As more African entrepreneurs are entering into the importation space, it becomes imperative to ensure a product-market fit because of the growing competition among businesses. Here is a step by step process on how to get a sample product from Chinese suppliers and manufacturers.

There are many reasons a business owner would require sample products from Chinese suppliers and manufacturers. Getting a sample is a right thing to do especially for business owners who are looking to purchase in bulk or are looking to manufacture their own product. Reasons this step is important to a business owner are:

1. Quality assurance purpose-

   A sample product reassures a business owner of what they are buying. Products have different qualities, and if you are new to the business, you may not know the difference between the quality grade from a picture alone. This is why it is important to partner with procurement companies like Naiyuan Mart who have a deep knowledge of product quality in the Chinese market. They help ensure that whatever you are getting is nothing but quality.

2. To test the market-

   A sample product might help you test if your product is viable in the market or not. The idea of testing whether people will buy your product or if it is what the market needs will be proven with a sample product.

3. It Prevents Wastage Of Resources-

   With a sample product, you are not only testing whether your product is a market fit or not but you are also preventing waste by making sure your product will be accepted and that it is worth paying for. A sample product will show you what the market actually needs. It may show you the color, design, or even overall product changes altogether. This prevents you from investing so much time, energy, and money into an assumed product for the market only to realize that what the market needs is an entirely different thing.

As a business owner, it is possible to get sample products from Chinese suppliers but it may be difficult to navigate this if you are a newbie. This is because there are a variety of Chinese suppliers to choose from which makes it overwhelming. Also many of the websites where you find suppliers also have fraudsters amongst them.

The language barrier is a huge challenge when getting sample products because many Chinese suppliers don’t understand the English Language. To speak or write to them is a huge challenge and this is why it is advisable to use the services of Chinese domiciled procurement companies like Niayuan Mart for your supplier verification. For instance, Naiyuan Mart is a registered company in both China and Nigeria and they have territorial knowledge of the Chinese market. So it is safe to rely on their expertise to verify a supplier and let you know whether you are on the safe side or just dealing with a fraudster.

How To Get Sample Product From Chinese & Manufacturers

Sometimes, the pictures or videos of a product are not enough to make your decision on the quality of a product. This is because pictures or videos can be misleading sometimes and as mentioned earlier, there are some fake suppliers who steal pictures of other suppliers and parade them as their own product. 

Some fake suppliers are easy to identify but being a newbie importer, you may not be able to see these red flags. This is why YOU SHOULD GET SAMPLES OF PRODUCTS especially if you are purchasing in bulk or designing your product.

Please note that sample products are not always free and you connote get samples for all products. Free samples work for smaller products such as phone accessories, mugs, stickers. In high-risk businesses such as machines or beauty products, food, chemicals, etc., you will be required to pay for the sample product.

The following steps are relevant if you want to get a sample product:

Paying For The Sample

In most cases, you are expected to pay for a sample product. This is because Chinese suppliers also know that you’d have other suppliers in your bucket list and chances are that you have asked for a sample product from their competitors too. So, it is only fair to request payment for your sample product. However, the smartest way to reduce the cost is to assure the supplier that you will place orders as long as the product is of good quality.

Shipping The Sample

If you are doing this on your own, shipping costs and clearing will be done by you. The downside to this is that it can be overwhelming to navigate the process. However, using a procurement company like Naiyuan Mart will help reduce the stress of shipping and clearing all by yourself. Trust me, it’s not something you want to get into!

If you are doing this on your own, here’s a step by step process of getting a sample product:

1. Log into/Open any Chinese eCommerce Website-

   Except you have the luxury of time to do so, there’s definitely no way you would invest in flight, accommodation, feeding, etc to travel down to China for a sample product. The internet has made things easier. What you can do is to log into Chinese eCommerce websites such as Alibaba, Aliexpress, etc to find suppliers of the products you want to import. Check out the blog post where we shared “5 Best Chinese Websites For Importers In 2021”.

2. Search For Products You Are Interested In-

   To do this, enter keywords of the products or name of products. You will be given a lot of options. In many cases, you will see the leading companies or suppliers in the product category or industry. For instance, in 1688, you will see the supplier badge where the name of the companies are highlighted in numerical order. See an example below. This gives you a general knowledge of the leading suppliers or companies. You can click on any or all of the companies to see their product catalogue and more information about their product.

   

3. Check Suppliers Reviews, Age in Market, and Agent information:

   This is very important as it also gives you a deep understanding of the said suppliers. Some companies are 15 years old while some are just starting out. As a business owner, you’d want to weigh your options and also check reviews of previous customers, as well as product evaluation. The agent information is also important as it gives you what you need to know about procuring. For instance, some suppliers have strict Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) and shipment policies while some don’t.

4. Chat With The Supplier:

   This is a bit tricky for a newbie as many suppliers are on Chinese platforms and not regular platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook. Many are available on WeChat and they find it comfortable to communicate in Mandarin, the local Chinese language. Much information may be lost and mistakes made due to the language barrier as mentioned earlier.

5. Conclude/Pay For The Sample Product:

   After you conclude with the supplier, it’s time to go ahead and pay for the sample product. This may be difficult as some suppliers accept payment via Alipay, etc. Also, the pain of exchanging currencies is unavoidable if you are doing this yourself.

BUT, the big flex is that when you engage procurement experts like Naiyuan Mart, all of these and many more can be sorted for you. They will get you the best deal from your supplier and even pay your supplier in Chinese Yuan while you pay us in Naira.

Cool right?

Now that you have learned how to get a sample product from Chinese suppliers and manufacturers, what’s stopping you from getting started in that business you’ve always wanted? Got any questions about this article? Ask in the comments section below.

Chat with our procurement agent to help you procure a sample product and start a great entrepreneurship journey today