In yesterday’s blog post, I touched upon some of the important details about setting up your wholesale connections in China, by making use of the amazing Canton Trade Fair. Of course, there’s more than one way to get yourself up and running in the race to buy/sell goods, and I hope to shed some light upon the darker mysteries surrounding your interest in making a first-time connection with China.

Since we’ve already covered the first point on my list, now it’s time to do what some of us do best… and surf the net for a little while!

- the biggest Trade Fair in China
- the Internet and you
- Networks and Connections (aka guanxi)

Using B2B Websites and Search Engines

Everybody in the industry who knows anything about trade with China is using at least a few of the online resources available to people who want to buy from manufacturers and distributors all around the world. Trouble is, some of the big ones have become so bloated — or rife with scams — that a decline in quality has become apparent to many unhappy users. Take industry giant Alibaba.com for example; this is a company that was hailed as a leading mover and shaker during China’s ‘miraculous’ years, but now has become the target of some rather unscrupulous con artists looking to make a quick buck. Most sites offer a forum to discuss these issues (like this one) but the bottom line is: due diligence. In other words, don’t go grocery-shopping on an empty stomach, or you’ll just end up coming home with a bunch of junk food.

Had enough bad news for one day? Fortunately, there’s a lot of competition in the market, and with the ever-tightening noose around the necks of manufacturers during a global financial downturn, it’s actually getting easier to point out some of the bad guys, as competitors and partners alike are reaching a form of solidarity amidst the peril.

If you want to hit the ground running, try a search engine like our very own www.toptenwholesale.com for a start. Other resources include China’s BAIDU, and of course the venerable Google. Try a little variety in your search term, to get as many relevant leads as possible. Also keep in mind that pay-per-click advertising is still pretty new tech in China (not for long) so looking for those little ads on the sidebar won’t help you as much when sniffing around the Chinese sites. Since Google is the current champ in the search game, try plugging these in to find some additional leads…
- made-in-China
- globalsources
- tradekey
…and see what happens. Grab another cup of coffee, and prepare to spend a little time investigating the possibilities. After you’ve looked at everything the Internet has to offer about search, get ready for tomorrow’s blog… where I will cover some basic things that everyone in the wholesale and retail business should know about making connections and establishing relationships with China.