How to buy from China

Nowadays more and more international buyers are buying from China, and also the direct end customer. While buying from China is not easy like buying from Amazon or local supplier, while also not so hard as some customer imaged. You just need to solve the communication and also the shipping issue, especially for the kitchen cabinet and any customized furniture.

1. Find the right supplier for your order

After you find the supplier, you need send the specific requirement, like the quantity, the floor plan or the drawing if you have. And the supplier will make drawing for you, and also send you different options according to your country if you do not choose yet. And you can compare with several suppliers about the price, quality, service and etc, then decide one or two suppliers as the final choice.

The most important issue to decide the supplier is their trusted service than price. Cause you can always find cheaper price, while it is not easy to find a reliable supplier that support you finish the whole complicated order.

Right now in China the most famous online software is we chat, and you can easily contact them and also get quick response by the software by free. So if your order is urgent, try to contact your supplier in we chat at the same time.

2. Got one professional shipping agent to help you

If this is your first time to buy from China and are not familiar with the shipping procedure, do not worry, there are a lot of custom clearance agent in your local country, or import and export company. You just need to contact them and know their procedure and also the commission. And also you can ask your supplier to quote DDU cost to you directly, means the price from the supplier’s factory to your jobsite directly. And the third way is to find the shipping forwarder company in China, using that one with NVOCC certificate and get quotation for the DDU cost also. So you can compare and use the most comfortable way to you. The shipping issue now is very easy to solve today.

3. Issue payment and wait for goods ready

Depends on the different cabinets you ordered, the time can be ranged from 25 to 45 days. And that is usually counting from the date the supplier got the deposit (30% to 50%) and also you have confirmed the drawing with them. So remember to leave enough time for production.

And for the payment, there is TT, LC and OA. While for normal order, usually the supplier will ask at least 30% deposit for the whole order by TT, or 100% LC at sight. The balance usually you can pay before shipment, or paid against the bill of lading after the supplier shipped. But if by this case, the supplier will ask to use their forwarder agent. So if the quote is okay, this is also acceptable.

If you are not available to pay directly to the supplier, still you can find the import and export company in your local, and they will help you to pay with a little commission.

4. Care about the shipment and buy the insurance

When the goods is ready in China, you can ask the supplier to send you details and buy the insurance for the goods. Cause the long shipment has many risks, while buy the assurance can lower your risk like breakage, the unexpected things.

Leave around 7 days for the goods when the supplier loaded the goods in China, and also adding the sailing time——normally 20 days for north America, 35 days for south America, 15 days for Australia, 15 days for middle east, and 35 days for Africa. There will be different shipping lines with different sailing time and cost, choose the one that suitable for you, and better no transshipment in third port. And then leaves 7 days for the agent for customs clearance and send goods to your job-site. That is the whole time you need consider for the whole shipment.

5. Unload and store the goods according to your project schedule

At the very first time you need to discuss with your supplier what the shipping marks you want them to show on the package, and what kind of package way is better for your project. And after you got the goods, check with the packing list the supplier sent and store them properly, which will be easily for you to send one full set cabinets needed for the room.

Usually there are two kinds of assembling way, flat or assembled. If your labor cost is high like north America and Australia, assembled package would be more helpful to you, even that means you need cost more on the shipment and goods itself. And if your labor cost is not so high and you can find mature cabinetry craftsman, flat packing is also okay. While for wardrobe, normally it is flat packing, considering the safety and also volumn.

6. Get the installation guidance from your supplier and record the problem

Usually for the first time there will be some problems, minor or big. Try to be calm down and do not loose confidence, as this is a must way to smooth cooperation. Ask your supplier to send you installation guidance and also get support from them and record the problems raised and try to find a better way to solve, and also make sure that the supplier totally understand what you exactly want, with photos and description.

For the first time you can order more extra panels and also edge banding, and also ask the supplier to send 1% to 2% extra accessories, in case of any emergency happens. That kind of preparation will help you get most of problems solved.

7. Improve your supply chain and also build long term relationship with supplier

It is not easy to find a supplier that can support you longer, while if you can find, try to use more orders to practice them and also give them the confidence that you can place more orders, which will help you get more support and discount on price. Do not shift the orders to too many suppliers. Two trusted supplier is already enough for the most orders, and you just need to give time to build long term relation with each other. Try to educate the supplier at first, and then you can support each other and get more orders together.

Hope you have more and more prosperous future in cabinetry field. And if you need any help or support in the cabinetry field by buying from China, just contact us.