Your experiences with Chinese business culture

[LordGanon]

Hey there,

I just wondered what your experiences with Chinese business culture are. I registered on AliBaba to find suppliers for materials I want to engrave. I do regret that move.

(on a side note: I made the complete chain of production German by now)

I wonder if I did something wrong. First of all, everyone I contacted and I was contacted by communicated much like a Nigerian prince (or cheap cam girl, I'm not kidding), but with worse English. And when they sent the invoices, they massively overcharged on shipping. They also ramped up the prices of samples (which I indeed was willing to pay for) so high that I just could have stuck with the MOQ. Also, they didn't care about communicating on AliBaba, they just went directly to my phone number and spammed me there.

After about 50 suppliers, I just had enough of that and said "I'm never doing business with or in China again". I already had an extreme dislike for Chinese products, anyway (based on absolutely horrible consumer experiences), but I thought I'd give it a try.

The only person I could do reasonable, friendly, and serious business was an Indian supplier.

Is there something like a primer one could read on Chinese business culture? Because I felt nothing else but insulted by the way I was treated.

 

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[changmd]

The experiences that I have with Chinese suppliers on line.
First, I don't know what products you are working with, but most of the time, manufacturers in China, are terrible with international business, so, actually you are dealing with brokers, and the truth is, Chinese people rely a lot with relationship, good companies are too busy dealing with old client that they already know, meaning, looking on line means you have to deal with...not so serious providers. So, if you really wants to find good products and service from china, you have to go through the recommendations, friends, co workers etc. But, again, that is due to my experience, I don't know what product you are dealing with

 

[Stargazer]

This guy @Walter Hay is an expert at what you require.

He has a gold thread about import/export with China (decades of real business experience) and a book

If you know how to search by name you will see what I mean and hopefully he will chime in.

Dan

 

[Walter Hay]

Is there something like a primer one could read on Chinese business culture? Because I felt nothing else but insulted by the way I was treated.

Your experience is in line with what has happened to thousands of people who have turned to Alibaba for product sourcing either without any understanding of the process, or else believing the misinformation that is sold by people who claim to be experts.

In My AMA GOLD! Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist. You will find a lot of important information on dealing with businesses in China, but there is much more to know.

It is not possible to learn from what you find on the internet all you need to know to safely source and import. My book devotes many pages to explain the process, including Chapter 10 which covers 10 pages, with sections dealing with:

• Identifying genuine manufacturers, and can they be trusted.
• Visiting China for product sourcing.
• Sourcing in China from your home.
• Due diligence.
• A trick of the trade to get the best prices.
• Having products made to your design or modified for you.
• Negotiating.

Then Chapter 11 which would no doubt be of considerable interest to you. It deals with cultural and language differences in both China and Vietnam, which have many similarities.

You would probably find Chapter 12 helpful too, dealing with Samples and Small Orders, and how to buy less than the MOQ.

The first lesson a new importer needs to understand if using Alibaba for sourcing is: Don't believe everything you read on that site.

Through my book and the support I give to me book readers I have taught thousands of people how to safely source and import from China. The book is not only for importers in the USA. It is being used by people in more than 40 countries.

The best news I can offer is that it has been expanded to show how to import from 39 countries in addition to China, so if you are strongly averse to dealing with China (and I don't blame you), you can now look worldwide.

Walter

 

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