China is currently the world’s largest non-woven production market, and domestic non-woven bases are concentrated in the following provinces:
1. Zhejiang Province
2. Henan Province
3. Shandong Province
4. Hubei Province
5. Jiangsu Province
6. Guangdong Province
7. Fujian Province
Xiantao City in Hubei Province occupies 60% of the market share of non-woven products in China. If you want low and cheap disposable products (disposable gloves, disposable head covers, masks, etc.) you can go to Xiantao to purchase them.
The non-woven fabrics in other places are very competitive, and there are many grades of quality, which are suitable for different needs of customers and to meet the differentiation of different markets.
So how to purchase Chinese non-woven fabrics?
- Find Chinese suppliers online through Alibaba, made in China, Google, etc.
- Through offline exhibitions.
- Equipment company (if the equipment you purchased is a Chinese equipment company)
- Purchasing through a trading company.
Find Chinese suppliers online through Alibaba, made in China, Google, etc.
After determining the non-woven products and specifications you want to purchase, what you need to do is to find suppliers, here are several online channels to search for suppliers.
Alibaba is the largest wholesale website in China, you can try it.
Made in China is also a wholesale network with concentrated Chinese suppliers.
Google is a good channel to search for Chinese suppliers. In recent years, more and more Chinese factory traders have established their websites on Google.
In addition to the above sites, there is also one that can search for Chinese suppliers on social media, such as Linkedin, Facebook, etc. Chinese suppliers want to be noticed by more people, so they often share news about their products, services, and social platforms. My social media is LinkedIn. You can contact them to learn more about their products and services before deciding whether to partner with them.
Through offline exhibitions
China has various non-woven exhibitions every year, the most concentrated expo, which is conducive to your centralized procurement.
At present, due to the impact of the epidemic, it may be inconvenient to come to China, so if you want to come to China to visit the exhibition, please understand the procedures for coming to China in advance.
Equipment company (if the equipment you purchased is a Chinese equipment company)
For a novice company, the easiest way is to let the machinery company recommend it to you. Their equipment parameters determine the specifications of the non-woven products you want to purchase, and they generally maintain cooperative relations with some non-woven companies.
Purchasing through a trading company
Many companies don’t usually buy just one product. If you find it troublesome, you can buy it on your behalf through a trading company. You can supply your sourcing needs through your local trading company and they will do it all for you.
You can also directly look for a local trading company in China. Now many Chinese non-woven enterprises are combined with industry and trade. They have more advantages locally and will save you a lot of time. They are a one-stop shop if you need to source multiple materials. Our company is a non-woven manufacturer integrating industry and trade. If you have any needs, you can also contact us directly.
Assess the supplier’s background to ensure they are trustworthy
With so many suppliers for you to choose from, you must be confused, you can consider that if the suppliers focus on the same product category for a longer period of time, say 3+ years, their business will remain basically stable.
Another important factor is that you can view the supplier’s product certification and test reports.
Choose the best supplier by price, sample, communication, service
Addressing the trust issue, the final few steps will determine which supplier you will work with
1. Price
Price is an important factor, but a low price is not necessarily high quality, it can be a trap. Maybe the quality is not as good as other materials, like thinner material, smaller actual size.
2. Obtaining samples for evaluation
All suppliers will say the product is of good quality, you can’t just listen to him, you should ask for a sample first to evaluate if their product is exactly what you want
3. Transportation plan
Considering the logistics cost is also a factor. If you let the supplier solve the logistics problem for you
Confirm payment terms before ordering
proforma invoice
delivery time
Payment terms and methods
Common payment methods
T/T
Western Union
Letter of Credit (L/C)
OA
DP
General payment terms for Chinese suppliers
30% deposit, 70% balance before export.
30% deposit, 70% bill of lading balance.
O/A payment.
Chinese suppliers generally prefer the first 2 minutes, but in special periods, the deposit ratio will also fluctuate, and some even need to pay the full amount.
Customs clearance, door-to-door delivery
The last important step is customs clearance.
During the import customs clearance process in your country, there are also some standards or documents required by your country’s customs.
But it needs 5 documents like the export process, including a commercial invoice, contract, packing list, bill of lading, and certificate of origin.
But some other certificates vary by country or product.
You can consult a freight forwarder who can help you with logistics.