China has been in the news lot lately with economists remarking on its rampant growth, calling it "the factory of the world". However, it hasn't all been positive press and some coverage of product safety and quality concerns, and the questionable integrity of some Chinese manufacture and trading firms, have left an image in some buyers' minds of a place where nothing is safe and nobody can be trusted.
So are all the criticisms true? We decided to look at the three most common myths of buying products from China and see how valid they were.
1. "Chinese products are unsafe."
This is a long-held belief that has been brought to the forefront of people's minds again by several high-profile cases in the US.
Mattel enacted a massive toy recall in August 2007 because the toys had been decorated with lead paint, an illegal practice in many western countries. An estimated 10.5 million toys were recalled, which led people to question the safety of many other Chinese products.
Who is to blame in such cases?
Some Chinese export companies say that people are looking in wrong place for answers and, instead of looking at manufacturer, we should look at the companies ordering the products.
Rose Li, Chinavasion public relations manager, said Chinese factories were only able to work to the specifications given to them by the customer.
"Chinese factories will view improved materials and certification as optional extras, which increase the price," she said.
Ms Li said importers looking at sourcing products from China should first find out the end markets' exact safety compliance standards before telling the manufacturer about the exact specifications they needed for the product.
She said it is also a good idea to buy a single item first to check that the product was safe and worked well to guarantee customer satisfaction.
2. "Chinese manufacturers will try to cheat you after you pay."
If you search online for phrases like "china scammer" or "china fraud" you'll immediately see hundreds of stories about people who have been cheated by fake sellers or dishonest dealers in China. But people with positive stories are less likely to speak out.... so perhaps when you look for negative stories, you're getting a skewed picture.
Steve Wu, Chinavasion purchase specialist, recommended those using credit cards to do it through a third party payment handler like PayPal.
"That will prevent the seller from getting sensitive credit information from the buyer and allow the buyer to stop the payment if there are any problems with the deal," he said.
Another key piece of advice offered by regular goods traders is to transfer money into company bank accounts and not personal bank accounts, and always keep a documented record of transactions to help dispute cases if things go wrong.
3. "There is no way to tell if a Chinese company is legitimate."
This is a particularly big fear for exporters who buy online or over the phone and are afraid the company they are ordering their products in might not actually exist, or may be in financial trouble, leaving them no recourse if they pay for an order and that order does not arrive.
Analysing some case studies of people who've been scammed, certain patterns emerge. Seasoned importers will spot obvious danger signs at the beginning of each story that should have warned the buyer away at an early stage... before money changed hands.
Many Chinese manufactures are also registered in Hong Kong and can be checked online at icris.cr.gov.hk/csci/
Funny Things To Watch
Many people are trying to make improvements on there homes, but finding the right people to do the job is a problem. However, if you find the kind of cold callers who are after shady dealings, never hesitate to close your door and send them away.
What is important is that, you should find the right people to do the job for you. Ask family and friends about the best people to help you out on construction work, or else you end up being caught by cowboy builders. The Internet is another convenient place to find professional builders, check it out on the builder website.
Cowboy builders will trick you into paying them before they complete the job for you. Some will do the job fine, but ones they are halfway or even close to completion they will insist that you pay them their cash, after which you will never see them again. Your job will be left pending, and your money gone not to be recovered again, beware of such constructers.
The best thing for you to do, before you embark on any construction or renovation work is to agree on the contract terms and make sure that your constructer signs to completing the job without payments, after which you will pay him when the job is done. If they say that a contract isn't necessary, then you should be wary and investigate if they are after a shady affair.
Another important issue to watch out from cowboy builders is to confirm whether they have any references or premises or if not that, then simply a landline number. You can have yourself protected by having detailed information done in writing just in case of anything. Having a guarantee as well is important in protecting you.
Find out whether they are willing to provide a written estimate for the complete job plus the time frame for each stage of the work they will be doing. A proper and genuine tradesman will respond to that gladly, but if you find something different, then you should do away with the contractor right away.
Cowboy builders have also been known to fake membership and therefore, it is important to investigate with the trading organizations, or the companies they work for. Remember never to pay in cash up front and pay only for the work that has been completed.
All of the above will help you hire a real tradesman and avoid fake cowboy builders. Make sure that you apply each single rule, just in case you find out that you are dealing with a cowboy builder. Remember that they are also tricky; therefore ensure that you are extra careful.
Both Rose Lee & Lee Lazarus are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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