift business to offer large quantities of the many different promotional products as the larger importers do. Your larger suppliers will import huge quantities of promotional gifts so that they can offer a large selection of promotional merchandise a days notice for print. You should continue to rely on this very important service.

  A good starting point for beginning to purchase directly from Chinese factories is to search for them. Information on Chinese manufacturers can be found online and also at one of the excellent Chinese gift exhibitions held in the UK every year. If you fancy a trip to Hong Kong, there is a huge Promotional Gift Exhibition held every Spring that is well worth a visit. You will soon find Chinese suppliers of everything from promotional pens to stress balls to corporate apparel.

  Next you should choose one type of product to import, for example promotional stress balls. Become an expert in the product and learn as much about the manufacturing and printing process as possible. It is important to remember that there is no rush. Take your time and start slowly. You will learn as you go.

  The next time you receive an enquiry for the product you would like to order directly, send your new Chinese supplier an email. They will usually be very happy to service you and will respond with prices for the product and shipping. Shipping can cost more than the actual product so be careful not to under quote your customer. You will most likely be amazed at how much money you will be saving by cutting out the middleman.

  You may have heard that one of the drawbacks of dealing with China is that everything is on a pro-forma basis. You will usually have to make payment before the factory will accept your order. There is of course a little risk involved so it is advised that your first couple of orders be quite small. You will want to ensure that your new supplier gets the goods to you on time and that the print and product are of good quality. If time allows, ask you customer to send you a printed sample before proceeding with the order. There will be some cost involved but it will help you sleep at night knowing that the product you have ordered is as goo or better than you would receive from your usual UK supplier.

  Chances are, you will not be let down. In fact, you may find that the print quality is actually better when done at the source than the promotional gifts are printed here in the UK. Give importing a try and you may never look back.