Field-tested advice for importing from China — from first contact to delivered goods.
Advanced · Operations
Move past solo importing: the sourcing team roles you need, when to hire a local agent or in-house staff, and how to build long-term trust with Chinese suppliers.
Beginner · FAQ
Straight answers to the most common questions: minimum orders, shipping, how to pay, verifying suppliers, samples, and what actually goes wrong when importing from China.
Intermediate · Category Guide
How Foshan's specialist furniture towns work — Lecong, Longjiang, Chencun and Shunde — plus material specs, MOQs, flat-pack shipping, and furniture-specific QC.
Intermediate · Market Guide
How the Yiwu International Trade City actually works: what to buy, booth minimums, trading-company reality, logistics, and the pitfalls that cost first-time buyers.
Intermediate · Customs & Taxes
HS codes, duty and VAT math, de minimis thresholds, and the free tools that estimate what you'll actually pay when goods clear customs.
Advanced · Platform Guide
Why 1688's prices are 20-50% lower, why you can't just check out as a foreigner, and the agent/consolidation route that actually gets you the savings.
Beginner · Trade Shows
How to make a China trade fair worth the trip: Canton Fair phases and dates, other key shows, which exhibitors are real factories, and the follow-up that lands the deals.
Beginner · Quality Control
Pre-shipment inspection, AQL sampling, who inspects, what it costs, and how to act on the results — the QC steps that stop defective batches before they ship.
Intermediate · Category Guide
Guangzhou's apparel cluster: the key wholesale and fabric markets, factory vs trading company, realistic clothing MOQs, and the garment-specific QC pitfalls.
Beginner · Honest Advice
Lead times lie more than prices do, the quoted price isn't the real price, and your first container is a tuition bill. Honest, from-experience truths most guides skip.
Intermediate · Category Guide
Why Shenzhen dominates electronics sourcing, what to buy there, factory vs trading company, Huaqiangbei tips, and the pitfalls that cost importers money.
Beginner · Safety
Low-price bait, phantom factories, phantom prepayment, invoice switcheroo — the common scam patterns and the exact defenses that protect your money.
Intermediate · Sampling
Free vs paid samples, what to ask for, sample-cost negotiation, courier fees, and how to turn a good sample into a small trial order.
Intermediate · Platforms
Which platform fits your product and budget? A no-nonsense comparison of the big four sourcing marketplaces — selection, MOQ, quality, protection, and when 1688's low prices are worth the complexity.
Beginner · Budget
A realistic item-by-item budget for your first import — samples, product, shipping, customs, tooling, inspection, and the hidden fees people forget.
Beginner · Sourcing
A repeatable step-by-step system: define your spec, choose the right platform, shortlist suppliers, verify them, and order samples.
Beginner · Sourcing
The single biggest mistake new importers make is paying an unverified "supplier." Here's a practical checklist: business license checks, video factory visits, scam-searching in Chinese, trial orders, and using platform protection.
Beginner · Pricing
Minimum order quantities aren't fixed. Learn how factory pricing is built, where the hidden costs live, and how to negotiate a price that's fair for both sides.
Intermediate · Logistics
FOB, CIF, EXW, DDP — what they actually mean, who pays for what, and how to avoid surprise customs bills and port delays.