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Games Consoles, XBOX, iPhone Products From China

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

China – Games Consoles And The Scam

More than a few people have discussed XBOX and Games Consoles, and I’ve often been asked about sourcing them.

I’d like to make specific mention of this issue briefly here.

The Parallel or Grey Importing of Goods.

Scammers Love You, Because You Love This!

Scammers Love You, Because You Love This!

I’ll talk about parallel or grey importing using computers as an example first, and then follow on to briefly discuss games consoles and Xboxes.

Brand name electrical goods and computers CAN be found here in China.

However, when you start trying to take them from China (or anywhere else) into other countries, then you fall into an area known as parallel or grey importing. Many companies are now really cracking down on this, particularly SONY for instance, in co-operation with the EU, there has a been a dramatic increase in seizures of goods at ports.

Scammers Love Your Money - And You Love To Give It To Them!

Scammers Love Your Money - And You Love To Give It To Them!

The parallel or grey market is the trade of something legal through unofficial, unauthorized, and usually unintended distribution channels.

For example: To export anything made by Dell™ in China, to the US, would be considered by Dell™ US to be poaching on their territory.

Sometimes the practice of parallel or grey importing is illegal, but not always so.

Many of the parties concerned with the parallel or grey importing of a good are usually the authorized agents or importers, or other retailers of an item in the target market. More often than not this is the national subsidiary of the manufacturer, or one of its related companies. In response to the ensuing damage to both their profits and their reputation, many manufacturers, and their official distribution chains will very often seek to restrict the parallel or grey market.

Such responses can breach competition law, particularly within the European Union.

Competition law, in the United States is known as antitrust law.

Refusal to Honour Warranties

Manufacturers have the right to refuse to honour the warranty of an item purchased from parallel or grey market sources, on the grounds that the higher price you should have paid on the non-grey market reflects a higher level of expected service.

To The Scammer, 'You' Are The 'Apple' of Their Eyes!

To The Scammer, 'You' Are The 'Apple' of Their Eyes!

Additionally, companies may provide the warranty service only from the manufacturer’s subsidiary only from within the intended country of import, and not in the diverted third country to where the parallel or grey goods are ultimately sold by the unauthorised distributor or retailer.

Are you prepared to make money at any cost?

Are you the kind of person who’d sell grey or parallel goods to someone, irrespective of the effective lack of any genuine warranty on those goods?

Do you not care about the end user, your client, and your own reputation?

Because, if your answer is ‘yes‘ to the first two questions, and ‘no‘ to the third one, then I really don’t see much difference between you and the scammers.

In my opinion, if you’re buying grey or parallel, then you’re obviously a bit shady yourself.

The response by scammers to the grey market is particularly evident in the electronic goods market, where I hear people crying loudly at having been ripped and burned regularly!

Have You Got Money To Burn?

Have You Got Money To Burn?

Yes, it seems to be the people endeavouring to buy games and game consoles, along with iPhones etc., who are the one’s who get burned most frequently by the scammers.

Just by virtue of wanting these goods grey or parallel, you put yourself at the scammers table, and if you’re unlucky (which you most probably will be) you’ll find yourself on a scammers dinner plate too.

If that’s you, or you’re thinking about entering this line of business, then I suggest you find another product line to trade in, one that you can get direct from a good OEM/ODM in China.

Remember, the scammers love those who love to buy grey!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 05:31:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Popularity: 18%

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China’s Money Mules – And Why You’ve Lost It For Good

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

China Scam – Money Mules – And Why You Will Never See Your Money Again.

I’d like to point out to you, in very clear and marked terms, just why it is you will never see your money again, should you happen to lose to a scam in China; particularly those of you who lose money to companies whilst trying to buy iPhones, Nintendo, etc. Last week, I wrote about Mr. Stefano Carboni’s apparent involvement in the money mule scam; that is, getting other people to transfer funds through their personal bank accounts, as a means of laundering it to a final destination. Then only this week, I discover, through certain of my contacts here in China, the reason you won’t ever see your money again is based on similar grounds. Here is how it works: There are approximately 300 million agricultural workers in China, and approximately 40 million migrant workers travelling from city to city in attempts to find some kind of living. So, no shortage of potential mules! A quick review of salaries in China may provide you with a glimpse at the motivation behind the actions I’m about to describe.

A Chinese Farmer

A Chinese Farmer

In 2007 the average farmer in China earned around 4,140 RMB (Yuan) or approximately $605 USD per annum; the average salary for a construction worker in China is approximately 1, 064 RMB (Yuan) or $122 USD per month; whilst the average factory worker is earning around 1,100 RMB (Yuan) or $ 160 USD per month. As can be seen, by the above figures, the 300 million farmers in the agricultural sector earn less than 30% of what construction and factory workers can earn in a year. This fact is widely known in China, and it is to this sector of the community that the scammers go with their offer. So, what is their offer? It’s very simple, actually. They say to the peasant farmer, something along the lines of, “Look we have all these foreign clients, but we don’t want to pay tax and stuff, and so we need an alternative account for the funds to be transferred to, as a means of avoiding the tax. You open a bank account for us using your ID, our foreign clients transfer funds to it, and then move the funds on to another account, the details of which we’ll give you (usually Taiwan); and we’ll pay you a nice fat commission, and you and your family will be much better off. Your child will be able to go to a better school, and then on to university, and the whole future of your family will be changed for the better – forever.” Of course, from Taiwan, the money is then transferred to other destinations. So, the peasant, knowing a good thing when he or she sees or hears one; and who is always willing to make extra money for the family, says, HaoDe!orHaoLe! (Good! or Fine with me!). I mean, why wouldn’t they? People in the West do exactly this when they get involved in fake cheque scams, and act as money mules for a variety of mafias. In actuality, the Chinese peasant farmer, quite probably has a better excuse than the greedy money-grabbing buggers in the West, who regularly sign up for this kind of business, as their lifestyles are a millennia apart, and is clearly documented and attested by many more than myself. So, personally speaking, I can’t really blame them; you make your own decision on that. Anyway, of course, eventually the whole thing gets tumbled, and the account closes, and the scammers recruit another peasant farmer, and start the whole operation again, with barely a blip in their action. The previous peasant farmer account holder is questioned by the police, and the police learn nothing, as the peasant farmer was him or herself duped anyway, and has absolutely no idea of the true identities of the people they’ve been dealing with. And, naturally, a physical description isn’t going to help much. I understand that to many foreigners, everyone may look the same here, but, that isn’t true, of course. People here do have very distinct personal physical attributes. However, without wishing to sound racist, and by sticking to reality, whether it pleases us to do so or not, the general physical characteristics are certainly much of a muchness; in as much as hair, skin, and eye colour, or whether he or she looked like an East European, had a certain Latino appearance, or shocking red hair and green eyes. I mean, can you imagine the interrogation of the peasant? Policeman 1: So, what did this man look like? Peasant: Well, he was maybe 30 years old, about 5 feet 6 inches, had short black hair, yellow skin, slanted dark brown eyes, and a wide or flat nose. Policeman 1: O.K., So we can rule out all the women and men under 30 years of age in the country. That just leaves the rest of the population. Hold on! What Kind of accent did he have? Peasant: He sounded like he came from Henan Province to me. Policeman 1: Ah ha! From Henan you say. Well, that’s a lucky break for us, as there are only 100 million people in Henan. So, if we discount all the women, that brings us to about 70 million males. O.K. that’s god, that’s good… Then we discount those under 30 years of age. and those above 40 years of age… Let me see… Yes…, that leaves us with only… Great Scott! Only 21,000,000 men to search through; By George! We’re on to them now. You can tell Mr. Stupid Bugger in England, that we’ll soon have his $300 dollars back for him. Policeman 2: But, Sir. What if the perpetrator doesn’t live in Henan anymore, and is living… well… …somewhere else in China? Policeman 1: Damn it, Caruthers, you’re right! Stop that telegram to Mr. Stupid bugger in England. Now, (He paces the room thoughtfully, clenched fist, arms folded and thumb to top teeth, looking into nothingness on the floor before him) Mmmm… yes… Yes, this really puts the cat amongst the pigeons. I think this may take a little longer than I at first thought. And that’s it basically.

A Submarine In Your Bathtub

A Submarine In Your Bathtub

That’s why, if you lose your money here, the chances of you  ever seeing it again, are about the same as you taking a bath, and a nuclear submarine surfacing in it, raking you with machine-gun fire, stealing your rubber duck, submerging, and then going back to base for debriefing, a plate of hot and crispy cod and chips (fries) with brown sauce, washed down with a warm cup of  hot cocoa, and all before bed-time. Now, if you’re sensible, then you’ll go back to the OLD FASHIONED WAY of doing things, and hire an agent, like me, to protect your interests, and to ensure that you don’t find yourself taking a bath with a submarine. The choice is yours. You’ve been warned. Again! Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 04:05:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Popularity: 13%

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More Anti-Scam Tips

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Further Tips On Dealing With China.

Here are a few extra notes on safely sourcing products in China, from the Safely Sourcing China blog. Learn what you can from your prospective ‘supplier’s’ website, or lack thereof.

Web Presence.

Firstly, if they don’t have their own website, drop them like a hot rock. That includes those “companies” in possession of the rubbish little “pages” on Alibaba, etc. No Domain – No Hope! Although, personally I do know of companies in China who are real, but their marketing sucks so badly they haven’t managed to organise a web presence. But, I’m a graduate of the ‘better-safe-than-sorry’ school, when it comes to this particular aspect of doing business in China. If your prospective “supplier” owns a website, then check that the area code, given in the contact section, matches the postcode, or town or city name, given in the address. You can check postcodes here. If they don’t match, drop them like a hot rock. The following mobile telephone prefixes will allow you to determine which mobile telephone network is being used by your “supplier”, in case you need to connect with the service provider, to check if the number is still working, when calls fail to be answered  by the person you’ve gone sent your money to, whilst failing to perform any of the checks given here. The service provider name follows the prefix number. 130/1/2 . - China Unicom, 133 . – China Telecom , 1340 -1348 China Mobile, 1349. – ChinaSat, 135/6/7/8/9. - China Mobile, 150. – China Mobile, 151. – China Mobile, 152. - China Mobile, 153. -China Telecom, 155. – China Unicom, 156. – China Unicom, 157. – China Mobile, 158. -China Mobile, 159. – China Mobile, 185. - China Unicom, 186. – China Unicom, 188. – China Mobile, 189. – China Telecom. You can visit this very nice page on WikiPedia for a more complete listing of area codes by major municipality and province. If they don’t have an address on their contact page, forget them. After all, if they aren’t willing to disclose their address, then you must ask yourself a one word question – “Why?

”.

On The Subject Of Addresses.

My business is registered in a residential property, as we are a Small Office Home Office (SOHO), as we neither manufacture, store, stock, and we very rarely have business visitors; due to the fact we supply nothing more than ‘information’, we go out to visit Chinese companies, and our foreign clients are just that – foreign, and live abroad, and so we needn’t waste money on having an actual office. My computer is my office. However, someone claiming to manufacture, stock, or supply must have an office, for the same reasons I don’t need one. An office will normally be in a building with a name, for example: Room 602, Floor 5, Great Dragon Bldg., Haidian District, Beijing. Whilst a SOHO, like us, will run as above, but minus the building name, and is indicative of a residential area.

About Us.

If they haven’t included and about us page in their website, or it is very sparse, then drop them. Obviously, if they have little to say about themselves, there’s a reason.

Google Them.

The next thing to do is Google their company name + scam, and also their company URL + scam. That alone should give enough of a heads-up on who you’re dealing with.

Mono-Lingual Websites.

Finally, as mentioned in my previous article Quick Checklist For How To Spot A Chinese Scam Site, if the website is devoid of Chinese, and only has an English language page, the chances are they’re scammers. Well, that’s it for today. Trade Safely!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 02:44:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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China Sourcing Concerns

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Some Concerns About Sourcing From China.

The following are a list of some of the more common questions people seem to have regarding trading with China. I have sought to answer them as directly and frankly as I can.

Why am I worried about sourcing from or manufacturing in China?

Firstly, if you aren’t concerned, you might as well open your window, set fire to your money, and start shoveling it out of the window into the street. There is risk in anything we do in the world of business, and to think otherwise is to fool oneself into a false sense of security. Moreover, to believe that one can safely self-source from China is equally as absurd and dangerous. Your concerns are valid, as they would be even if you were sourcing from Israel, Portugal, or any other country; and trading or dealing with China is no different. China has its’ own set of cultural and business subtleties and values, to which you as a foreigner or someone unaccustomed to dealing with China, may be totally oblivious to; but to someone such as myself, having lived here for 8 years, are not lost to me. And it is precisely for these reasons that you need someone here you can trust, who is culturally familiar with those nuances of business and social culture, and who can operate in and on your behalf.

What about quality? Isn’t China famous for producing poor quality goods?

That may well have been true at one time. However, you need to ask your self whether you’re happy with the quality of your iPhone? Because Apple have been producing in China for a number of years, along with a plethora of other famous High Street brands. Of course, that isn’t to say that quality doesn’t or can’t suffer. It does, as with anywhere else in the world. However, if you ensure that random quality checking is employed before the goods leave port, then one can drastically mitigate this risk. Furthermore, when once you develop a successful long-term relationship with a manufacturer, they will understand the benefits of not cutting their own throats. To my mind, one of the reasons China has gained its’ reputation for poor quality, is also in part due to a failure of buyers to perform the necessary due diligence and oversight that they should. However, allow me to reiterate a point I’ve just made: Sound partners, and a representative presence in Mainland China, able to perform your due diligence, and maintain an oversight of quality, plus developing your long-term relationship with the producer, will go a long way towards drastically mitigating the issue of poor quality to a level acceptable in the West.

So, how many people will have their fingers in my, production and purchasing, pie in China?

Well, the people, or groups involved could be as few as one, if your goods are coming from one of the larger companies, such as TsingHua TongFang, whom I represent as Agent to Africa, Europe, and North America; or they could be several, for one of the smaller companies. Of course, the amount of fingers in the pie will play a very definite role in the cost of your goods, and sometimes even the quality. However, the role of ‘GuanXi’, or what we would term ‘relationships’, plays a significant role in Chinese society at all levels, and particularly in business; as it has done for several thousand years, and the power of which shouldn’t be ignored or underestimated, and which is an unavoidable necessity and phenomena. This is a deeply ingrained and necessary interpersonal skill, and which is tightly bound and woven into the fabric of the Chinese psyche. I’m sure that should you check your own embassy websites in China you will come across the term ‘GuanXi’ several times. No ‘GuanXi’, no help! It is precisely for this reason, that should you intend doing business in, or with, China, you need a mediator to act as a conduit to facilitate smooth and safe trading. Your conduit can form relationships on your behalf, that you are unable to form due to geographical distance, language, and cultural distance. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours; is precisely how it works in China.

What if my goods aren’t delivered on time or the quality isn’t what I requested?

Well, in that case we incorporate into the contract CIETAC’s model arbitration clause. NOTE: CIETAC (China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (A government department and Part of MOFCOM - The Chinese Ministry of Commerce). Here’s the clause: “Any dispute arising from or in connection with this Contract shall be submitted to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration which shall be conducted in accordance with the Commission’s arbitration rules in effect at the time of applying for arbitration. The arbitral award is final and binding upon both parties.” The same clause can be used for the safety of your financial transaction, in addition to opening a Letter of Credit (L/C) rather than a Telegraphic Transfer (TT) of funds. Of course your letter of credit can dictate additional terms before funds are released; these terms can be specifically directed at shipping windows and parameters, levels of acceptable quality, processing of any and all necessary certificates and forms, proper and correct carton and packaging markings, and any necessary Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Standards compliance. Consequent to which, should the terms not be met as defined in the terms of the contract and in the letter of credit, then it will be up to you to decide or determine whether the funds be made available to the seller. So, that’s it for today. Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 01:10:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Popularity: 7%

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Parallel or Grey Importing And The Scammers Behind It

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Parallel or Grey Importing & China

Firstly, with regards to a basic explanation of Parallel  or Grey Importing, and the scam effect, allow me to direct you to an article of mine which discusses this matter in the Scams & Scammers Category of my blog; the article is entitled “Games Consoles & XBOX in China” I assume you’ve been and read it, and have now come back to continue. So let’s get to my point. Every region has its’ own official distributor(s) who are licensed and engaged to distribute for the producer into a given region. That means, that even if you were to contact the relevant distributor for the Chinese market, that distributor would not allow me to purchase from him/her with the foreknowledge that you planned on having them shipped out of China, for fear of losing that very valuable license.

Parallel or Grey Importing - Worth the Risk?

Parallel or Grey Importing - Worth the Risk?

Even if they took that risk you’d only get them at wholesale in China, and by the time you’d payed for shipping, you’d probably have them held-up at customs at your end, or even impounded or confiscated, as companies are now on the march, with government assistance, to batten down the hatches on parallel or grey importing; as is evidenced by the rate at which these actions are now taking place in EU ports. However, I don’t believe a genuine distributor would allow you to do that in the first instance. Not for a heart-beat. But that, in and of itself, isn’t the major issue – there’s more. If he/she did agree, particularly with that foreknowledge, then you would have to suspect something dodgy was going; more dodgy than your request to the licensee to parallel or grey import these products into other regions of the world, not under his or her license mandate.

Want To Risk Your Money On Parallel Or Grey Imports?

Want To Risk Your Money On Parallel Or Grey Imports?

As you are perhaps aware, or perhaps not, China has a problem, in that foreign mafia regularly send people into China masquerading as representatives of very large corporations such as the Apple and Sony Corporations, and many others. These people, then give product plans to their targeted Chinese companies and, after inspecting their factory, issue them with a fake license to produce and manufacture on behalf of these big names. The Chinese companies genuinely believe that they are licensed to do so, as these mafia are very good at there jobs and have a strong financial backing to support their claims. They’re professionals. They then go on to set up or give people (probably there own) “license” to act as “official distributors”. However, when once YOU buy these goods (because that’s what even many chain stores end up buying) and sell them on, your own prospective client may find, should a problem arise, that their product identification codes do not coincide with those on the company database, and will be left without warranty, on a product that is a clone; and so will be left without recourse, but to turn back to you, who would then look back to the “distributor or licensed agent“, who in turn would have to look back to the “licensed manufactory” here. ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT YOU, AND THEMSELVES, HAVE BEEN DUPED! And that is exactly what is happening, and, morally speaking – in terms of the duty we owe to our prospective buyers, I really think you’d be better off out of it. It’s a morass. It really isn’t a fun pool to swim in. There are, however, a lot of legitimate high quality, great design, top of the range, as it were, “no-nameOEM/ODM products available, which compare technologically very well with many of the “big brands”. Anecdotaly, I have a nice little Chinese made no-name 1 GB USB memory stick I bought here in Beijing, in a tech market, about two years ago. It’s great. I was shocked to discover one day that I’d had the thing in my pocket when my trousers went into a 3 cycle wash and spin.

That’s buggered then!

That’s buggered then!

When hanging out my clothes to dry I discovered it with a yelp, thinking, “That’s buggered then”. I put in a shelf for a day or so, then picked it up and stuck it in my computer in the forlorn hope that it might just work. To my surprise, it opened up a window in the blink of an eye, as it usually did. In fact, a large number of clients have brought data on USB sticks with big brand names, and they all open slower than my little no-namer, which is Blitz fast. Anecdotes aside: My moral sense of what is right and wrong, in respect to the end user or buyer, baulks at the idea of even considering the potential risk to them as buyers, and to my personal sense of honour. Yes, some of still hold onto that old fashioned notion. Quaint, huh? For me, it has always been about the road I take, and not simply attaining the final destination, without due consideration as to how I get there. I have always wanted to arrive at, or achieve, my destinations and goals – whole, intact, and more of, NOT LESS than, a person than I when I started out on the journey or undertaking. International mafias are very pervasive and convincing. Not my cup of tea I’m afraid. The above mentioned scenarios are equally true for big brand apparel, trainers, cameras, and computers etc. “Welcome to the real.” Or…. not….

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 06:52:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Something You Need To Know About Us

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

Something You Need To Know About

Your China Trading Partner.

Your China Trading Partner

Your China Trading Partner

The increased influx of emails we’ve received, from people who’ve been burnt in their China dealings, has prompted me to write the following. Here are some things you need to know about us before you contact us.

Who are we?

We are product sourcing agents, and are focused in sourcing whatever products you need, and covering a very wide scope. We have close associations with a number of Chinese companies whom we trust, and are constantly developing new relationships with new suppliers. Whatever it is that you want, we can find it, as long as it’s being produced in China. Although, we are somewhat different to other sourcing agents, because we also assist in debt recovery, and also take an active role in warning the purchasing public, of the potential dangers of self-sourcing products from such a distance; whilst at the same time, providing the purchasing public with guidelines aimed at helping them avoid the potential pitfalls of dealing with China – such as being scammed, and losing their money.

Why Should You Deal With Us?

  • Because, we are principled business people who believe in putting people before profit.
  • Because, we are the good guys who think of others before ourselves.
  • Because, we demonstrate this by having a starting commission rate of only 5%, and falling according to size of order.
  • Because, we don’t charge any commission from the Chinese side, as other agents do, and so increase YOUR costs; our aim is to try to get you the best price we can.
  • Because, of the two previous points, you have already saved a minimum of 50%, and a maximum of 150% on agency commission costs, when compared to what other agents would charge you. We prefer turnover, and customer satisfaction, by making you and the Chinese supplier happy on cost.
  • Because, we believe in business fairness, balance, and harmony in all our transactions.
  • Because business doesn’t always have to be shady and knife-in-the-back.
  • Because, we, having a far better handle on the language, can source a wider range than simply logging into Alibaba, or some such website.
  • Because, we understand business culture here, and can spot a scammer before we even go face-to-face.
  • Because, if you don’t use us, you’ll more than likely get burnt.
  • Because, if you do get yourself burnt, it better be for a large amount, because if you come to us after the event, and you’ve only lost a couple of hundred, or a couple of thousand, we just won’t be able to help you.
  • Because, we get a mountain of mail from people having lost less than $10,000 USD, on a daily basis, and we know, what you DON’T know, and that is this – you’re never going to see your money again.
  • Because, if you got burnt for an iPhone and a couple of Dell computers, we aren’t able to help you; our sympathy you have, our help, you do not.
  • Because, if your case is for more than $10,000 USD, the chances are you probably did some research and due diligence, and the company stands a chance of being ‘real’, and they’re simply chancing it with you; and that means we stand a chance of getting your money back.
  • Because, our recovery service fee, is the same as our sourcing fee – 5% of the order value.

What Are The Benefits Of Sourcing From China?

Well, generally speaking you should find that you can reduce your average costs of manufacturing by up to 30%, and even as high as 60% on European and North American manufacturers. For example: Scares aside, due to failure to quality check goods at port before leaving customs, pharmaceuticals can be produced, and synthesised in China at greatly reduced costs. In certain cases costing only 1 tenth of what the same product would cost to produce in Europe or the US. Now that’s a saving! These types of savings are par for the course for a wide range of , but not all, products in China. Well, with so many companies making money from this – Why Aren’t You?

What Quantity Are We Talking?

Well, most genuine suppliers have a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), which can vary, depending on product, from 3 to 3,000 pieces.

So, How Can You Avail Yourself Of Our Unique Situation?

Your problem is one of trust. You have nobody here on whom you can rely. Quite simply, you need to have a third party here in China you can trust, and to ensure that you get the goods you want, shipped to your market of choice, when you want, and at a the price you want. But China is so far away, and you don’t know the culture, the people, or the language. But you do know, that all of the aforementioned can cause you problems.

How can you resolve these issues without going to China?

Easy, develop a relationship with somebody you can trust, and allow them to handle things for you.

Connect With The Right People – Not With The Wrong People.

Allow us to be your prime contact in China. I’m a British expatriate, married to a Chinese citizen, and have been living and working here for 8 years. Quite simply, my China qualifications are way superior to yours. Take advantage of me – before someone takes advantage of YOU!

Here’s My Hand, And My Offer.

Accurately specify what it is you want, and we’ll find a source for you. We don’t charge a fee for inquiries, and you should immediately, or within a few days, be presented with a series of offers, from which you can choose what appeals best to you. If the source is new to us, and you can guarantee you want to take that offer, then we’ll go down and verify the source first, before you make the payment, at no extra cost to you, as we consider a new source to be a new RESOURCE for us. Give us the stress you just don’t need – and don’t feed the greed! Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-09-13 18:58:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Popularity: 7%

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Why I Don’t Source Brands For Parallel Or Grey Export From China.

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Drafter at work : Drafters pay careful attenti...

Drafter At Work (Model Used For This Image)

Just why won’t I source iPhones, XBoxes, and the like, from China?

Well, I’m going to keep this brief, and to the point, and use Microsoft™ and Apple™ as examples, since they’re really very commonly sought after brands. The Russian and other Caucasian mafias are very organised, and have a lot of funding behind them. Consequently, having a technician take a piece of equipment, such as an Xbox or iPhone, apart, and making technical drawings of the product, isn’t really a matter which presents them with any great difficulty. Having business cards made claiming they represent Microsoft™ or Apple™, presents them with equally as little difficulty. Printing headed paper for letters, and bonded paper for business production and distribution RIGHTS licences, for the purpose of confirming that a company is being granted the RIGHTS, to manufacture and distribute, the Xboxes and iPhones they manufacture, under that licence, is no problem either. Sending some men, and a beautiful female interpreter, to China to convince Chinese factory owners that they are genuinely being granted licences to manufacture and distribute “genuine Microsoft™ or Apple™” products, presents just as little difficulty. Of course, when once they arrive in China, and some small, medium to large electronics company, in central China, in the middle of nowhere, is paid a visit by the mighty Microsoft™ or Apple™ corporations’ representatives – then they are, of course, deeply humbled and just can’t believe their luck; whilst afterwards,  it takes them at least a fortnight to stop smiling at themselves, and they will never tire of boasting of their new connection with the mighty Microsoft™ or Apple™ corporations. After wining and dining their esteemed and honoured guests, they then find themselves being presented with the license to manufacture and distribute on behalf of these great names. It’s like being granted a license to print money! Within months their goods are being bought and sold in China, and then sent abroad to small buyers, purchasing through the internet, looking to make a buck by buying cheaply from China. Of course, the reality is that a genuine REGIONAL MANUFACTURER or DISTRIBUTOR, would never dare risk losing their license by selling outside of their geographically acknowledge sales region. Meanwhile, the Chinese manager producing the goods, hasn’t the slightest idea that he’s producing fakes. He thinks it’s all real. After all, the people who came, where all foreign, white, big, wore expensive clothes, shoes, and watches, and stayed in the most expensive suites in the most expensive hotel in town. They even had business cards, letterheads, secret plans and technical drawings, and bonded licence paper, and a company seal. What is there to doubt? How could the factory owner possibly doubt them? And I bet this goes on in other countries such as India, Pakistan, and elsewhere. I suppose you can now see why I won’t touch named brands in China for the purposes of export. It simply isn’t worth the risk to me, my reputation, to you, or your clients. If you want the genuine goods, then speak to the OFFICIAL Microsoft™ or Apple™ DISTRIBUTOR (or whatever brand) for your particular geographic region. A quick visit to their websites should provide you with that information. Do yourself and your clients a favour. Why do you think you’re going to get them cheaper here? Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-31-12 13:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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