How to Import LED Bulbs from China
As the quality and design of Made in China continues to improve, more and more Saudi Arabian importers are choosing to source their LED bulbs in China. So as a new importer, how do you import bulb lights from China to Saudi Arabia? Here are a few steps you must understand.
1 Finding the right factories and products.
The traditional way of finding suppliers at exhibitions has been seriously affected by the spread of the global epidemic. Looking at the development trend of the global network economy, more and more importers will look for suppliers through the Internet and further deepen their communication with each other through social software, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and so on. After getting to know each other better, you can contact the factory to send the latest catalogue and select the style from the factory catalogue, which is the main way to choose the product. If there is no suitable product in the catalogue, you can look for another supplier or ask the factory to open a grinding tool according to your own needs for the product. Opening a grinding tool requires additional grinding tool costs, so you need to negotiate with the factory about the relevant costs and style requirements, and it is best to send samples directly to the relevant factory, which can improve the efficiency of the first stage.
It is important to choose a supplier that has its own factory, which helps good cooperation in terms of quality control and delivery time.
2 Place an order.
After the previous selection and samples are confirmation, we have to place a formal order. The more detailed the notes on the order would be better, such as clearly marked product size, price, specifications, models, standards and other such information. If the design of the packaging needs to be changed or changed to the importer's own design, we needs to communicate with the factory in advance, as these changes will involve price fluctuations.
When placing an order, you should also communicate with the supplier about the payment method. The conventional payment method requires a 30% deposit, and the final payment will be paid when you see the copy of bill of loading. For both the importer and supplier, careful confirmation, when placing an order, including product size, product price, specifications, models, implementation standards, as well as the company letterhead information details of both importers and suppliers, is also a very important process. The doubtful points of the product need to be resolved in a timely manner to avoid more serious consequences in the later production process.
3 The production process.
The production process of the factory is related to the quality of the products. So we have to have a good understanding about number of factory production lines, the capacity of the production line and the quality control methods. After understanding these aspects, you can better judge whether the factory can have the ability to deliver on time and whether quality control in the production process is good enough.
The specifications of LED bulb products need to be marked on the product, indicating the product's rated power, colour temperature, service life and other information. The colour temperature ranges from 2800K to 6500K. And the most common colour temperature of the cold light exported to Saudi Arabia is 6500K and the warm light is 3000K. This marking link is essential for LED products and must be taken very seriously.
In addition, LED bulb products to Saudi Arabia, also need with CB, EEI and IECEE certifications. The CB and EEI certification cycle takes about 2 months. For orders with an urgent delivery date, it is recommended to look for products that already have these 2 certificates. The IECEE certificate production cycle is about 15 days. Remember to grasp the relevant certificate time before shipment.
4 Shipment
After all the mass production is completed, the goods need to be inspected to ensure quality. There are three conventional ways for inspection:
Factory Self-inspection. and then send inspection photos to the importer to confirm. This method saves manpower and capital costs for the importer, but the premise is that the supplier needs to have a mature quality control and perfect inspection system.
The Importer's Inspection. Most of these have purchasing offices in China, convenient for coordinating inspection dates and face-to-face communication of problems. This inspection method is ideal for both suppliers and importers, but the prerequisite is that they need to have a purchasing office in China and have personnel who are professional in the product.
Most novice buyers will choose the third method——Third party inspection.It requires an additional cost, which varies according to the product, the market and the distance to the factory.
How to find a reliable third-party inspection agency? You need to pay attention to the following points:
Three party inspection company, as an intermediary agency, has a mature inspection system and professional inspection personnel. In order to ensure product quality and in the initial period that there is no need to establish a procurement office, third-party inspection will be a good choice.
No matter which inspection method you choose, it is recommended that the first cooperation importers and suppliers have a signed sample of the product between them, to facilitate visually compare the appearance of the product for the inspector and reduce the inspection problems caused by information asymmetry. For the third-party inspection company, it is recommended to choose one with a high degree of specialization, such as the most commonly used SGS, Intertek, qima, etc.
After completing the inspection and ensuring that there are no problems with the inspection, you can look for a freight forwarder and arrange for the shipping of the goods. And submit the relevant documents.
Freight forwarding company can be designated by the buyer, or by the supplier to find their own. The cost of different freight forwarding companies will be different. If do the FOB price terms, the buyer needs to pay their own sea freight. Then, the market research and comparison for the sea freight is very important.
If there are any special notes on the documents, you need to inform the supplier in advance or propose changes when confirming the documents. Once the document has been confirmed and amended later, the shipping company will charge a different amount for the change of order.
5 Payment of goods.
As mentioned earlier, the conventional payment methods are 30% deposit and 70% balance after seeing the copy of B/L. Purchasers need to pay as soon as possible after getting the copy of B/L, in order to get the original documents related to customs clearance in time, to avoid the delayed payment of goods in customs detention and additional costs of products. Here you need to pay special attention to 2 time. One is the transport cycle of the container from the port of origin to the port of destination, and the other is the time of the original documents express. The time when the purchaser receives the original documents should be earlier than the time when the ship arrives at the port of destination.
The above five aspects of the import of LED bulbs from China have a systematic explanation of the process and more import products from China. Welcome to learn more in the subsequent updates.