How to import outdoor furniture from China?
1 Find an outdoor furniture manufacturer or supplier
Find the right outdoor furniture manufacturer or supplier through online B2B platforms, furniture fairs, the Chinese furniture market or by working with furniture purchasing agents. Before choosing the right furniture manufacturer or supplier, and issue a formal request for quotation.
2 Calculate the landed cost
When importing from China, the cost quoted by the manufacturer or supplier is not the only cost of your order for outdoor garden furniture. You need to take into account all the costs of shipping the order from China to the destination warehouse.
3 Negotiated price
Negotiating the lowest possible price is a necessary step in purchasing outdoor patio furniture from China. Choosing the manufacturer or supplier with the most reasonable cost is more important than choosing the cheapest manufacturer or supplier. Based on these, you should be able to choose the best manufacturer or supplier for serious negotiation.
Here are some details to know when negotiating a price:
A Minimum order quantity
Minimum order quantities (MOQs) vary by outdoor furniture supplier . Buying directly from the factory will give you a different MOQ than buying from wholesale furniture markets.
-Buy directly from the factory
If you order a container of outdoor furniture, most suppliers will give you the best price.
- Order Continuity
Chinese manufacturers want volume and continuity of orders. If you can plan orders for the next quarter or year in one go, you can negotiate the price you want.
B Furniture Quality Assurance
Before ordering, you need to determine the quality of your outdoor furniture. Quality assurance should cover all aspects of outdoor furniture, including the product itself and everything that goes with it, and all issues related to the product need to be resolved by the buyer and manufacturer based on agreed samples.
4 Purchasing
When buying from China, first make sure you have a valid purchase contract, and all terms need to be agreed upon by both parties.
A payment option
The buyer can negotiate various payment options with the manufacturer.
B quality control
You need to confirm the quality control of the entire order through some methods, such as pictures, videos, in person, mailing, etc.
- Pre-production inspection. Confirm product size, color, material and other specifications to avoid errors in later order production.
- Mid-term production inspection. This is to ensure that the furniture is of the correct material, colour, specification, etc.
- Inspection before shipment. This is to check the batch of furniture after production, it can be checked whether the furniture is ready to ship.
- Container loading inspection. Make sure the correct amount of outdoor furniture is loaded and properly loaded in the container.
The basic rule is that the more QC checks, the lower the risk.
If you work with a purchasing agent, his/his company will have a furniture quality control team that can implement the correct quality control on your furniture.
C shipment
The most ideal way to ship furniture is container loading.
You can fill the entire container - full container load (FCL) or less than one container load (LCL).
FCL means that the containers will be sent to factories in China where they will load the goods into the containers. When the container arrives in your country, it will also be delivered to your warehouse.
LCL means your cargo must be brought to port and loaded into a "shared container". When the cargo arrives at its destination (your country), the container needs to be unpacked at the port so that your cargo can be delivered to you.
When the FCL or LCL arrives in your country, you need to pay for trucking to bring the goods to the warehouse. The freight forwarder will arrange customs clearance and arrange delivery of the goods to your warehouse.