Identifying suppliers, verifying them, & cultivating ‘backups.’ - Sourcing from China (Part 1)

2021-09-03

In this episode... Sofeast CEO Renaud Anjoran talks sourcing with Adrian from the team. There's a focus on sourcing from China for importers who have decided to handle it themselves. This follows on from Episode 65 where we explored the 4 different sourcing options, where 'DIY' was one of them. So, let's say you're doing your own sourcing, how do you find suitable suppliers, verify them, and cultivate backups for if you have issues? Renaud gives you lots of insight and advice about these early-stage sourcing activities here! Show Notes 00:00 -

In this episode...

Sofeast CEO Renaud Anjoran talks sourcing with Adrian from the team. There's a focus on sourcing from China for importers who have decided to handle it themselves. This follows on from Episode 65 where we explored the 4 different sourcing options, where 'DIY' was one of them.

So, let's say you're doing your own sourcing, how do you find suitable suppliers, verify them, and cultivate backups for if you have issues? Renaud gives you lots of insight and advice about these early-stage sourcing activities here!

Show Notes

00:00 - Introduction.

02:23 - How to identify 'good fit' suppliers for yourself and why there are no 'good' or 'bad' suppliers out there.

14:25 - A list of sourcing actions to take to find new suppliers. Finding a supplier who can be a reliable partner in the medium or long term is a process.

15:13 - Identify what a good fit for your needs is (discussed earlier).
19:35 - Start searching for suppliers.
22:00 - Screening or vetting potential suppliers you've found.
24:07 - Contact the supplier.

29:04 - Get even more help with vetting new Chinese suppliers by listening to our podcast series about it: Vetting new suppliers in China series.

29:40 - If you have found a good fit supplier, is a backup option from your shortlist strictly necessary?

40:01 - Wrapping up