Prototyping and Product Development Dangers in China

Mike’s Reply: 

www.Global Sources.com, at its most basic level, is a platform where buyers and sellers can meet up. So Global Sources can’t make the product, but there is most likely a supplier on the platform that can help. When you say “I need something cohesive” I interpret that to mean that you need a physical prototype or perhaps a small test batch in hand that you can use for marketing.  I wrote an entire book (https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Reference-Guide-China-Sourcing-ebook/dp/B00ICE0KHY) on that very process but here are two important things to think long and hard about before you rush to have a supplier make a finished product:

1.     Who owns the intellectual property?  The moment you start asking suppliers to help you design something, is the moment you may lose control of your own idea and that supplier quickly becomes your competitor!  Luckily, it’s fairly easy to register IP and/or set up NNN agreements with potential vendors. 
2.     Know your pricing and nail down your QC before you start taking orders for your customers.  If you mess up the first order, it will be hard to get those customers back. So spend time on a small test order and/or prototypes and make sure you have all your costs from production to logistics to project management nailed down tight in advance of taking any orders.

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