Wholesalers in your own country are probably already buying from China, so why not go direct to the source yourself to buy wholesale in China? If you are selling on EBay or other online auctions/ ecommerce stores, it's a certainty that your 'power seller' competitors are already buying some or all of their goods directly from China. Do your sales a favour and get the same or better low priced sources.
The wholesale market in your country is probably very saturated with other people like you buying and reselling those same products. Compare that to China, where you could be the only person in your state or even country importing a particular product or from a certain manufacturer in china.

WHY IMPORT  FROM CHINA

Importing directly from China will give you the opportunity to develop your business by finding new products at better prices in the future, especially as your relationships with Chinese suppliers improve. Can you say the same for your suppliers back home?

Buying wholesale products directly  from China will give you the price advantage than sourcing from a third party in your country. In fact, many suppliers in China do not specify on minimum quantities. So, even if your operation is new, importing directly from China in small quantities is possible.

I would suggest that you begin to research for wholesalers in China to begin your learning experience. In no time, experience will guide you to perfect your skills on buying wholesale directly  from China.
Importing directly from China is a must if you want to stay competitive in your current line of business, or develop your new money-making business. Even if you think your products are too specialised, or you already have good import sources elsewhere, you can't afford not to research the possibilities in China.
Here are some considerations on buying wholesale directly from China:
* Importing from China is NOT as difficult as you believe. China is a very open, modern country, and businesses here are waiting to talk business with you.
* Importing from anywhere, can be a complex and often risky business if you don't know what you're doing. You need to spend a lot of time researching at home, so you know your own market before you even begin talking to suppliers in China.
* China is very different in culture, language, mindset, business, history, and economy to what you know in your home country. So there is a lot to learn if you want long-term success.
* Research and learning about China will help you succeed. Even more useful is time spent researching specific companies and getting to know the right people.
* Keep an open mind about different products - maybe even product areas you don't know much about yet. There are a lot of untapped opportunities here in China if you are looking at the right places.

Chinese SCAMMERS, FRAUD COMPANIES and BUSINESS With China

It happens, you buy from a company in china and your money disappears . You don’t get your goods, you get something that is horrible quality, or you are just unsure if they are trustworthy. Buying on the Internet isn’t like real life because you can’t just pick it up at a store and observe the item, you can’t walk it up to the cash and make sure it goes into the bag and that you walk out the door with it.Here  are some ways you can avoid being scammed by Chinese companies:
• check the relevant regulatory agency’s website to see if the company you are dealing with is listed and regulated. You can even contact the regulator to verify whether the company is regulated;
• do general searches (e.g. on Google) to see what information can be found about the company you are dealing with;
• only deal with people you trust. Dealing with individuals you have never met carries a higher risk;
• get independent advice before entering into a transaction, or getting a second opinion from a trusted friend;
• use common sense. Be wary of the tell-tale signs of a scam such as persons who:
- communicate only via email and telephone with a reluctance or a refusal to meet in person;
- are reluctant or refuse to provide information on who regulates their activity; and/or
- use generic email address such as Hot mail and Yahoo; and
• keep paperwork safe. When entering into any new relationship ensure that you maintain good records of all paperwork you receive and keep records of all your meetings and conversations. This may not prevent you from being scammed but will assist in the event that you need to take any action.
- Do not completely trust most of all those so called"Top Listed, Golden members" of some famous B2B websites, as well as the certificates issued by some famous quality auditing organizations Some famous B2B websites and 3rd party quality inspecting organizations are helping to advertise cheaters 

They are only interested in short-term profits, most of those companies usually buy their way into "Top listed, “Golden member" spots and spend very small sums to get the quality certificates.
Besides bad reputation most of these B2B websites never have to take any responsibility for the damages caused by the companies they approved to buyers
- Do not completely trust sampling (Of course sometimes you can only get qualified sample from a cheating company)
- Do not completely trust L/C, esp. L/C at sight (The bank can not guarantee the quality of material)


- Authorize SGS to do the whole control of quality inspection, If a price quotation is too good to be real then you'd better do your homework before contacting that seller any further
-Use Secure Payment Methods:This is where I recommend Pay Pal. For one, it is most widely accepted and if a site refuses pay pal then they are probably not worth trusting. What pay pal does is act as a wall between you and the seller, preventing the seller from getting your credit card or other financial information, keeping you safe from fraud or identity theft. They also deal with other buyer protection in case you don’t receive the item or get something that was not as advertised.

It is also helpful to use your credit card, rather than cash, cheque or money order. A credit card allows you to dispute a payment with the credit card company should you not get your item.

Only buy on sites that are offering a safe web checkout process. Look for company logos like VeriSign and TrustE. Sites with encryption display a locked padlock on the bottom of the browser.
.

- Get your local friends in China or partners whom you know well be involved in the dealing .

• How to distinguish fraudulent sellers from company name

-      

(1)   Beware of  those companies which are not well known in the industry, but have a very captivating name, usually names  similar to famous brands, calling themselves “Group”, seems like factories etc.

-        Business and product range

Normally they have very wide products range, most of their products are high-value chemical raw materials like STPP, SHMP, TSP, Titanium dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxide, Carbon Black, Pentaerythritol, Formic acid, Oxalic Acid, Glacial Acetic Acid, Caustic Soda, Soda Ash, CMC, HYPO, NH4Cl, PAC, DOP, Cedric Acid and so on. We have to say that there are some honest companies who are dealing with such products, but watch out for with a wide business range and simultaneously declaring themselves manufacturers or factories

-       Prices, performance and photos

(1)   There is no Chinese version but only English version on most cheating company websites, because their targets are usually foreign buyers, and Chinese versions might expose some real information about them,easily be spotted out by Internet police in china or conflict with what is written on the English version Do not completely trust websites ( Many website’s cost even less than 100 dollar in china ). Its  actually  sickening because  there are some honest foreign trading companies out there as well.so don't just paint every company that have an all English website with same brush .its good to always do some detail research about  companies  before doing business with them .

(2)   Normally their prices are obviously 5-30% lower than the main stream market prices, and they will explain that they themselves are factories and they are anxious to occupy more market and something like that.  Most fraudulent companies often use extremely low prices to lure their preys . Of course, it's not like all  normal quotations are from honest suppliers some of these fake companies  are actually versed with business negotiations and rules as they might have been genuine business owners  turned swindler.

(3)   Cheaters like to show some workshop pictures, lab pictures and big factories’  with   company names, even some certificates issued by UKAS, SGS, or local government ( but those pictures are intensively made unreadable),  they do this just  to gain the  trust of their  potential victims.  Most significantly,these fake companies always have very convincing information of factory experience,expertise and credibility on their websites or  emails , but,  not willing to accept potential customers’ visit. They are cautious to expose any Chinese information even their office address. Of course, some cheaters will some might accept your request to visit, because they know well that the chances of a real visit is small and even if you eventual visit, they will still have  an upper hand  because most foreigners wont be able to understand mandarin or Cantonese.

(4)   After these cheaters receive complete payment from victims it automatically becomes difficult to contact the  sale assistant who was very hospitable and sweet before payment. If they happen to get only  partial payment, they will keep in touch with victims for the rest of the  payment . some fake companies that actually send goods will send the lowest quality knock off garbage products in the market and if any complaints come up they will use  excuses like expired validity of the declared quality  or even completely deny the garbage is  from them. These fake companies normally use same company name to cheat people until they get exposed or just disappear after they hit a jackpot.Actually in some unique areas of China mainland, the cost of registering a company is very little (about US$1000.) and the supervision and management from  local government officials is usually  very poor or just plainly corrupt.Finally, most of these fake companies usually operate under different legally registered company names with many different websites.other tips include:

 (1)   It’s reasonable and completely right for buyers to look for lower prices, but some buyers just rely on luck and trust without investigating.

(2)   All the cheating companies are legally registered, almost have no difference with honest companies

(3)   Faking certificates, ID and other official original documents has become a big industry in China, almost whatever you requested can be faked and bought in the black market

-       From help of local Chinese friends or specialized inspection organizations   

When the dealing amount is huge, it’s wise and needed to get a Credit Report (from Inspection organization like Sino-sure) of suppliers whom you are not familiar with before signing contract and making payment. If you have friends or partners in China, it is wise and needed to get them involved in the dealing. Normally when local Chinese getting involved, cheaters will give up the related target. Even they don’t give up, it’s more easier for some local Chinese or business men living in china for years to tell  the difference  between fake and real companies.

There is a simple rule: be careful and attentive. No extra cautiousness will be too much.

You can equally get more insides on this issue  from herehttp://www.topix.com/forum/who/scam/T66IC9885M18P23N8/p57
                 Good luck!

Best venues for sourcing furniture factories and manufacturers in China.

When traders order furniture from china  they have the potential to change how their entire business grows . Really.Finding a good china supplier can impact your furniture business in a very positive way . This realization can make buying furniture a bit challenging. After all, most traders want to buy furniture that fits, supports and enhances the culture and taste of their customers while making a good profit too.To find the right furniture manufacturers, you should be able to judge furniture for quality. And while judging furniture quality is important, so is being able to find a good supply market and better prices for a healthy business and customers satisfaction.Here are a few places you might wanna consider when thinking of buying furniture from china .

1.Shunde, Foshan City and Dongguan City, Guangdong Province (Southern China, Close to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hk);

2.Xianghe, Langfang City, Hebei Province(Northern China, Close to Beijing, Tianjin);

3.Likou, Suzhou City, Jiangsu province(Eastern China, Close to Shanghai, Nanjing);

4.Bayi, Chengdu City, Sichuan province (Western China, Close to Chengdu and Chongqing).

If you prefer to go sourcing suppliers at furniturefairs, shows, or exhibitions due to time constrain but wanna see as more as possible, the following list of most famous and influential furniture fairs orexhibitions would be your best choice:

1. CIFF: China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou),(March and September of each year; Most recent one march 18th-21st 2013.

2. FC: Furniture China (Shanghai) (Sep, Each Year )

3. FFF: International Famous Furniture Fair (Dongguan),(March. Sep, Each Year; latest one 16th -20th march 2013)

4. IFFC: International Furniture Fair Chengdu (Chengdu),(July, each year,latest one July 2013 )

5. SFF: Suzhou Furniture Fair (Suzhou)(End of June, Each Year; Latest one June 2013. )

6. Canton Fair: (Guangzhou) April 23-27,20137. Longjiang Furniture Fair (Shunde, Foshan) (March,each year; Latest one: March 2013 )

Most of the furniture fairs are in March or September, so these two months are the best time for you to visit thousands of furniture suppliers. If you choose to come to Shenzhen, Guangzhou, or Dongguan, Guangdong for furniture suppliers, It would be my great pleasure to act as your interpreter and business or tour guide.           

A few tips for your Business Travel in China

When  coming  to China to meet potential suppliers or scout out regions for sourcing opportunities, there’s a lot you need to keep in mind. To make your job easier,Below  are a carefully  compiled list of  things you should keep in mind when heading to China.

Be prepared for new things. Between food and business there are many small differences between Chinese culture and what you may be used to. As purchasing agents you will likely have lunch or dinner with suppliers. Most likely they will take you to a private room in the restaurant to a large round table (the head of the table is the seat facing the door from the back of the room). They will have many different dishes brought in that are the delicacies of the area, so be open and try everything. Another suggestion is try knowing what you eat , as you might like the taste, but not like what it is haha.

Learn about the cultural differences. The Chinese are a gracious people and will understand that you don't know everything about their culture and may make minor mistakes.

In China you will see men holding hands or putting their arms around each other much more often than you do here. They won’t expect you to hold hands, but they may touch your arm or shoulder.

Learn some basics of the local language. Even if its just learning some basic greetings in the local dialect goes a long way in relationship-building with Asian suppliers.

Slow down. When talking to Chinese suppliers, it makes sense to talk slowly and repeat things as necessary. While that may seem like common sense, in the heat of a meeting when you'e describing complex components or processes, you can tend to forget this
and sometimes politeness may not permit the supplier to interrupt.


Take an interpreter, While some companies will have people that speak your language, it is nice to have someone who can translate for you with your interests in mind. This will ensure your meaning gets across in the way you want. Please be reminded that the translator of suppliers always stands at the supplier's side, so in general, so some whispering of internal staffs will not be translated to you, but these informations(whispering of internal staffs) are very important for you to negiatiate with them.

Understand travel time. If you have multiple sites to visit in a short period, make sure you understand the time required for travel in the specific region. Going from one side of Shanghai to the other takes about two hours on a good day so you need to factor that in. Also if going from one city to another that are close think about using the trains because they are more predictable than automotive traffic. A hotel concierge can arrange it for you and will save you time and aggravation.

Get a local phone. There are a couple of specific tips here:
1. Get a local China sim card which will require bringing an unlocked phone from your country or you can just buy one there.
2. Program the hotel's Concierge into your phone when in doubt you can call them for help.
3. Use this phone to call back to your country. In most cases it is much cheaper than your work cell, or the hotel phone.

Negotiate everywhere. I have found that most Chinese suppliers will not provide you with their best price up front. Ask for a breakdown and work the cost, you will be happy you did.

Think about medicine and insurance. Consult a travel medical professional for the proper inoculations. China is a big country; you’ll need different shots depending on your travel itinerary. It’s also recommended to  bring a handy medical kit with you
including some over the counter medications – just in case. Often the Chinese equivalents of Western over the counter medications can be hard to come by. It's always best to keep the medication in labelled packaging or bottles. Take along your own medicine and get worldwide insurance if you’re going to be traveling to China
frequently. There are some different types of insurance, but in case you are in an accident you will be cared for well.

Important Wholesale market list in Guangzhou and nearby cities

I have been in  purchase agency service for over 5 years and have a  good knowledge about  Guangzhou wholesale markets. Attended almost every Canton fair since 2008. I am doing free consulation about wholesale markets in Guangzhou and nearby cities , let me share some useful  information with traders  who intend to visit guangzhou for business  in the near future .

⑴ furniture
Lecong town of foshan city is the biggest market for furniture in China. 
This  town with everything about furniture, with over 20 furniture wholesale market buildings. Including almost all kinds of furniture. Here are the name of different price level market for office furniture, with the building name you can find them conviniently,everybody there  know these malls.

Address: foshan city shunde lecong town, 佛山市乐从镇

high price level
1. Name:“louvre ” 罗浮宫家具博览中心
office furniture location: first floor
Middle price level
1. Name: "Sunlink furniture city ( north section)" 顺联北区
office furniture location: Block 9 to 11. There are 6 companies in block 11 that manufacture some items for you and can  find all other items for you.
2. Name: Sunlink furniture city ( south section) 顺联南区

Low price level
Name: lecong international furniture city 乐从国际家私城

⑵ Adult clothing
Adult Clothing market is in Guangzhou railway station district, there are at least over 20 clothing mall there, different mall for different subject.

1. For copy clothing
Name: KINGDO/金都国际服装城
Address: near Guangzhou yuexiu district huanshi xi road NO. 139 / 汇美国际环市西路139号隔壁

2. For pyjamas and Lingerie
Name: Jing xiang / 金祥内衣城
Address: Guangzhou yuexiu district zhan qian road NO. 193 / 越秀区站前路193号金祥大厦内

3. For knitting and woolen cloth
Name: 广安针毛织服装市场 / Guangan knitting&woolen costume market
Address: Guangzhou yuexiu district zhan qian road NO. 195 / 站前路195号

4. For jeans
Name: Kang le /康乐牛仔城
Address: Guangzhou yuexiu district renming bei road NO. 921 / 人民北路921号康乐大厦一至三层

Guangzhou railway station district is a big district with several kinds of market, e.g.: cloth market, shoes market, watch market, fashion accessories market, cosmetic market, etc
5. For shoes
Name: BuYun Shoes World Plaza /步云天地, there are several other shoes building nearby also
Address: No. 26 ZhangXi Road,Liwan District,Guangzhou,Guangdong,China

6. For watch
Name: southen watch trade center/南方钟表市场
Address: guangzhou yuexiu district zhanxi road No. 57 / 站西路57号
there are several other watch buiding next to eachother.



7. For leather bags
Name: 白云皮具中心/ bai yun elaborate leather trading and exhibition center
Add: Guangzhou baiyun district jie fang road No. 1356-1358 / 广州市白云区解放北路1356-1358号

⑶ Children cloth
Name: zhong shan ba Children's garment plaza/ 中八童装妇婴用品广场
ADD: Guangzhou liwan district zhong shan ba road/广州中山八路

⑷ textile and accessories
Name: China Fabric & Accessories Center/广州国际轻纺城
Add: Guangzhou Haizhu district Xingang road No.114/海珠区新港路144号(近中山大学)
In Guangzhou we call is zhong da fabric market also
zhongda fabric market is for the raw material of garment and accessories - it's the biggest in China. You are supposed to find anything about garment accessories in the world there, they can open your own model all the time.

⑸ ceramic
1.China ceramic city/中国陶瓷城
Address: foshan chancheng city jiang wan 3 road No. 2 / 佛山禅城江湾三路2号
2.China mosaic city/中国马赛克城
Address: nextto China ceramic city
it's the biggest wholesale market in China for the tiles, just nearby. it's 8 minutes by taxi away from the jihuayuan metro station in foshan city, there is a direct metro from Guangzhou to foshan. by taxi from GZ to there around 150RMB.

⑹ gift
it’s road including gift and stationary wholesale market, the following two are the biggest gift building
1. Wan Ling square/万菱广场
address: guangzhou yi de road / 广东省广州市解放南路39号万菱广场
Metro station: haizhu square

2. international toy stationary gift square/国际玩具文具精品广场
address: guangzhou yi de road /一德西路390号

⑺ stationary
Name: yi yuan stationary market / 谊园文具批发市场
Address: guangzhou liwan district huangsha hou dao NO. 25 / 广州市荔湾区黄沙后道25号

⑻ lighting
zhongshan city guzheng/中山古镇 is the lighting town of China, biggest lighting wholesale market in China, have almost all kinds of lighting

it's a city near Guangzhou, two hours by car awary from Guangzhou.
Name: zhong shan city Guzhen / 中山古镇灯饰批发市场
Address: zhong shan city Guzhen / 中山古镇灯饰批发市场

⑼ home decoration
Name: ba da tong home deco. market/八达通家居市场, over half of the exhibitor on 2012.03's China international fair is from there.
Add: Foshan nanhai lishui/广佛高速盐步里水收费站旁

⑽ For building hardware and furniture accessories
Both foshan and GZ is ok, normally we guide customer to foshan if he buy big amount. if you stay in GZ and don't want to rent a car to foshan then GZ is better.

Market in Foshan
You can visit foshan hua yi decoration material marekt / 佛山华艺装饰材料市场
Address: 佛山市季华西路和325国道交汇处
Mainly for plywood, floor boards, ceiling, dope, anti-water material, stainless hardware,lighting, windows and door, fabric curtain.

Market in Guagnzhou:
There are over ten wholesale market for construction material decoration. Mainly gother in nan an road, da nan road and tai kang road.
1. nan an road construction decoration material road /南岸装饰材料专业街
Address: 越秀区南岸路
mainly for decoration material, lighting, steel door, hardware. Have several wholesale market like Guangzhou construction decoration material plaza / 广州装饰材料市场, nan an construction decoration material market/南岸装饰材料市场, xin zhi guang construction decoration material market/星之光装饰材料市场, Guangdong construction decoration material market/广东装饰材料市场.
2. da nan road decoration material street / 大南路装饰材料专业街.
Address: 越秀区大南路
hua di decoration material market / 华淦装饰材料商场, mainly for LED advertisement lighting, hardware. Decoration material.
Tai gu lighting center / 太古灯饰城, mainly for lighting.
Guagnzhou texitile decoration craftwork market / 广州纺织装饰工艺品商场, mainly for the fabric curtain.
3. taikang decoration material street / 泰康装饰材料专业街
Address: 海珠区泰康路
mainly for the decoration material, stationary, security steel door

⑾ Printing
Name: Guangzhou tian chen road printing machine and printing material market / 广州市天成路印刷机械印刷材料市场
Address: 广州市天成路印刷机械印刷材料市场
Mainly for: all kinds of paper, sticker, printing ink, printing accessories material. All kinds of printing machine, packing maching, etc.

⑿ For curtains in GZ.
1. for finished curtain
Name: 海印布料市场/hai ying qiao fabric market
Address: 广州市沿江东路429-431号，即海印桥西北引桥侧
There are several fabric curtain market nearby, it's the biggest place for curtain fabric

2. for fabric material of curtain
Name: zhong da fabric market / China Fabric & Accessories Center/广州国际轻纺城
Add: Guangzhou Haizhu district Xingang road No.114/海珠区新港路144号(近中山大学)
zhongda fabric market is for the raw material of garment and accessories - it's the biggest in China.
Hope  this  information can be helpful to interested readers.