When To Buy Factory Direct And When Not To

by AQF Team on 9 Jun 2014 | 2 Comments

Have you ever struggled with the question of when to buy factory direct and when to go through a vendor or trading company? Importers are often highly motivated to secure the lowest per-unit cost possible for the items they purchase from China. The old maxim of “cutting out the middleman” leads many buyers to reason that purchasing factory-direct is the only way to get the lowest cost of goods sold, and is thus the only smart option for buying from China.

Topics: Sourcing

5 Instances When You Should Consider Changing Suppliers

by AQF Team on 9 Jun 2014 | 0 Comments

Topics: Sourcing

The Canton Fair - 5 Important Tips From the Experts

by AQF Team on 9 Jun 2014 | 1 Comment

The Canton Fair is held twice every year, once in the spring and once in the fall. The fair takes place at the (aptly named) China Import and Export Fair Complex in the Haizhu district of Guangzhou. April 15th marked the opening of this year’s spring fair, the 113th session of the Canton Fair since it began in 1957.

Topics: Sourcing

6 Non-Traditional Indicators of a Good Factory

by John Niggl on 6 Jun 2014 | 0 Comments

Have you ever placed a large order with a factory for a product you’ve toiled over for months or years, only to receive a shipment late, substandard, completely different or all of the above?

Topics: Sourcing

4 Critical Quality Controls For Cosmetics Packaging