If you are or have started a business in artificial turf, you should know that the risk of finding dishonest Chinese suppliers or encountering poor-quality goods is high. Whether you are delving into online B2B markets, online supplier directories, or visiting trade shows or wholesale markets, there are a few black sheep to watch out for. In this article, we’ll discuss your purchasing options and recommend the best way to find reliable turf manufacturers to build long-term relationships.
1. Canton Fair
China’s largest import and export trade conference, held twice a year, covers almost all industries that produce in-kind products. It’s too Big; it runs in three stages:
Phase I: electronics, machinery, building materials, and chemical products
The second stage: consumer goods, home decorations, and gifts
The third stage: textiles, leisure products, office supplies, footwear, medical equipment, and health care products
You can join for free, but get ready for the store once you’re inside. Here are some tips:
– sales reps speak essential business English. Some are hired for the fair and may not work for the company. You will only know the minimum order size and some product details.
– you can hire an interpreter at the fair for 400-500 RMB or 60-75 USD per day. The minority language charges a higher service fee.
– the supplier brings samples so that you can see and touch the product to understand the quality.
– there is a correlation between low prices and poor-quality products. You will only see the quality you want if you are willing to pay a high price.
– after you talk to the supplier, they will ask for your business card to contact you after the show. Some lawn buyers are reluctant to give business cards to every supplier they meet because they fear their details will be sold to other suppliers. As a courtesy, they may distribute fake cards to all but the suppliers they are interested in.
The canton fair is enormous. Find the exhibitor’s list and their booth locations on the exhibition website in advance to save time and effort. The same suppliers attend every year, so there needs to be more freshness. Don’t expect to see innovation either — companies with updated designs or features may display prototypes and only look for distributors rather than OEMs or private-label manufacturers.
2. Google
Searching for Chinese suppliers on Google is a logical first step for new artificial turf practitioners. Chinese suppliers own commercial websites and social media. They often have joint names on social channels, such as direct Chinese suppliers or wholesale markets. Some of these suppliers may be agents that help you find them.
As mentioned earlier, many English supplier websites are traders rather than manufacturers. If you find the manufacturer’s website genuine, please continue to check. You might get a quick quote and a sample within a short time and then fly to China to visit the factory.
Search for products or locations using specific keywords, such as “Best artificial grass manufacturers in China” or “China artificial grass factory.” Keyword-based Google searches are also a quick way to find relevant vendor pages in directories and B2B sites.
3. B2B market
You can search for Chinese suppliers online. Alibaba, made in China, and global resources are popular sites for finding suppliers and manufacturers in China. As always, there are a few things you need to be aware of to avoid being duped in these B2B markets:
– dealers may advertise as manufacturers, which is not a big deal if you buy toys, clothes, accessories, and cheap electronics. Only the manufacturer will do so for products that must be made according to specific technical requirements. Therefore, if you are selling a product made using a manufacturing process such as metal stamping or plastic injection molding, you must verify the supplier’s capabilities as early as possible. These sites rate their suppliers, but nothing is 100% transparent. For example, a vendor who becomes a senior member of Alibaba through an annual fee can gain gold supplier status, which increases their visibility on the site but does not mean anything regarding ethical behavior and quality levels. Therefore, the suppliers that get the most exposure in Alibaba — the ones that might pop up when you search for their product categories — still have to be vetted.
– after contacting the supplier, you can request samples and place an order. But the process can be lengthy, taking weeks rather than days from initial exposure to receive a selection.
– considering the back-and-forth with suppliers, you’ll want to have a common language. Communication barriers make it challenging to explain your exact requirements via email or live chat.
– since the significant B2B websites provide a simple platform for almost all Chinese suppliers to present to buyers, this over-saturated space may cause many high-quality suppliers to opt out.
Warning:
– some less-than-good suppliers can pass themselves off as quality suppliers in online catalogs. Buyers will rank higher in search results if they pay, regardless of their feedback and ratings.
– finding reliable suppliers in the B2B market can be daunting. It would be best to screen each supplier separately, preferably including a visit to their factory.
– easily attracted by minimum prices or minimum orders. The lowest price is at the expense of product quality. Costs can change once production starts, so the vast price advantage is not static. The rate will be affected if the supplier has never produced the product advertised on the website. Find out the market price/floor price of the product-a quote 20% -30% below that price should be cause for alarm.
4. Purchasing agent
The Chinese purchasing agent is your ideal choice when manufacturing products according to precise technical specifications. Agents in China visit factories to check quality control closely. After you approve mass production, the agent will revisit the factory to check the raw materials and the quality of previous batches.
The agent landing in China is fluent in Mandarin, so you can overcome the language barrier and communicate your requirements. Chinese suppliers are very cautious about what they share — they are unlikely to notify you of production delays or raise issues when they are unsure of your product specifications. The purchasing agent can also help ensure the supplier is in line with you before production begins.
You will have full support when you work with agents throughout the procurement process. If you want to do it all at once and build a long-term relationship with your supplier, hiring a purchasing agent is the right approach.
5. Baidu
Most Chinese use Baidu, and you can use the translation tool to look for clues or see if the vendors are on Google or Alibaba and follow up if they seem promising. You may find more company details or information, such as whether they are involved in a legal dispute. If you need to learn how to do this, you can share the information you get from Baidu with your purchasing agent to help you contact the supplier you want to reach.
6. Yiwu market
Disclaimer: Yiwu Wholesalers are trading companies, not manufacturers.
Yiwu market in Zhejiang province is open all year round. It has 40,000 stores, and you should only look at it if you want to buy bags, shoes, textiles, watches, and accessories at low prices. The market is heavily skewed towards buyers from India, Africa, and the Middle East, so their products must meet EU and US regulations and safety standards. You should look elsewhere if you want toys, cosmetics, or medical devices.
Here, prices can fall as much as they like, but quality increases or decreases accordingly. If your target market is highly segmented and you sell or distribute to other sellers through multiple channels, the Yiwu Market is an option. Some sellers use Yiwu as a supplement to existing suppliers when their stores are empty, and they need to fill products.
Yiwu wholesalers work with many factories in Zhejiang and Jiangsu. One advantage is that you can buy off-the-shelf products on the spot or ship them to your location in bulk.
If your desired product is still being prepared for sale, ensure you know your quality requirements so your supplier can order from a matching factory. The dispute over price will only lead to factories using cheaper materials, leading to lower quality.
Detron Turf, a reliable supplier of made in China Artificial Turf
You want to find a reliable, professional turf supplier, not a one-time low-cost, low-quality supplier.
So it’s essential to know who you’re dealing with. Here are some tips for making the proper distinction:
– obtain company quality certificates (SGS, Labsports, etc.). The factory will be listed as “Owner” on the certificate
– free samples of artificial turf may be provided to the purchaser for inspection of quality
– can support small orders. For the first time with the factory, we want to make a trial order after checking the samples. However, some suppliers will strongly persuade you to buy many lawns at a meager price; suitable artificial lawn suppliers will help customers grow together from a small order.
These checks become necessary when looking for a Chinese supplier without the help of a purchasing agent who works closely with the Chinese plant and has a close relationship with it. Agents are a safe option for purchasing quality goods with ease.
Of course, there will be some minor problems with the initial contact with the supplier, and your relationship may be Primary Colors, but maintaining a good relationship with the supplier will help your business. It is much easier to overcome language and cultural barriers through a purchasing agent. But if you are willing to travel to China occasionally and commit to the relationship, you can manage it yourself.