Finding the right and best yoga manufacturer is crucial when importing from China. It literally determines whether it will be a good start to the whole procurement process.
Now the question is: how do you find the right one for you? In this article, we will show you how to find the best yoga manufacturer in China.
Get a supplier candidate list.
Find your own yoga manufacturer
Find yoga manufacturer from purchasing companies
Dealing with trading companies
You can build a list of potential vendors from the different options mentioned above. After the vendor list is created, you need to analyze who is best for you.
Evaluate the suppliers
Whether you’re purchasing on your own or through a purchasing agent, you need to figure out which supplier, manufacturer or wholesaler is best for you. There is no one size fits all supplier. This is why you want to find a supplier that matches the portrait you drew in the supplier evaluation basis.
So what should we pay attention to in the supplier evaluation process?
Company registration and product certification
Is the supplier legitimate?
Does the product conform to the regulations of the importing country?
Business model (basic validation)
A: Check out the product range on their official website, Alibaba, Global Sources or any other catalog where you can find them.
Are they showing a niche product or multiple categories of products?
What products are they showing in the eye-catching areas?
B. View the company registration information. Business scope information is usually displayed in the highlighted location of the registration.
Does the scope of the business match what they are promoting?
A quick shot will give you a general idea of whether it could be a manufacturer/trading company/wholesaler/middleman.
Manufacturer scale
The size of supplier you want should match the size of your business and your order book. Look at how they rank on different metrics.
Price level: large manufacturer> Medium manufacturer > Small manufacturer
Quality stability: large manufacturer> medium manufacturer > small manufacturer
Flexibility (design optional, service in place): small manufacturer > medium manufacturer > large manufacturer
Delivery time: Large manufacturer > small manufacturer > medium manufacturer
Larger manufacturers charge higher prices because of higher costs such as equipment and management, so their quality is more consistent and they have fewer quality problems.
The flexibility of large vendors is not attractive because they have a system in place. A big company must follow the system and cannot change things easily and conveniently.
Is the manufacturer proactive? Do you feel comfortable working with them?
How potential vendors interact with you can be seen as a signal for follow-up.
Being proactive before placing an order doesn’t mean they’ll do well throughout the process, but if they don’t do well in the first place, it’s almost impossible for them to change after taking your money.
Are they responsive to your questions and concerns?
Are they serious when they communicate with you?
Price, quality level, delivery time, terms of service
These are the core factors you want to check if a potential manufacturer can meet your bottom line
Price is probably one of the biggest factors motivating you to import from China. A good price is certainly important, but it’s not the only factor. There must be a reason for the low price.
Imagine you’re negotiating with a yoga manufacturer…
I like your company and your products, but your prices are too high. I would like to know if you can reach $2 / set (the initial offer was $4/ set), if the price is right, I will try to order 1000 sets tomorrow.
-Target price is indeed challenging, but in order to build new relationships, as friends, we can only do this for you once.
Do you worry about the following?
Is he trustworthy? But he doesn’t sound honest about the price at all. 100% off for one sentence!
What will they do to my goods during the production process? There must be something wrong with the quality.
Are they professional?
What kind of professionalism will benefit your purchasing?
The specialty of product knowledge is the foundation. These are the things you want to look for in salespeople and companies: company and product strength, target market trends, market competitiveness, a good understanding of what’s important to you, what you want and need and feedback on specific proposals.
It is very difficult to find the perfect seller or manufacturer, but please pay attention to discover them and see if they have good service quality. This will help a lot in the whole import process. Mindset does matter.
Verify your prospective yoga manufacturer
Again, you can do the verification yourself, or you can do more in-depth work through third parties.
Vendor verification is very important, especially if you are looking for a new supplier, or if your product/project is complex, or if the order is large. You don’t want any dishonest vendor to cheat and exploit you and then run away.
Company Background
Ask the supplier if they can send you copies of these official documents.
Business license
Registration of business
certificate
patent
What basic information do you want from official documents?
Registered capital
Year of Registration
Registered Business Scope
Quality control
Product Compliance
Tip: The registered capital and iso9001 quality management system may not mean much now, but we made it a must to screen out the substandard suppliers in the first place.
Check the company’s information on the Internet
How Google searches for the company name, email, contact information and phone number to get a sense of the company image.
Check if they have a record in the customs data (via import genius, etc.)
Do they have a solid export record?
Who are some of their customers?
Telephone/video conference
You may find it frustrating to talk to Chinese sales people on the phone because English is not the first language in China. But you want a quick phone call to find out if what they say is the same as what they write.
Ask them questions about the company and the product that you care about, etc. Check the information provided on the phone to see if it matches the information they present online/in the directory or in the company’s introduction document. Many factories tend to talk big to win orders. Be careful if the supplier sounds real or bluster. Compare what they do for you and see if their actions match their words.
Factory Visit
If flying to China to visit a supplier is time-consuming and not cost-effective for you, you can find a third party to help you. It can save you time and energy.
Face-to-face talks with suppliers at the factory play a crucial role. In addition to getting a sense of what’s good and bad about suppliers through virtual interactions like email and phone calls, you can also get a sense of how suppliers behave in real life.
Set specific goals for your factory visit that you want to achieve and maximize the results. Goals can be plant size, people, production processes, performance, and so on.
Here are five important things to know when visiting a factory.
Is this factory real? What about the staff?
Does the factory produce its own products or subcontract some of them?
How do they manage the quality control system?
Is the factory busy in production?
Does the factory know about product development?
What do people say? If you don’t ask, you don’t get. However, don’t ask the supplier too many questions at once, they will be overwhelmed and wonder if you have an order for them. Ask the right questions at the right time.
In order for vendors to respond to your questions, you need to let them know that you are a serious buyer. In conclusion, by planting before you harvest, you can provide some background about you and your company, as well as product specifications.
Otherwise, the factory won’t take the time to answer these questions. Most factories are busy and only take customers seriously when they have a specific product inquiry.
We’ve listed a few problems you might encounter during the import process.
Questions for the manufacturer review stage
Could you tell me something about your company’s background?
When was your company founded?
When did the company start exporting?
Are you a manufacturer or a trading company?
I can do either, but I need to know who I’m dealing with.
Where is the factory?
Do you have your own website?
What are your main product lines?
What certificates, qualifications, patents do you have? Can I have a look?
Can you provide some references from your clients?
It does not have to be a customer from the same country to avoid capability concerns. Can I talk to them?
What is your target market?
How about the quality control system?
What are your strengths in xxx, xxx, xxx?
Do you have your own design department?
Would you mind talking about the personnel situation here?
Who are your main customers? Retailer, wholesaler, importer or distributor?
Do you also sell directly to end customers, for example through an online business?
How many employees do you have?
Do you have any factory audit and inspection experience?
Do you have any experience in product safety testing
Questions for inquiry phase
What’s your minimum order quantity?
What is the sample price and sampling time?
What’s the turnaround time?
What are your first payment terms?
What are the payment terms for return orders?
What is the product flow like?
What is your monthly production capacity?
Do you have the equipment, personnel and experience to produce high-quality products on time?
What if there is a quality problem?
What about the warranty?
Questions for negotiation phase
I like your company and products, but your price is much higher than xxx. They can provide the same quality products in xxx. Why?
Can you give me the quotation list?
Your delivery time seems to be very long. Why?
We have been dealing with suppliers by letter of credit for many years. Can you come?
Conclusion
Again, there is no perfect or one-size-fits-all yoga manufacturer/vendor. Remember to figure out what core factors will drive your business the best and fastest. Balancing what you want with what you need, I think this will help you find the best yoga manufacturer.
