Buy manufactured goods or wholesale?

I'm just wondering, since everything can be made in China or Asia, why do businesses still buy wholesale as opposed to buying straight from the manufacturer?

What are the pro's/con's?

And even if businesses used a trade company to eliminate the hassle of dealing with Chinese suppliers and quality control etc, would it still not be cheaper going with the Chinese over a wholesaler?

Clytus

are you prepared to buy a container of a product or 26 pallets?? and then pay for it upon landing??

If not...well then theres your answer!

Are you sure that's the only way it works? 26 pallets, **** me, that's a lot.

niceirishfella

Well, a 20ft container is the smallest container you can get.
Sizable risks in importing direct from China.......I've been there.

Sonnenblumen

niceirishfella wrote: »

Well, a 20ft container is the smallest container you can get.
Sizable risks in importing direct from China.......I've been there.

I've friends who import extensively from PRC without hitches, by all accounts the Chinese business people are shrewd but honourable. My own initial experiences have also been positive.

But you might be referring to another aspect? Would be interested to hear more.

niceirishfella

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

I've friends who import extensively from PRC without hitches, by all accounts the Chinese business people are shrewd but honourable. My own initial experiences have also been positive.

But you might be referring to another aspect? Would be interested to hear more.

Yep - i have found the above to be the case, but QC -
QC is the problem......... you need someone out there you can trut on your side paid by you seperately to your supplier/manufacturer.

I have a pal who owns a nut and bolt business here and gets a lot of stuff made in China but send his owns staff out there all year round to oversee QC because if he did not, it'd be rubbish that'd arrive here in the containers.

delllat

I have dealt with many asian manufacturers and they have some very funny ideas about what passes for quality goods

I have often recieved 2nd hand goods,refurbished,damaged,faulty even stained as "new"

I have also recieved great samples initially then quality plummetted for the majority of the order

possibly standards are lower in china in relation to what people will purchase but if i sold those goods in ireland id have nothing but trouble from angry customers,trading standards,people doing chargebacks by credit card and paypal

they are very yes,dear friend,we want to do long time business with you but in my experience they usually take the pi$$ since they know that shipping it back to them will sometimes exceed the cost of the item or if not will take away at the very least the profit margins leaving you lucky to break even if not making a loss on the transaction

I have stopped dealing with asian manufacturers but a friend of mine got badly stung recently on a heap of electronics
they looked fine on the outside but inside was a nightmare

connections half soldered if your lucky,circuit boards and switches held in place with cellotape
this crap is only designed to work for a few weeks etc just long enough so everyone gets paid
the only problem is if your the final retailer and you have to deal with all the angry customers whos tvs died after 3 weeks

proceed with caution!

Musha

Same as Dellat,

The QC becomes non exsistant after the first sample delivery. Luckily we found this out very quickly in our business life and have not paid the price in our repuation. We only buy european manufactured goods now as we can order small qualities and not have too much stock holding, we can get Made-to-Order special goods quickly and have regular on site factory visits, building up a good relationship with our supplier.:D