Introduction
As well as we know, China is a huge manufacturing factory that supplies all kinds of products at pretty good prices and quality all over the world, including clothing, electronics, toys, furniture, daily necessities, machinery, etc, In fact, nearly all the products you may use in your daily life you could buy from China. With this advantage, many foreign companies choose China as their major source of buying the products they deal with. Then, we come to the important problem: how to deal with China Underwear Supplier?
I know you’d like to get the best price with good quality and services to help you expand your market and increase your product ratio in your target market. Let’s keep reading.
Firstly, let’s briefly look over which way you can find an Underwear supplier. Mainly we find suppliers by exhibitions, such as Canton Fair twice a year is a very good choice. And next is social media, such as Alibaba, which is very popular nowadays, and self-built websites. It is worth mentioning that exhibitions are always the most effective and convenient way to find suppliers.
Next, what should you pay attention to after contacting the suitable supplier successfully? And how to communicate with this supplier to get the good result you want?
Identifying your requirements and product specifications
First and most important is that you need to make a very clear request and ensure that the C混啊underwear supplier understands your request very well. Then you all proceed to the next steps: quotation, negotiation, and others. Otherwise, everything done later will be a waste of time.
Before entering into any negotiations with a China underwear supplier, define your needs and write them down in a list. The list may include product quality, color and size, quantity required, and delivery date. Prepare the required documents such as product specifications and samples to help you better describe your requirements.
Any aspects change will lead to different prices. Therefore it is very important to inform suppliers of very clear requirements for their quotations. The best situation we hope for is that everything has reached an agreement before we arrange the sample and do the bulk production. So that we can ensure that the supplier’s bulk order finally coming out can get our request in appearance, quality, delivery time, and testing requirements. And the right is important for one company to manage their market and expand their business.
Besides, it’s best to get your China Underwear supplier to create the prototypes too. You will also be able to communicate with your supplier much better after you have gone through that prototyping process. I suggest that people have prototypes made as close to them as possible. It might be more expensive than building it in China, but you save a lot of time in the development process.
This is not the case 100% of the time, however. If you already have a lot of experience in designing and building a product and can provide a very clear, very exact spec sheet, drawings, and so on, by all means, go to China to get the prototype built.
But if you are brand new at doing this kind of thing, it’s much better to build a prototype near you, or at least buy one from your competitor. Buy a couple. Send one to your supplier, and keep one for yourself so you can compare notes later.
Show Continued Loyalty
There are many reasons why it’s important to show your continued loyalty to maintain a great supplier relationship, it not only makes daily operations more enjoyable, but it can also get you a better price, and help you expand your business.
For example, as you have previously learned, the price for the quantity of 10,000 is different from the quantity of 100,000. On the one hand, this is caused by fabric costs. The clothing manufacturers buying fabric of 100000pcs will be much cheaper than 10000pcs. On the other hand, there is regard to profit. We can say that every factory doing business requires profits. Because the machinery and equipment running needs money, hiring workers requires money, renting an office requires money, and the factory itself also needs some profit to ensure it runs successfully.
If the quantity is large, the factory can lower the profit of each product to do this order. Because the overall profit will be quite considerable if the quantity is large for the factory, even though each product’s profit is relatively thin. Here comes the question of quantity. If you may not have a big quantity now, you can indicate that you’d like to lock the quantity for six months or longer to let the factory know that you will place the total locked quantity in the later six months.
Then the factory may be more like to provide you with a more favorable price. By the way, if you worked with your long-term cooperative factory, they are very willing to help you develop new products. Although the new products may be complicated, difficult to make, and takes some money to develop.
Besides, you could talk with your suppliers about other opportunities to work together. During your regular meetings with your suppliers, discuss opportunities to help one another. Perhaps you could trade referrals or introduce one another to key players in non-competing industries. Now more than ever is the time to get innovative with your suppliers.
There are 4 ways for you to show your loyalty
（1）Try out new products they offer
（2）Consolidate your ordering among fewer vendors if possible
（3）Set repeat orders over a given period
（4）Introduce them to other business owners
Understanding the Underwear market
Competitor analysis
By studying the pricing strategies and product ranges of major competitors, you can get an idea of the price range of the market. Focus on factors such as their product positioning, brand reputation, and market share.
Market Research
Conduct market research, including online surveys, interviews with real consumers, and visits to relevant offline retail stores. By understanding consumers’ purchasing behavior and their price sensitivity to different brands and products, the general level of market price can be inferred.
Use price comparison websites
Explore and use price comparison websites, such as PriceGrabber, Shopzilla, Google Shopping, etc., which provide price comparisons across different retailers. By searching for the desired underwear style and brand, you can see the prices and deals offered by different retailers.
Contact suppliers and wholesalers
Communicate with underwear suppliers and wholesalers to find out their wholesale prices and payment terms. By entering into a partnership in advance, you can get more competitive prices.
Social media and online forums
Follow social media groups, forums, blogs, etc. related to the underwear market. On these platforms, interact with industry experts and other insiders to get their insights on market pricing trends and the latest offers.
Things to keep in mind when paying with China Underwear supplier
Regarding payment terms, when dealing with a Supplier or Vendor in their home country, it is common for us to receive payment terms, such as paying for something 30 or 60 days after receiving it. However, this is not typically the case in China, especially when starting a new business relationship. In China, the usual payment terms involve a 30% deposit with the remaining 70% paid upon completion, particularly when working with a Supplier for the first time.
In some cases, for resource-intensive products that require the Supplier to incur significant upfront costs for resources like steel or brass, they may request higher payment terms, such as 50%/50% or even 100% upfront. Nevertheless, if you are a new importer establishing a relationship with a Supplier, I would be cautious about anything exceeding 30%/70%.
Suppliers may request a 100% prepayment before production, especially if they perceive you as a first-time importer. However, making a full upfront payment instantly exposes you to risk due to the substantial amount of money involved. Additionally, the Supplier lacks incentive to address any issues with product quality after delivery.
Timely payment can foster greater cooperation between both parties. The factory will have more confidence in working with you and may be willing to provide the order at a lower profit margin. Furthermore, higher deposits alleviate the financial strain on the factory’s operations.
Arranging timely payments also facilitates a cooperative relationship. For suppliers, delays in payment can be likened to the factory consistently failing to deliver goods when you urgently need to put them on your shelves. In such situations, both parties are under pressure.
Moreover, adhering to payment schedules prevents cash flow problems for everyone involved. Proper cash flow management is vital for running a successful business.
Common mistakes to avoid during negotiations
When bargaining with suppliers, it is vital to know your opponent. Here are a few mistakes that individuals often make when bargaining with vendors:
Overemphasizing cost
Price is important, but there are other factors to consider. Understanding the competition is critical when bargaining with suppliers.
Failing to do research
Before entering into talks, it is crucial to conduct extensive research on the supplier and its products. This will enable you to comprehend their price policy, their level of production, and any dangers you need to be alert to.
Excessive rigidity
Concessions should be made during the negotiation process. Avoid being excessively rigid or hesitant to make concessions. Aim towards a situation where both sides are content with the result, or a win-win situation. It’s workable to give up some less important factors to reach the most important goal you want.
Think about different offers the supplier could make and what you are willing to concede or compromise on. Write down your negotiating strengths and how you might use them to get the concessions you require. Consider ways of defending the weaker parts of your argument and negating the supplier’s main strengths.
Ignore factors other than price
Pay attention to non-price elements including the conditions of payment, shipping, and customer service. Your overall happiness with the supplier may be strongly impacted by these aspects.
Be bold and ask for discounts or special offers.
Sometimes it’s easier to bargain for free items than it is to get a discount. Your China underwear suppliers might be overstocked in something themselves. Or they might have a new product that they want their clients to try out.
In the negotiation process ask them about free items, too. They appreciate the fact that you’re not simply trying to get the very lowest price available and instead are open to trying out some new things. Besides, a new sample for your product development for next season is also a high expense. Chinese lingerie suppliers may offer discounts for bulk orders or for customers willing to sign long-term contracts.
Due diligence on your China underwear supplier
Before entering into a contractual agreement with any supplier, conducting proper due diligence is crucial to verify their ability to fulfill the terms.
It is advisable to perform credit checks on potential suppliers to ensure they possess sufficient financial resources to meet your requirements within the specified timeframe.
In turn, the supplier may also conduct checks on your financial standing to ensure your ability to payment for their goods or services.
Obtaining references from other customers is also recommended. The supplier should be willing to provide contact information for previous clients, allowing you to gather feedback on their experiences.
Importance of quality control in the importing process
When it comes to sourcing from China, one of the most valuable pieces of advice you can receive is to never let your guard down, even when dealing with reliable suppliers. It is crucial to maintain strict production monitoring and quality control, even with your most trusted underwear suppliers. There is often a disparity between our understanding of what is “acceptable” and that of the suppliers (despite having specifications and approved samples). It is not uncommon for suppliers to openly question why buyers cannot accept products that don’t fully meet specifications if they still serve the intended purpose.
Returning to a suggestion I mentioned earlier, if you are not based in China and unable to personally conduct quality control, there are inspection companies and agents available at reasonable prices who can perform the necessary checks.
Conclusion
Building strong relationships with suppliers is crucial for the success and longevity of your business. Suppliers play a pivotal role in ensuring smooth production processes, timely delivery of high-quality materials, customer satisfaction, and cost savings. Moreover, they provide valuable business insights and trade secrets.
In essence, our primary objective is to secure our interests through cultivating amicable and mutually beneficial relationships with our suppliers. The bond between buyers and suppliers is interdependent, allowing for mutual growth and development. A reliable supplier can contribute to the growth of a buyer’s business, just as a discerning buyer can foster the advancement of a supplier’s enterprise.
