Why Advance Preparation Is Critical
When you plan to source building materials and furniture from China, you may think production time takes about a month, shipment about a month or two months, then your items should arrive about two or three months after order placement.
That’s the way many people make plans. But this is merely an ideal condition in theory. In practice, there are other things to consider, and many unexpected issues may arise.
When you try to finalize everything and think it’s finalized and place the order, you come to find that there are some more details the suppliers need to confirm with you before or even during production. The material you chose may be out of stock, or already discontinued. The size the factory promises is unavailable now. It takes time to reconfirm, and this affects the timeframe.
This sounds frustrating. Everything seems so good at first, why has it changed now? Whatever the explanation, the fact is the fact, and you just need to face it. That’s one of the unexpected you need to take into account.
When goods are finished, it takes time to inspect them to make sure they’re good, expecially for furniture. It’s not rare that there are flaws. But don’t worry. This is not a big deal. It can be fixed easily. You just need to require the factory to fix it. It just needs some time. And everything will turn out fine and nice.
Now all products are ready, and you’ve come to export customs clearance stage. It involves quite some documentation. And space needs to be booked before container loading. This may take about a week’s time to confirm.
Now let’s talk about the shipment. Space is confirmed, goods have been loaded, and you’ve got the estimated time of departure in the hope that your container shall arrive in time. Then you get the update that shipment’s been delayed.
Why? Perhaps the vessel is still on its way back to port, or hasn’t berthed yet. Besides, there is also a possibility that the container gets rolled over by the shipping line.
These are only minor challenges, but they will not stop you from purchasing satisfactory products in China. But there’s a way to make things easier for you: work with a purchasing agent like us.Â
We can assist you in your order management, from suppliers matching, factory follow-up, material checking to shipment tracking. We manage every link and mitigate risks. You don’t set your heart at peace and just focus on your work.
  
