#121: A Guide To The Canton Fair And Sourcing Products In China

Terry is attending a conference in Bangkok this week, so he pulled aside Matt Kowalak and Jamon Yerger from Running With China to have a chat about the upcoming Canton Fair. With over 20 years of combined sourcing experience in China, we go through some basic strategies cross-referenced with Terry’s own experience this year for a holistic and complete perspective for someone just starting out or experienced in the game.

Topics Discussed:

  • Global Sources vs. Canton Fair
  • Should you visit a supplier’s factory or see them at Canton Fair?
  • How mature should your product idea be prior to visiting a supplier?
  • What are the best practices in defending your intellectual property?
  • How can somebody reverse engineer a product’s supply chain?
  • What are other costs outside of manufacturing to look out for?
  • What are some best practices for import duties and customs?
  • What’s the typical organization chart of a supplier in China?
  • When should you use an agent or go direct?
  • How do agents typically get compensated and what makes a good one?
  • What are some dangers of pushing your supplier or agent too much?
  • How negotiable are MOQs and what you should look out for?
  • How can someone maintain proper expectations and supplier relationships being overseas?
  • “Running With China” bootcamp for pre/post-event meetups

Mentions in the Episode:

 

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Comments

  1. Fantastic podcast. These guys know what they’re talking about! Their candidness is really refreshing. Excellent points about choosing quality or price, but not both, relationship building over contracts, etc.

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