China Business, Law & Sourcing Blog
The content found in this blog is intended to serve as general information about China law, business & sourcing; it is not legal advice nor intended as legal advice
Most Recent China Business Blog Posts
What To Do When You Find Your IP being Knocked-off on Alibaba?
The lawyers in our network receive this kind of request on an almost daily basis: Pitfalls and Best Practices for getting copycats shut down on Alibaba in specific and in China in general In theory, you don’t have to be a lawyer to contact Alibaba and report the knockoff. If you show Alibaba, you are the legitimate owner of the IP, they may take action without the need to take legal action. BUT, in reality, Alibaba earns money from…
Freight Costs From China Continue to Escalate
If higher prices, increased raw material costs and IC chip shortages weren’t enough to make you pull your hair out, if you’re doing business in China, you know freight costs have also been steadily going up. But recent quotes for clients to ship containers to the USA have reached stratospheric heights, sinking hopes for a return to favorable rates. A quote for a 20-foot container from Shenzhen in the South of China to Los Angeles is now $13000. A…
Be An Exciting But Honest Potential Customer
I mentioned in my previous blog that it’s not a good practice jus to say “What’s your lowest price?”. 4 tips on How to be an Exciting but Honest Potential Customer In this blog post, I will share with you some tips on how to be an exciting but honest potential customer: What I like to do when visiting the trade show, first I walk by, I pick up brochures, I sit down and I circle the suppliers that are…
Common Mistakes and Tips when Visiting Trade Shows and Factory
In this blog post, I’ll share with you the common mistakes that new buyers often make when visiting trade shows for the first few times. ✓ Why It’s important not to talk about the price too soon? Don’t talk price too soon. The suppliers at the trade show are bombarded with buyers who walk past the booth and ask “what’s your price?” It doesn’t leave a good impression and the sellers doesn’t view you as professional. An experienced buyer…
Older China Business Blog Posts
What is the Biggest Red Flag When Looking for the Right Type of Supplier at a Trade Show?
Today’s blog post, I will expose how two very common scams can unfold when you are doing business in China. While both these scams have been around for over a decade, in the past few years the number of victims has increased dramatically. 1.) Wide Product Range Probably one of the biggest red flags that I find when visiting these trade shows is that the seller’s booth has a…
Common Scams when doing business in China
Today’s blog post, I will expose how two very common scams can unfold when you are doing business in China. While both these scams have been around for over a decade, in the past few years the number of victims has increased dramatically. 1.) Shanghai Surprise It’s really dangerous when you communicate with your supplier using a free e-mail account. Perhaps they don’t want to pay for a formal…
Tips and Practices to Avoid Scams
In my previous blog, I was talking about The 3 Most Common Scams. So you might be thinking “Oh my God how do I protect myself?”. Here’s the good news, it’s easy to avoid scams. All the scary things we talked about can be avoided if you follow a couple of tips and practices in this blog post. 1.) Ask for references Don’t focus only on price. Do your…
The 3 Most Common Scams You Should Know
Here are a few examples of the most common scams targeting foreign buyers. Scam #1: “The Classic” This is where the scam artist convinces the buyer to send as much up front money as possible. They victim is thinking, “I want to be smart. The product is $1,000, I’m going to only give a $500 deposit to keep them honest, and I’m not paying that $500, second payment, until the…
Huge Red Flag that a Website is a Scam Artist
In this blog post, we will talk about some of the red flag that you should notice when visiting the website of a scam artist. Product Portfolio It’s a big red flag of the website shows a very wide scope pf products. The they are selling snowmobiles, EV’s, jet skis, hover boards, bicycles, motorcycles, cameras, computers and water purifiers…come on! Not even Mitsubishi, Sony, General Electric, Philips, and Ericson combined…
Dealing with Defective and Non-conforming Goods in China
In this blog post, let’s talk about where the quality and contracts meet. Based on my 20 years’ experience in China, I’ll share with you some tips on dealing with defect and non-conforming goods in China. Situation: If you’re buying something so simple like a commodity, you’re buying Mickey Mouse watches that haven’t changed in five years. You would assume that the factory is going to get it right but…
How to Make the Contract Officially Binding in China?
In the previous post, I covered how to get the supplier to respect the contract and if penalty clauses in supplier contracts actually work. Now, in the article below, I will be sharing some tips and practices on how to make the contract officially binding in China. Many parts of Asia, including China, the “Chop” (an ink stamp) not a hand signature, represents the company and is legally binding. It…
How to Get The Supplier to Respect The Contract?
Do you have the right terms in place in your China contracts? Perhaps you are wondering if the supplier will respect the contract? In this blog post I will share some tips based 20 year’s of experience, living in China, getting suppliers to respect my contracts. Tips and Best Practices: Get the Chinese Supplier to Respect the Contract The 50 page “watertight” contract that your lawyer back home created for…
The Bad, The Ugly, and The Good When It Comes to Agents and Middlemen
Today, I just want to be a little bit better-rounded and explain that sometimes the agents are very good but sometimes they’re the root cause of problems. In this blog post, I’d like to share about the bad, the ugly, and the good when it comes to agents and middlemen Bad, Ugly, and The Good When It Comes To Agents and Middlemen First off, some of the agents and brokers…
Most Popular China Business Blog Posts
2 Main Problems When Buying at the Wholesale or Retail Level
Whether you’re buying at the wholesale or retail level, the main problem is two-fold: stability of the supplier & stability of the supplier’s supplier! What…
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Finding The Right Supplier in China
Today’s blog post is about finding the right supplier and finding the “right supplier” is a different process for different industries and order sizes. It…
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Contracts in China: Q&A with an English-Speaking Chinese Lawyer
In this blog post, our Chinese lawyer answers some of the more common questions about contracts and their enforcement in China. Answers are provided for…
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China Court Cases: Q&A with an English-Speaking Chinese Lawyer
In this blog post, our Chinese lawyer answers some of the more common questions about legal procedures and court cases in China Answers are…
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English Speaking Lawyer China: Maximizing Trademark Application in China (Part 2)
What business assets can be protected with a TM application in China? Introduction to the Q&A with English-Speaking Chinese Lawyers In this blog post, our…
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3 Common Mistakes with Trademarks in China
What are the 3 most common mistakes made when registering a TM in China? Common Mistake #1: Not realizing you can save money by…
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English Speaking Chinese Lawyer: Intellectual Property Q&A – Part 1
English Speaking Chinese Lawyers: Introduction to this series of blog posts Western lawyers aren’t allowed to practice in China. Chinese lawyers fluent in English are…
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Can my Chinese supplier deliver to my potential customer in China?
Let’s say you have developed a great supplier in China that ships affordable products, on time at the agreed quality level. You are aware…
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Defining “competitor” when drafting an NNN agreement in China
NDA = Non-Disclosure Agreement NNN= Non-disclosure, Non-compete, Non-circumvention How to define “competition” under the NNN agreement? In a recent blog post we explained…
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How to Source Safely from China: 4 Key Steps
For today’s blog post, let talk about the important topic of safe sourcing from China. By far, the single most frequently asked question I get…
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NDA vs NNN
NDA vs NNN. What’s the difference? Which is better when buying from China? Short Answer: NNN stands for “Non-disclosure, Non-compete, Non-circumvention” and is a more…
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Setting the Right Tone for Cooperation with China Suppliers
Many foreign buyers have struggled with their cooperation with the China supplier. If you are among them, you’ve probably looking for a guide or…
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