We have thousands of Chinese Wholesale Suppliers and Manufacturers on Import-Export-Guide.com.  They produce everything from small cheap plastic toys to ultra-complex machinery and equipment.

Despite their overpowering presence on many b2b marketplaces and despite what many people might think, China isn’t actually the number 1 manufacturing country – at least not yet.  Give them until about 2020, then they’ll be in the top spot.

Read all about the forces behind the growth in China’s manufacturing base and the global effects of this growth in our article  The Rise and Rise of Chinese Manufacturing.

Are you involved in the import/export trade?  Your focus might be on buying high quality, competitvely priced wholesale products but what if you’re an exporter or manufacturer looking to sell your goods in another country? How do you begin to find customers in far-away places you’re never likely to visit?

One obvious way is to use distributors. People who know how business works in these countries and already have contacts in place ready to buy your goods. They become, in effect, your sales force. Of course your profit per sale will be less but distributors take away the aggravation of finding direct customers.

Marketing Yourself

You can find distributors through a variety of methods, including in person, online, and through telephone or email communications.

Industry trade shows draw distributors, sometimes from other countries. By talking to them, you might hear about their competition abroad. You can also talk to fellow manufacturers or exporters of goods similar or complementary to yours. Particularly if their goods complement yours, both of your businesses might benefit from an arrangement where distributors sell your goods together.

B2B Portals

Online B2B portals offer a great way to meet many potential distributors at once, while saving time. You can list yourself in a well-known portal and attract interest in your products, or search for distributors who have listed themselves as looking for goods in your industry.

When you create your profile or post on a B2B portal, keep professionalism in mind. Fill out your company profile as completely as possible, to inspire confidence in possible distributors. They will be more likely to contact a business that has clearly stated the industry it operates in, a paragraph or two about its history, its customer base, and exciting new projects or products. Aim to generate interest in your company through your B2B profile.

International B2B trade has become increasingly easy in recent years. Take these basic steps to generate interest in your goods, and your business can benefit from finding international distributors!

Partner Leads

If you want to find distributors on Import-Export-Guide.com (or offer your services as a distributor) then the section you should be posting on is the Partner Leads section.

Here are a few current leads:
Sports Clothing Distributors Required (Member based in Pakistan)
Herbal Hair Oil Distributors Required (Member based in India)
Distributors for Diesel Forklift Trucks Needed (Member based in Belgium)

Read a full version of this article on the Guide Section: Find Distributors for your Goods Abroad

With 31st October just around the corner we wondered if there were any products with a halloween theme.  Look what we found:

• Halloween series led candle – When you light the candle its body changes colour , continuously and rhythmically from red to blue to green and others.
• Halloween Tray – A hand painted tray with a halloween theme.
• And if you want something with a touch of magic then what about this Artistic Flower Tea – a tea granule in a glass of hot water slowly turns into a beautiful blooming flower!

Anyone who has children will know how difficult it can be to keep them entertained (and therefore well behaved) on long car journeys.

‘I Spy’ and other traditional games don’t quite cut it these days as in-car entertainment, they seem only to keep shouts of ‘I’m bored’ at bay for a few minutes!

Thankfully there are now alternatives to ‘Count the Ford Fiestas’ and such games. Take a look at these headrest DVD players.

With music, videos, games + headphones they are almost guaranteed to give endless fun – motorway journeys will never be the same again!

So the new Standard and Basic Membership system went live at the end of last month. Whew!!! It has been such a stressful time, so much to take care of!

Happily it went without a hitch and the number of Standard members is rising (more slowly than we would have hoped but we’ll give it time).

Just to recap on the differences, Standard members (they pay a small membership fee) can post up to 50 Sell Trade Leads, 50 Products, unlimited Buy Trade Leads and unlimited Partner Trade Leads, have an extended company profile including more contact details. They can also post Documents and appear higher in lists and search results. It all serves to make their company and products a lot more visible to Buyers and, we all hope, will help increase the volume of international trade these members enjoy.

For the time being Basic members can post 2 Sell Leads, 1 Partner Trade Lead, Unlimited Buy Trade Leads, 2 Products and a Company Profile. This subscription level is free and is really aimed at Buyers.

Those of you who are considering subscribing might be interested to know we’re running a promotion until the end of this month – 33% off the first quarter’s membership fees!