Huawei Chopped up Apple (logo)?
Recently, I have been seeing an increasing number of Chinese posts trying to justify why Trump have targeted Huawei. For those in the know, on both sides of the Pacific, understand that it’s not so much about U.S. national security, or because Huawei’s equipment has a backdoor for spying. However, for the rest (and majority) […]
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Shipping inside China
Here’s an excerpt from an email exchange with a client regarding shipping in China that may be of interest… I thought you might be able to answer a question regarding the presence of DHL, UPS or FedEx in the Chinese market? Every once in while we’re being asked to ship within China using one of […]
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Two-Wheel Electric Scooter Shortage on Horizon
Since couple of days ago, China customs has been cracking down on the export of the two-wheel electric scooters. None of the products to be exported through most of the China’s major ports will be allowed to go out. This is due to a patent infringement law suit filed by some idiot in China. Idiot […]
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State of e-Cig Supply Chain in China
Just to share a little bit of my thoughts regarding the state of e-cig supply chain in China; this is after a couple of months of research and experience. As you are very aware, most of the e-cig factories are stationed in the Shenzhen area. This is a very typical “Chinese” pattern. For some reason, […]
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Buying Directly from China
I wrote this post about six years ago. Since then, majority of U.S. buyers have become much more discriminate shoppers. However, recent encounters with a couple of new customers have me thinking about this exact same topic… • Overview. Overseas printing is very unlike printing domestically in the U.S.; overseas printing is half printing and […]
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The Chinese Holidays
In answering a client’s question about holiday schedule in China… There are actually three big holidays in China every year. The biggest and longest one is the Chinese New Year. The other two are: Labor Day in May and National Day in October. Officially, the latter two is a three-day holiday. But unofficially, it is […]
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The Chinese Economy that Could.
Praying for a financial implosion or collapse in the Chinese economy. A huge adjustment is really needed for this red hot economy that never seizes to stop growing. A reset will be good for the country in the long term; a pause in their growth will get everybody to double check if the whole country […]
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Alibaba Offline – Yiwu International Trade City (义乌国际商贸城)
Many of you have seem me criticize Alibaba – while a good source for starters, definitely not a dependable or long term channel for serious sourcing strategies. Today, I’d like to introduce a variant of Alibaba.com. Unlike its cyber counterpart, this is a real place. A destination in China that you can physically visit. A […]
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Alibaba and the Forty Thieves – 11 Recommendations about Buying Directly from China
This popular childhood fable is no longer imaginary. The mention of “alibaba.com” makes most Americans think it’s the primary gateway factory portal. To buy anything direct, alibaba.com is the one destination. But if you work in China, alibaba.com is probably the last destination you’ll ever visit. Sure, there are still good information on the site, […]
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Why are Chinese Manufacturers are so Short-Sighted?
One thing about Chinese manufacturers that is universally true: they always focus on how best to maximize the one current job you’ve sent them. They would find all kinds of ways to cut corners, either by reducing the quality of material or less labor, etc. They would never look down the road where a solid […]
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