Practical reading for buying and doing business in China. Know what to ask, what to bring and what to agree before you leave the meeting.
Find your next step50 guides · Six topics · A focus on Xiamen and Fujian
Three decisions worth making before you travel.
You may need help speaking with a supplier, finding one, or managing the work after a meeting. Those are different assignments. Choose support by responsibility and deliverables, then make the boundaries explicit.
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A productive factory visit leaves you with clearer evidence and a defined next step. Use this checklist to prepare the right questions, organise what you see and avoid approving something you have not fully assessed.
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A useful factory-price estimate begins with a defined product and a plausible order quantity. Find out which assumptions drive the number before using it to decide whether the project is viable.
Read the guideStart with your next decision. Each guide covers one part of the trip, from the first supplier quote to the follow-up after a factory visit.
50 guides to help you prepare
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Choose the right support and make every conversation count.
Hiring an interpreter in Xiamen? Define the assignment, check the right experience and agree on hours, preparation and expenses before your supplier meetings.
See TalkEast’s published Xiamen interpreter rates, what affects the final quote, and sample budgets for meetings, overtime and visits outside the city.
Compare interpreters and sourcing agents by the work you need done: supplier conversations, product searches, purchasing coordination and follow-up.
Decide whether to book an interpreter for a China factory visit by reviewing your meeting stakes, technical questions and the people you need to speak with.
Prepare a useful interpreter briefing with your meeting objective, product terms, decision limits and documents, plus a copyable supplier-meeting example.
Choose when to use a translation app and when to book an interpreter for supplier meetings, using practical examples and a simple check for important decisions.
Choose a half-day or full-day interpreter booking using your meeting agenda, travel arrangements and decision points, with a practical planning example.
Make your first interpreted supplier meeting more productive: speak in clear segments, check figures, manage side conversations and confirm the next steps.
Plan the route, ask better questions and leave with clear next steps.
Prepare your first China factory visit with a practical checklist for documents, people, sample discussions, production questions and follow-up actions.
Take 25 practical questions to your next China factory visit, covering production responsibility, specifications, quotations, sample approval and follow-up.
Plan a Xiamen factory visit around confirmed addresses, the right supplier staff and a realistic agenda, with a practical example for one productive day.
Organise a Putian factory visit from Xiamen with confirmed sites, realistic travel arrangements, interpreting and a clear agenda for your supplier meetings.
Build a practical Fujian supplier itinerary around confirmed factory addresses, priority meetings, travel time and consistent notes you can use afterward.
Find out how your Chinese supplier’s business is structured, where production happens and who owns each responsibility before judging factory or trader labels.
Turn vague quality concerns into a practical supplier discussion using product references, clear requirements, agreed checks and a documented action list.
Prepare a clear product specification for a Chinese factory with controlled drawings, defined units, labelled references and a process for resolving gaps.
Before moving from sample approval to production, confirm the product version, outstanding changes, quotation assumptions, quality plan and decision authority.
Turn a China factory visit into clear next steps with a concise supplier recap, an action table, controlled document references and a practical email example.
Prepare for the halls, compare suppliers and follow up with purpose.
Book a Canton Fair interpreter with a clear scope, product brief and budget. Know what to ask about access, preparation, overtime and supplier meetings.
Understand Canton Fair interpreter pricing, including multi-day rates, travel, overtime and expenses, with a worked example for planning your booking.
Prepare for your first Canton Fair with a practical buying brief, supplier shortlist, registration checks, meeting plan and follow-up system.
Choose the Canton Fair phase that fits your products. Check current exhibition sections, plan mixed-category trips and decide whether extra days are useful.
Ask Canton Fair suppliers questions that reveal product fit, production capability, realistic quantities and quote details, then record clear next steps.
Prepare a useful Canton Fair interpreter brief with product terms, buying priorities, negotiation limits and a practical format for supplier answers.
Turn Canton Fair quotes into a useful comparison by aligning product specifications, order quantities, packaging, exclusions and outstanding questions.
Choose which fair contacts deserve a factory visit, confirm the right site and people, and build an itinerary around questions the visit can answer.
Prepare for Xiamen Stone Fair with a project brief, material questions, sample records and a practical plan for comparing suppliers and arranging follow-up.
Prepare for CIFIT in Xiamen with a clear commercial objective, a concise company brief, targeted meetings and a structured follow-up process.
Get comparable quotes before committing your budget or booking flights.
Research a realistic Chinese factory price by defining the product, quantity and quote basis, then separate initial estimates from production-ready offers.
Write a clear quote request for Chinese manufacturers, with a usable specification, realistic quantities, packaging details and an explicit list of exclusions.
Create a product sourcing brief that explains your requirements, realistic quantities, acceptable alternatives and the decisions supplier research must support.
Find out why Chinese factory quotes differ, from hidden specification changes and order quantities to packing, tooling, delivery basis and supplier assumptions.
Understand minimum order quantities in Chinese manufacturing, including colour and material minimums, mixed orders and practical options for a smaller first run.
Compare Chinese supplier quotes on the same specification, quantity and cost basis, with separate views of first-order costs, reorders and unresolved risks.
Understand what a Chinese supplier’s sample charge covers, which features the sample represents, and how tooling, revisions, shipping and credits are handled.
See how material choices, branding and packaging change factory quotations, and use separate options to compare savings without losing essential requirements.
Decide whether a China sourcing trip is worth the investment by checking supplier fit, unresolved questions, meeting readiness and the full travel budget.
Turn a product photograph into a useful factory enquiry with dimensions, material questions, construction details, quantities and clearly labelled assumptions.
Make product requirements, decisions and responsibilities clear.
Prepare for your first supplier meeting in China with a focused agenda, better product questions and a clear process for recording decisions and next steps.
Prepare for supplier price negotiations in China by checking quote assumptions, defining trade-offs and protecting the product requirements that matter.
Prepare for a business dinner in China with practical advice on invitations, dietary needs, shared meals, interpretation and following up on the conversation.
Keep supplier conversations on WeChat clear with useful introductions, precise questions, labelled product files and a reliable record of decisions.
Turn supplier meeting notes into a clear written record of decisions, open issues, document versions, owners and deadlines, with a practical example.
Resolve common supplier communication problems with clearer specifications, precise questions, version control and a better way to check understanding.
Build a workable itinerary around the people you need to meet.
Plan your first Xiamen business trip with a practical checklist for supplier appointments, documents, payments, transport, interpreting and daily follow-up.
Prepare WeChat and Alipay before travelling to China: registration, eligible overseas cards, account checks, payment testing and sensible backup options.
Choose a Xiamen hotel around your supplier addresses, station, fair venue and working schedule, with a practical method for comparing business-trip bases.
Plan supplier travel between Xiamen, Putian and Quanzhou by comparing complete journeys, checking exact stations and building realistic factory-visit days.
Brief your China business host with the itinerary, supplier contacts, product information and meeting objectives needed to prepare useful support.
Estimate a realistic China sourcing trip length from supplier visits, travel, fair attendance and follow-up time, with adaptable example itineraries.
Tell us what you are buying, who you need to meet and when you will be here. We will confirm how we can help and send a written quote.
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