Anyone tried sourcing from China?

[UWG UnitedWoodsGroup]

Over the past decade, more and more contractors, developers, and wholesalers have been sourcing building materials and home products directly from China.
Some clear advantages: Lower prices, Massive production capacity, Customization options, A huge variety of products in one place
But let’s be honest—it’s not always smooth sailing.
We’ve heard people say things like:
– “It’s hard to trust suppliers I’ve never met.”
– “Quality control is tricky.”
– “Shipping delays and customs give me headaches.”
– “Minimum order quantities are too high.”
– “What if something goes wrong after payment?”
So What’s been your experience sourcing from China? What challenges have you run into?
Whether you’ve dealt with dozens of containers or are just thinking about your first order, your insights could really help others.
Drop a comment and let’s have an open discussion.

 

[ICE]

A word of caution to UnitedWoodsGroup. You are a commercial operation selling building materials. If you came here as a marketing ploy, your time will be brief. Edification, fun or just something to do are fine but soliciting business is not okay.

I have a brother-in-law that has imported stuff from China for decades. Coffee cups, stationary, picture frames etc. He sells wholesale to stores like Target, Walmart, Walgreens etc. A few years ago he branched out with a line of floor tile. Mosaic mostly. He is an artist and the designs that he has produced are attractive.

I have had conversations regarding several of the issues that you mentioned. He explained that he travels to China every few years and has a personal relationship with the factory owners. For example, the owner of the tile factory is a man that he was a classmate with in grade school. Now that's not to say that unless you know the people, they will be risky to do business with but he did point out that his connections made a difference.

I haven't spoken to him about this in several years so the current political climate may have put a cloud over sourcing from china.

I knew an engineer (since deceased) that would send rudimentary conceptual drawings to a firm in China. Back would come a complete set of engineered plans, ready to submit for permit.

One concern might be NRTL approvals. I encountered a mansion being built with windows that were imported from Germany. They lacked any NRTL certifications. That could be a problem with some jurisdictions.