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Walter Hay

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Untold Sourcing Secrets. I have a confession to make. My book and my AMA don’t tell the whole story. My book is designed to guide importers safely through the sourcing jungle, so why are there sourcing secrets that I don’t publish?

The reason is, that when I head into that jungle looking for something out of the ordinary, I don’t start off knowing what I will find, or where I will emerge. The processes that I follow are in my brain as a result of over 30 years of product sourcing.

A lot of it involves following an investigative trail that is prompted by each discovery along the line. Each step depends on the results from the previous step, so it is not possible to write down those steps in advance.

The Good News. It is rare for me to be unable to find manufacturers of products, even if they are obscure, and if requested to source something, I am usually successful.

I offer no guarantees, but: No success – No payment

A Big Factor In My Favor. In my first business I spent 20 years as a troubleshooter in a vast range of manufacturing industries in a number of countries. I won’t list them all because it would add at least another page. I had to understand which materials were used and why, where the materials were sourced, the production methods, and the end use for the products. The result was that I have a detailed knowledge of the where, how and why of many products never heard of by most people.

Here’s How It Works: Send your sourcing request to me via PM. I will undertake to give personal help via PM or email to source specific products or find manufacturers. If there is a preference for sourcing from one country in particular, I will try to do that, but I am very likely to recommend buying from a country that I know will give better value, better quality, better communication, or better delivery times.

I will need very specific instructions. I can’t work with one hand tied behind my back. For example, if someone wants to locate suppliers of a molded widget with a painted surface, that would be too general.

I would need to know:
  • Exactly what the widget is.
  • What is the preferred material to be used in the manufacture.
  • What are the dimensions, or if it is something like exercise weights, what weight.
  • What realistic order quantity is likely.
  • What purpose the painted surface serves.
  • If any pictures, drawings, or spec sheets are available.
All information provided will be kept in absolute confidence.

PAYMENT. I have never previously charged for my help in product sourcing, but I need to be sure anyone making a sourcing request is serious. This means requesting payment, but there’s a twist…. HONESTY BOX. I won’t set a fee and do not want any payment if I am not successful. Members for whom I carry out product sourcing must decide how much they think the results are worth to them.

I have used this method in a number of cases and I am completely satisfied with the amounts that have been paid. I won’t quibble.

You just decide how much time, effort, money I have saved you, and pay accordingly.

HOW TO PAY. Kindly send your chosen amount to my son in law’s PayPal account which has the name Imagemodeuk@yahoo.co.uk. He handles my direct book sales also.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY. At times I might have to decline a request. This may be due to the number of sourcing projects in hand, the pressure of other demands on the forum, traveling, medical, etc.
 
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Walter Hay

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So far, so good. I have not been receiving sourcing requests from people who haven't bothered to try for themselves. Instead, those who have asked for my help have done a lot of work themselves, but have hit a barrier.

I like dealing with those barriers, and so far I have broken through all but one for those who contacted me through the Marketplace.

Walter
 

Empires

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Walter has been helping me out relentlessly since the day this marketplace ad was posted. He has found me over 30 manufacturers for the two products I have been sourcing which are very specific products. When I tried searching myself I had only found a few manufacturers for one of the products, for the other I couldn't find a single one.

He is beyond helpful, but don't think you don't have to have the initiative to do the work yourself as well. You have to be willing to help him help you. If you have done some leg work yourself and need help getting past some barriers, Walter is there to help.

Thanks Walter!
 

Walter Hay

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Walter has been helping me out relentlessly since the day this marketplace ad was posted. He has found me over 30 manufacturers for the two products I have been sourcing which are very specific products. When I tried searching myself I had only found a few manufacturers for one of the products, for the other I couldn't find a single one.

He is beyond helpful, but don't think you don't have to have the initiative to do the work yourself as well. You have to be willing to help him help you. If you have done some leg work yourself and need help getting past some barriers, Walter is there to help.

Thanks Walter!
Thanks for your kind comments. As I wrote in
Featured User Walter Hay, Imp/Export Extraordinaire (Vandalay Industries)
my motto has always been NEVER GIVE UP.

Apart from that I enjoy the detective work involved in tracking down hard to find manufacturers.

@Empires has been the ideal person to help. He knew what he wanted, had tried very hard to locate the real manufacturers, and fed me with more information when I needed it.

Walter
 
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Last edited:

Walter Hay

Legendary Contributor
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
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Sep 13, 2014
3,318
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World citizen
Success Story. I have successfully completed the biggest sourcing project that I have ever undertaken.

Because of the need for confidentiality I can't disclose details, but this story highlights a few things about product sourcing:
  1. Nothing is impossible.
  2. Determination is critical.
  3. It can be necessary to think globally.
  4. All clues and leads must be pursued to the end of their various trails.
  5. Sometimes action must cease temporarily to allow time to digest what has already been discovered.
  6. As in this case, it might prove necessary to bring different manufacturers to the table.
Now for some explanation:

1. This project began with a request to find a product that simply did not exist. I could have just said so, and declined to help, but that doesn't suit my personality. I hope others reading this will take courage to search for even the impossible.

2. There were many frustrations on the way, including lengthy periods without replies to my questions. Without pushing so hard as to be offensive, I had to keep on in pursuit, and like extracting teeth, it took a lot of effort and perseverance.

3. The country most well know as a source of the general product category had regulatory issues that made it highly unlikely that I would succeed there. My best option was to look in other countries.

4. I followed leads that I seriously doubted would be helpful. There were many dead ends, but among the doubtful ones I found some that were very helpful. Some served to educate me in what I didn't know about the intricacies of the product I was searching for.

5. I had made handwritten notes as I went, and with several pages of them I decided to take a break and think closely about all of those notes. A picture emerged, and led to the next course of action which was.....

6. One country alone could not yield success. I had found manufacturers in each of two countries, but neither was capable of manufacturing the product, so I set about wedding the two. It was a rocky romance, but with some excellent help from my sourcing client we brought the deal to consummation.

After successful trials, the first order has been placed, and my client is delighted. I must admit that winning against such formidable odds has made me feel rather pleased with myself, but......

I am hoping that this post will encourage many members to think outside the square and use determination, together with all the help they can find in my AMA and Q&A, as well as my book if they have it, knowing that nothing is impossible.

Walter
 

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