Buyer Beware When It Comes To Custom Promotional Products
- Created on Thursday, 27 October 2011 09:30
When looking to source custom promotional products, most savvy buyers look to the internet as their yellow pages of suppliers. Not only is it a more efficient use of their time, it also opens up the search to custom manufacturers from all around the world. It offers them a chance to immediately source goods and items from the global marketplace without traveling to the factory or speaking the language. This convenience has offered a tremendous savings in buyers’ valuable time and has increased their productivity exponentially.
There is only one caveat: buyer beware. Most factories overseas don’t have a website or even a sales force. They rely on trading companies or global sourcing websites to promote their manufacturing capabilities. Many of these trading companies are no more than a broker operating out of an offshore office and fielding requests via email. Quality control is difficult to manage and payment needs to be made before the merchandise ships from the factory. The CEO of one of the leading websites recently stepped down as a result of fraudulent accusations against his company:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-02-28/alibaba-fraud-scandal-may-help-google-global-sources.html
For this reason, it is extraordinarily important that you work with seasoned professionals. RP & Associates has been designing and sourcing custom promotional items and goods for over 20 years from our corporate office in Hermosa Beach, CA. We have direct relationships with the actual factories, and have boots on the ground to inspect shipments before they leave the port. In short, you feel secure and can trust that your business is in good hands. Our global sourcing company has a USA office and knowledgeable staff that will stand behind every one of the promotional products we produce. Additionally, we are available to speak with our clients at every step of the process.
