Procurement guides
Plan your order from China, check the supplier, and prepare for delivery. These guides focus on furniture, finishes, lighting, and joinery for architecture and interior projects.
Thumbnails are generated illustrations.
How to buy from China
Start with the complete buying process, including import requirements for Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Read the buying guideGuides for your next decision
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How to find and verify a supplier in China
Check a Chinese supplier's identity, production capability, samples, and order terms before committing to a purchase.
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The real cost of importing from China: a worked example
Build a complete import budget with a hypothetical chair order, a landed-cost worksheet, and checks for missing or duplicated charges.
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Alibaba vs. 1688 vs. buying direct from a factory
Compare Alibaba.com, 1688, and direct factory purchasing by specification, payment, export handling, and total order cost.
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How to place your first small order from China
Plan a limited trial order from China with clear specifications, sample approval, payment stages, inspection, and a delivery review.
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How to check product quality before shipment from China
Set inspection requirements, approve reference samples, choose quality checks, and resolve failures before goods leave China.
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Factory, trading company, or sourcing agent?
Compare buying from a Chinese factory, trading company, or sourcing agent, with questions about responsibility, fees, and quality checks.
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How to request and compare quotes from Chinese suppliers
Send a clear request for quotation, compare Chinese suppliers on the same basis, and use a reusable RFQ email and comparison worksheet.
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How to negotiate prices and minimum orders
Negotiate a manageable China sourcing order by changing quantity, materials, packing, and timing while protecting the agreed specification.
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How to pay Chinese suppliers and reduce payment risk
Compare supplier payment arrangements, verify beneficiary details, and connect payment milestones to the checks your China sourcing order needs.
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EXW, FCA, FOB, CIF, and DDP explained for buyers
Compare five Incoterms 2020 rules for China sourcing, including delivery points, transport modes, cost allocation, and transfer of risk.
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Air freight, sea freight, or courier from China: how to choose
Compare courier, air freight, and sea freight using packed dimensions, destination charges, handling needs, and your actual delivery deadline.
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How to combine orders from multiple Chinese suppliers
Plan supplier deliveries, warehouse receiving, checks, repacking, and export documents before combining goods into one shipment from China.
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Private label vs. custom manufacturing in China
Compare branding an existing product with developing a custom design, including sampling, tooling, ownership, testing, and repeat orders.
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Damaged, defective, or incomplete imports
Record delivery problems, preserve evidence, identify the relevant claims route, and agree a practical remedy for an import order.
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A hypothetical import order from China: enquiry to delivery
Follow an illustrative furniture order through supplier enquiries, sample approval, inspection, freight booking, and receiving. This is a worked example, not a customer case study.