Getting started
Your first shipment: where to start
The order of steps if you have never ordered from China before.
Проверено
A first shipment almost always costs more and takes longer than expected — not because of any trick, but because some of the steps only reveal themselves along the way. They are easier to walk through in a clear order.
The order
- 1Define the product: what it is, in what configuration, for which buyer and within what budget.
- 2Find manufacturers and compare them — not on one quote, but on at least three.
- 3Vet the company you chose before any money moves.
- 4Order a sample and sign it off as the reference.
- 5Cost the whole thing from the sample’s real figures, not from the price list.
- 6Put the specification and the payment terms into the contract.
- 7Start the run and keep the schedule under control.
- 8Inspect the batch before it ships.
- 9Consolidate the cargo, prepare the documents and dispatch.
TipDo not skip the sample, however simple the product looks. The reference is the only thing the batch is later compared against; without it a quality dispute becomes an exchange of opinions.
CarefulThe costliest saving on a first shipment is skipping the pre-shipment inspection. A defect found in your warehouse has already been paid for, freighted and cleared.
If you are not ready to do some of these steps yourself, that is normal — and it is exactly what Lars Group does. You can start anywhere: vet a supplier you already found, cost the deal from the numbers you have, or take an already-running batch under supervision.
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Product sourcing
From a photo, a link, a description or a spec. We compare prices, MOQs and build options.