Domestic vs. Overseas Suppliers

By supplier, we are refering to people who is able to provide you with products and inventory. And this often include manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors.

With the rapid development of internet, we can find almost anything on the internet. But beofre you start your search on the internet, read this article to get some basic information.

A manufacturer is a business or company which makes goods in large quantities to sell.

A supplier is a person, company, or organization that sells or supplies something such as goods or equipment to customers.

A dropshipper is a retailor who get their products from manufacturers.

Domestic vs. Overseas Suppliers

I am sure every purchaser have hovered bewteen domestic and overseas suppliers. Overseas can refer to any location besides your own country, but it ususlly refers to Asian countries such as China, India and Japan.

We all know that it that it’s almost always cheaper to source your products overseas but there's a lot more to that decision than just the upfront investment and cost per unit. However, both domestic and overseas source have their merits and demerits.

Domestic Sourcing

Merits

Visible labor standards

Easier communication with no language barrier

Marketing appeal of being made in North America

Easier to verify reputable manufacturers

Faster shipping time

Greater payment security and recourse

Demerits

Higher manufacturing costs

Less product choice

Overseas Sourcing

Advantages

Lower manufacturing costs

More manufacturers to choose from

One-stop services

Complete after-sale services

Disadvantages

Lower perceived quality from customers

Language and communication barrier

Difficulty/costly to verify manufacturer and visit on-site

Longer shipping time

Cultural differences in business practices

How To Begin Your Search

Now that you have a better idea of exactly what you're looking for, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of domestic vs. overseas sourcing, where do you begin your search? Naturally, the internet is the best place to start, but these in particular can help with your search.

Use Google

With the popularization of internet, we have become more and more dependent on Google cause we can literally find any answer on it. However, to find a reliable supplier, we must take into the consideration that many manufacturer are still doing the traditional commerce, and their website may not prioritized by Google. So when searching particular words like “manufacturer”, “supplier”, “wholesaler”,you can also visit out of first ten pages.

Referrals

Some of the best advice can come from referrals by friends and family. Social networks have made it much easier to get the word out so make sure to use these channels. Sometimes, an unsuitable supplier can also provide you with valuable information. When you find out they are not the best wholesaler you need, you can beat around the bush about some of their counterparts. They are in the industry, which means they are likely to know many great counterparts and recommend some to you.

Utilize social media

Now many high quality bag manufacturers are doing social media promotion, so you can find their advertisement words on channels such as Pins, Facebook and Youtube. You can contact them for more information and verify their authenticity by visiting their official websites.

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