Hey guys, how’re ya doing? My name is Kian Golzari. I’ve been living and working in China for the last 10 years, and I really specialize in sourcing, manufacturing, product development. Just basically getting the best out of China. Just got off the stage and did a presentation at SellerCon regarding sourcing and manufacturing.
Sourcing Products From China to Sell on Amazon
So I just wanted to give you guys some quick tips. When you speak to your manufacturer, really how to get the most out of them. Whether you’re talking to them through email, WeChat, Alibaba, or if you’re going to visit them in China yourself, you really want to be asking the right questions, because the quality of your questions really determine the quality of your results. So you want to be asking them, and really paint the picture in your head of who it is you’re working with.
Are They a Trading Company or a Factory?
So first of all, just to get a basic understanding, you want to know are they a trading company or are they a factory? And to be honest, the answer to this question doesn’t really matter, because trading companies can offer you a service that a factory can, maybe a factory can offer you a slightly lower price, but you just want to know and you want to paint the picture in your head.
How Many Workers Do They Have?
You also want to know, like, how many workers do they have in their factory? It might be 50 workers or it might be 2,000 workers, both are okay because, you know, maybe the factory with more workers can offer you a more systemized approach or a better economies of scale but the one with less workers could maybe be a little bit more flexible to your needs and lower minimum order quantities, and things like that.
Do They Supply Other Retailers?
Then you want to know, like, are they supplying any other retailers, any big department stores, any big box retailers. And this is very important because if they supply a Walmart, a Target, a Bed Bath & Beyond, then their products have been manufactured down to the lowest possible price and then you can basically benefit from those factories economies of scale. And not only price, but they’ve also, the products have been tested to the highest standards as well. If Walmart is placing an order to a factory, then they’re gonna make sure that if it’s an electronic product, then it’s totally compliant with all of the procedures that they need to go through as well.
Build Up The Relationship!
You want to build up the relationship with the manufacturer as well because at the end of the day, you have to remember that people buy from people. You don’t want to just assume, okay, I am the customer and you’re the supplier. You want to really just work together in partnership and say, “well whatever works for me “is also gonna work for you. “If I can get a slightly lower price, “then I can reduce the price to my customers, “I’m gonna get more sales. “As a result of more sales, you’re gonna get more orders.” And really, really just work in partnership together.
So that’s just a quick snippet of some tips on working with China. Oh, and check out this guide from Amazing if you want to know the best products to sell on Amazon FBA. AND If you wanted any more information or if you wanted to contact me directly, you can contact me at kian.golzari@gmail.com which will appear on the screen here and I’m quite active on Instagram as well whereas I go to China quite regularly and I film a lot of the stuff of what I do over there and give some tips on that. So my Instagram is just Kian_jg which will appear here. Thanks, guys. Take it easy and all the best. (whooshing sound)
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