It’s common knowledge in today’s society that importing goods from China is a big business. From the countless items we buy having ‘made in China’ printed into them, to our cheaper alternatives to hot-on-trend commodities, China’s imports are popular with consumers. But is importing from China as beneficial to businesses as it is to the consumer? Should small businesses start these imports as a regular business activity? Here, we’ve gathered just a few reasons as to why small businesses should start importing from China, and just how it could benefit them.
Rumours Of Poor Quality Aren’t True
One of the biggest turn-offs unknowing business people claim to have when it comes to China is the “poor quality” of the items that are imported from there – but this simply isn’t true! While there are instances of companies using cheap materials and cheap labour to mass produce mediocre products, it’s also important to remember that big companies such as Apple, Logitech, Johnson & Johnson and many more all have factories and warehouses in China, and they produce what is widely regarded as some of the highest quality goods the world has to offer. Small businesses can benefit from China’s heavy manufacturing knowledge and still produce high quality products on a large scale.
Wages In China Are Cheaper
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China is a popular destination to import from for companies, and this is also partly to do with the fact that it’s highly cost-effective. Wages in China are much cheaper, and while this can often drum up images of underpaid factory workers, this is also an extremity. While it is unfortunately a commonly found issue, wages can remain cheap without underpaying your staff. In fact, you could pay your workers a healthy wage in China and it would still remain cheaper than minimum wage in the UK in most cases.
Mass Production Is Much More Efficient
If your business is going to be providing high volumes of products to your customers, mass producing could be the ideal way to ensuring you have enough stock at all times for a reasonable cost. By importing from China, you’ll have access to expertise in mass production, as well as much more refined, organised production lines compared to Western alternatives. This cost-effective, efficient and simple process makes producing stock a much more streamlined and small business-friendly process.
Our Tips
While importing from China is certainly something that small businesses can consider, the popularity of the market does mean that there are plenty of tips and tricks for navigating through this vast industry. Here, we’ve got just a few tips to help small businesses get started:
- Don’t mass produce straight away. Start with smaller orders or ensure you have prototypes and samples. Only once you are completely happy with them should you agree to mass producing anything!
- Be loyal! Once you’ve found a manufacturer or factory that is producing your products to perfection on a large scale, make sure that you stay loyal. You may find a company that will offer the same cheaper, but by staying loyal, you’ll not only be assured of the same quality, but building a relationship with them can often pull in cheaper and cheaper costs.
- Make sure you have all the relevant import permissions, codes, duty paid and more, or your entire shipment could be refused entry into the UK. This may seem simple, but it’s easy to miss something so make sure you thoroughly investigate your products and what could be required to bring them into the country.
Importing from China is a cost-effective and efficient process for larger or smaller businesses alike, and so it’s worth taking a look into if you’re in need of products on a larger scale. Do your research and follow our tips above, and you could be well on your way to producing high quality imports.
