Need help on how to order products from Chinese Company from the USA

[CandyMan]

Hello, I live in the United States and I would like to order a few products from this companies website in china. http://www.js888.net It doesnt have to be this company I just picked this one in general. The problem is that I do not speak or know how to read chinese. I have used web browser translation in trying to decipher the site but details or translation on ordering is vague. My question is would I be able to order something from this company and have it shipped to the USA? Would the shipping prices be really expensive or reasonable? I want to order a couple of cotton candy machines that are only available in china. I was thinking about calling them possibly to order by telephone but I know long distance would be expensive. Does anyone know if I called companies in china do they generally have someone there that would be able to speak english to take an order? I dont know if people will think im crazy ordering direct from a company, or would it be better for me to go through a third party over here in the US that has trade negotiations in china. I was thinking of maybe contacting someone in new york city, a company that would be able to order products direct, that way I wouldnt have to worry about shipping or people not being able to understand the language. Any advice or recommendations on my quest to get these machines would be great.

thanks very much,

Ben

[roddy]

Your best bet at this point might be to get onto Alibaba or a similar site, which will be in English and you can assume those companies are more geared up to doing business overseas. Anything useful here? Your order may be too small for an actual manufacturer, but they may be able to put you in touch with an importer, etc.

For phone calls, just get Skype and pay for some Skype Out (PC>phones) credit. You might have some trouble, but if you're a paying customer they'll find someone with English somewhere. Every office in China has a 'person who's good at English', in the same way they have a 'person who knows how computers work' and 'person who knows how to fix the photocopier'.

[peekay]

Ben,

Be very careful buying these products direct from China, especially through sites like Alibaba.

First, these products are likely NOT safety-certified by the UL Labs, ITSNA, etc. In the US, all electrical & electronic devices must be certified by a "Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory". Certification can be costly, so most Chinese manufacturers don't bother going through the process.

If you import a non-certified product, it could be seized by customs. Worse, if your imported product fails (and causes a fire, etc.) then you could become personally liable for any damages, as your insurance company might not cover use of non-certified products.

Be wary even if the product appears certified. Make sure you double-check with the certification laboratory before buying anything. There are a lot of fakes here.

Also, unless you're on the ground here, you'll have no idea what's being shipped to you. You could receive broken / defective products and will have zero recourse. Forget about claiming any warranty.

For the quantities we're talking about, you're much better off paying a bit more and purchase from a US distributor or retailer.

[CandyMan]

Thanks for the advice Roddy it was helpful. I checked on the alibaba site and they have a section that I can post an ad for exactly what I am looking for and the suppliers/distributors contact me. This is great. THanks Peekay as well, I am looking to buy a machine that doesnt use electricity so I think i might be ok. WHat you had said is good to know though. Thanks

[votrechien]

And now the more encouraging news...

I do a lot of importing from China and it's a fairly straight forward process.

Nearly any factory in China will have someone with at least very basic English that can handle your inquiries. If you're ordering from a retail store, this is a different story.

Now the problem comes if you're looking for just 1 or 2 machines. If you order from the factory, they are almost certainly going to demand you buy multiple quantities. If you want just 1, ask for a sample (so in theory you can judge the quality hehe!) that you will pay for.

The biggest problem is going to be prices. If you order from a reputable company they are likely going to want you to pay through a telegraphic transfer (TT) through your bank. This is about $30-80 to perform.

Shipping can either be very simple and very expensive or very cheap and very complicated. To put the machine on a freighter and have it shipped to the nearest port in your city (assuming you live near a port) would be about $50 or under. However, you'll also have to arrange to have the item cleared by customs and also pay a freight forwarder a fee of around $100. To ship it via something like DHL I can imagine the cost would probably be around $500+.

If you're thinking about importing these and selling them locally, then its worth while to take the time to learn about the 'complicated' route for shipping and also how to order from these companies. If you're looking to do this as a one time deal, the trouble might not be worth it.

Also, in terms of security, if you due your due diligence in checking the reputability of a company, the Chinese are very honest in dealing with foreigners. The main concern will be not in receiving the goods promised, but, as Lou Dobbs will tell you, the quality may not be as expected.