Frequently Asked Questions

Business portals and other listing sites are suitable to do some basic, quick research, howeveryou can’t only rely on that to make a decision. Afterall, these are all paid listing sites which host a mixture of suppliers with varying quality and above all reliability.

Working with an overseas supplier is much more than just identifying if a factory has passed some basic background checks or has a particular member status on a listing site. There are many more aspects to make sure the transaction runs smoothly.

It’s critical to find a manufacturer who is a right match for your product and your particular needs, such as grade, finish, order size and experience. Even choosing and working with a local supplier in your country is challenging. For overseas suppliers, time-zones, language and cultural differences add extra layers of complexity.

You have the option of learning about the process from us, and handling it yourself, or we can take care of the whole transaction for you. It’s important to get this part right, as incorrect or missing documents can cause delays and costly storage fees. Assuming the wrong rate of duty can have a significant effect on the final cost of your product.

Communication issues can arise even when doing business locally. Considering for an overseas supplier, English is a second language, things can get really confusing. You may even find someone who has used some stock English phrases to use in email, so they sound convincing at first, but the important message doesn’t get through. Also, while discussing technical or construction aspects of a product, other countries have different terms, standards and processes. With our local teams presence, we understand dealing with these situations and can help you clear up or avoid the miscommunications.

Overseas factories will typically quote a production time of 30 – 45 days. This the time taken for ordering raw materials, getting the staff and the production line ready, production run plus fitting it in around their other commitments.

If your product arrives by sea, then you can expect it to take another 45 to 60 days to get from the factory to your door. This includes time on the water, unloading and sorting, Customs clearance, Quarantine and local delivery.

If your shipment is urgent and small enough to come by air, then this will typically take one week to get to you.

If this is the first time your product has been made, or it requires some tooling or moulds to be made, it will take extra time at the start of the process. Development times can range from 15 days to 60 days.

Also, other countries have different holiday periods (eg: Diwali in India and Chinese New Year in China) and busy times that don’t coincide with yours. This means that sometimes the lead-time for ordering will be longer than normal.

These are the kinds of issues that we will discuss with you at the beginning of the process to put strategies in place and minimise the effects.

A successful shipment is ensured by a combination of steps that need to be followed. Each project presents its own risks that need to be addressed, including having complete and clear specifications, a complete sample or prototype, choice of manufacturer and performing quality control checks at various stages.

We will discuss the options with you and help you to choose the steps which will be most relevant for your project.