Three Simple Ways How To Find Factories In China

finding the right factory in china can make or break your online business i spent 12 years working for a sourcing company sourcing products out of china i've even lived in china for nine years after i graduated college so i've got a lot to share with you and in this video i'm going to tell you the methods i use to find factories in china so that you can do the same [Music] thanks for watching this episode of step by step my in-depth video series where i share all i know about building a business online from scratch my name is spencer and i co-founded solo stove we started in a garage with 15 000 bucks and over the past year or so solo stove has had sales of over 250 million dollars don't worry i have nothing to sell you i make these videos purely to help other entrepreneurs start selling online so if that's you hit that subscribe button let's get to it i'm going to walk you through three ways to find factories in china i'll also touch on tips to help you evaluate them so you know whether or not they're a good fit for your company then at the end of the video i'm going to give you a bonus tip that most people aren't thinking about so be sure to watch to the end the first and most accessible way to find a factory in china is to start on alibaba.com or other online platforms like global sources or made in china these platforms they help connect factories and suppliers in china to buyers from all over the world the tricky part with them is that there are so many listed suppliers that it's hard to sift through all of them and know whether or not you found a good one or if you're gonna get scammed so use their filtering tools and look for suppliers that have been on the platform for a number of years the more the better and if you find a supplier that's new to the platform i'd say be careful also look for other trust badges that the platform gives out like the verified badge and the gold supplier this usually means that the supplier is paying to be on the platform which does show some level of commitment and to me makes the company more legit also pay attention to the product offering a supplier shows if it's a broad selection of all sorts of different products they're probably a chinese trading company and not a factory chinese trading companies buy from factories and are the middlemen they don't own or run a factory they usually operate with like a really small team and can pop up and close down with relative ease so there can be more risk if you end up dealing with a trading company when looking for suppliers on alibaba or any other similar online platform you want to find a supplier that only sells one type of product because a real factory is limited by their machinery and they can usually only make a narrow scope of products it may be that they can only do plastic injection molding or steel work or aluminum extrusions or faucets or toilet seats so look out for this cue if they show online a bunch of different products be careful in general online platforms are good but you have to know what you're looking for the ease of use makes shady scammers all the more attracted to these platforms so be super careful the next method i like to use is to attend industry-specific trade shows prior to covid it was easy to hop over to china and walk a trade show or two in just a few days at these trade shows you can find suppliers who have spent a lot of money to be in front of quality buyers and when both sides spend money to find each other it usually weeds out those that aren't serious trade shows are great because you can meet face to face and talk about your product together you can touch and feel samples and show them your prototypes and what's best about face-to-face is that you can build a relationship with a supplier and this can make a ton of difference so look up industry trade shows that are related to your market and when it's convenient to travel find cheap flights and spend some time at these shows also remember that there are a lot of trade shows domestically as well a lot of chinese factories and suppliers will make the trip and attend so if you're not adventurous and you want to stay in country find the trade shows within the united states and when you can't travel to any shows or you just don't want to you can always spend time on the trade show websites this is a great place to look up all the exhibitors from current and past shows these lists are usually free and easy to download spend time looking up each supplier and see if you can't find one that meets your needs knowing that they were there at the show you can assume that they're a pretty decent lead i found lots of good suppliers this way including one that made products for rei and a handful of other top tier outdoor gear brands okay the third way to find a factory in china is to use a us-based sourcing company these companies are middlemen but they're skilled at working with chinese factories they might already have existing relationships with factories so piggybacking off their experience and relationships can be really good the downside is that they need to make money too so there's an extra layer of cost added on when you use a sourcing company but they exist for a reason and they are often worth the added cost the benefit to you is that you can work with someone who speaks your language natively and who can understand your needs and possibly even your customers needs by finding a sourcing company within the u.s you can cut down the need to work two time zones and eventually spend less time sourcing and dealing with factories in china and spend more time on the other aspects of your business to find a us-based sourcing company just search on google for companies in your area meet up with them and start talking with them understand the process and the financial commitment required to get started talk with a few of them and compare and before you know it you'll be talking the talk and could quickly have some great options to get your product made finding the right factory in china to make your products is very much like dating they need to be attracted to you and you to them and if they're not interested in the relationship it doesn't matter how bad you want them to make your product it just won't happen understand that factories in china are complex and you won't understand all the customer relationships they have so don't be surprised if they're not interested in your business just move on and keep looking finding a factory that wants to develop a relationship with you can be amazing when we started solo stove it took forever to find the right partner we actually shelved the idea to start solo stove for a year because it was so hard to find the right partner who wanted to take a risk on a small startup but when we found the right partner it was amazing and things took off fast just be patient and persistent and you'll find a great factory in china okay here's the bonus tip i promised you china is full of great factories but i've always said that starting in china can be hard especially for small startups because factories they run off of volume and if you don't have large volumes it can be difficult to start in china on the other hand i believe there are great opportunities within the us to find manufacturers and since you're able to communicate well with them i believe finding a factory in the u.s is a great option it may cost more but if that's what it takes to get up and running i say it's worth exploring you can always find ways to reduce costs later so if you're looking for an alternative to a factory in china look within the us and see what you can find who knows the perfect partner might be right here at home if they are you'll benefit from faster shipping times a familiar working culture and less paperwork when it comes to importing so there you have it find a factory in china by searching online through alibaba and other platforms visit trade shows or just download the exhibitor list from their websites or search for us-based sourcing companies who can help you find a factory in china these are the ways i find factories in china it's really that simple if you have any questions about finding factories in china leave a comment down below i'll be sure to answer it and if this video was helpful help me out by hitting the like button and remember to subscribe and if you're looking for more videos on how to start your own e-commerce business from scratch here's a link up in the card to my other step-by-step videos until next time good luck work hard and i'll see you in the next video [Music] you

Channel: Spencer Jan

Views: 19,616

Keywords: how to find factories in china, china factory, china sourcing, how to find a factory in china, china suppliers, how to find product on alibaba, factory on alibaba, how to find a manufacturer, how to find a supplier on alibaba, alibaba suppliers, how to find a supplier in china, china sourcing agent, importing from china to usa, how to find a manufacturer for a product, China sourcing, factory, chinese factory, spencer jan, ecommerce, entrepreneurship, import from china

Id: RBj6vLKtsdA

Length: 8min 17sec (497 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 01 2021