Is It Worth Delegating Everything To A Chinese Supplier? How Much Can You Trust Them In This?
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Is It Smart to Trust a Chinese Supplier with Everything?
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My Personal Experience with Chinese Manufacturing
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Conclusion
Disclosure: Hi! It's Vova :) Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. I get a commission if you purchase after clicking on the link, this does not cost you more money, and many times I can even get a nice discount for you. This helps me keep the content free forever. For you. Thank you! :)
Can you really trust a Chinese supplier to handle every single detail of your product?
Well, maybe not everything, but a lot more than you might think!
Recently, I posted a video featuring Jane from Chinese Tiger, a sourcing company that connects sellers with Chinese suppliers and handles everything from product sourcing to shipping.
Their team can help with finding the right manufacturer, inspecting products, and shipping them internationally.
We wanted to explore a big question: Is it smart to let a Chinese supplier handle everything?
How far can we really trust them?
If you ever consider working with Chinese Tiger, just mention my name - Vova Even.
They’ll even throw in a free inspection for a product sample as a little extra help.
So, let’s dive in and find out if delegating to a supplier overseas is the right move for you.
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Is It Smart to Trust a Chinese Supplier with Everything?
Vova: Jane, here’s something I’m curious about.
When working with Chinese suppliers, there’s this situation where they often offer to take care of things on their own.
Like, they’ll say, “Hey, don’t worry, I’ll handle it all.”
What do you think about that?
Is it a good idea to trust them to make decisions about the product without too much guidance from us?
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Jane: Well, it depends, but generally, I’d say it’s best not to rely on them completely.
You can absolutely ask for their opinion on things — like asking, “What do you think of this design?” or “What material would you suggest for this product?”
They often have ideas based on what they’re used to doing.
But leaving everything in their hands might not always work in your favor.
Chinese suppliers will often go with options they already know well or materials that are more affordable for them.
These choices might help them save money or bring them a bigger profit.
So, it’s important for you, as the buyer, to know your product well and understand what’s needed for quality and design.
Don’t just let them change the design, the packaging, or any important details without your input.
While their suggestions could work well for you, their priority will naturally be what works best for them.
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Vova: Got it, so it’s like you can get their input, but that doesn’t mean what they recommend will always be the best option for you.
Sometimes it might work out, but it sounds like we should definitely review whatever they suggest carefully.
Maybe even double-check if we have a sourcing company or a third party involved to oversee it.
That way, we can catch anything that might not align with what we need.
-: A Quick Reminder! :-
Jane: Yes, exactly.
In my experience, I’ve spent a lot of time working with Chinese suppliers.
Let me tell you that trusting them completely with things like design changes or new engineering ideas often isn’t the best route.
We tried letting them take the lead on some of these aspects, but it ended up being a big mistake.
Vova: Yeah, I get what you mean.
My Personal Experience with Chinese Manufacturing
Vova: I’ve had a few interesting experiences myself.
For example, there was one time — this was years ago, and it might not be exactly about asking for design advice, but it shows how things can turn out unexpectedly.
We had ordered about 2,200 boxes, and the design was supposed to have a golden finish.
The sample looked great — everything was in order — so we moved forward with the full production run.
I was following up along the way, asking for updates and checking in to make sure everything was going as planned.
But when the shipment finally arrived, I was shocked to see that all the boxes were black and white instead of the golden we’d agreed on.
At first, I couldn’t believe it.
I even thought maybe it was my eyes or my computer screen causing some strange effect.
But, no — when I looked again, the boxes were clearly black and white.
So, I reached out to the supplier, trying to be polite about it.
I thanked them for creating the product and mentioned that the boxes looked black and white instead of golden, as we had discussed.
Surprisingly, they initially insisted that the boxes were golden.
I could understand they might have tried to reassure me, but it was obviously not the color we agreed on.
Eventually, though, they replaced all the boxes, so it worked out fine in the end.
But, yeah, it was funny how they tried to tell me it was still golden at first.
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Jane: Do you remember that joke?
Well, it wasn’t really a joke, but it was kind of a trick on Instagram where people were debating if a dress was black and blue or golden.
Vova: Yeah, I remember something like that.
Jane: It’s like that.
People were seeing it differently and arguing over the color.
Vova: Yeah, exactly — it’s a bit like that.
Jane: So in your case, maybe they thought, “No, no, no! This box is golden. You just happen to be seeing it in black and white!”
-: Don’t Forget! :-
Vova: Right!
That’s pretty much how it felt.
At first, I was surprised and thought maybe something was wrong with my eyes.
But then I realized it really was black and white.
Thankfully, because we had clear communication and had agreed on everything from the start, they handled it well and didn’t charge us for the mistake.
They replaced the boxes, no problem.
It was an interesting situation, though!
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Conclusion
My conversation with Jane highlights some of the unique challenges that come up when working with manufacturers overseas.
Communicating details about product design, colors, and quality can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, even with the best intentions on both sides.
It’s clear that relying solely on suggestions from suppliers isn’t always the best idea, especially when they may lean toward options that work well for them, not necessarily for you.
Through experience, I’ve learned that staying involved in each step, checking samples carefully, and having clear communication are essential.
If something goes wrong, having a good relationship and open lines of communication can make all the difference in finding a solution quickly.
For anyone working with overseas suppliers, it’s about finding that balance between trusting them and keeping control over your product’s details to avoid unexpected surprises.
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Is It Smart to Trust a Chinese Supplier with Everything?
-
My Personal Experience with Chinese Manufacturing
-
Conclusion
Disclosure: Hi! It's Vova :) Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. I get a commission if you purchase after clicking on the link, this does not cost you more money, and many times I can even get a nice discount for you. This helps me keep the content free forever. For you. Thank you! :)