How to source for a reliable Chinese supplier? There are many ways to do it. Like, b2b websites offering suppliers, some with labels like “gold supplier”. These are only paid members, which can be done by any company. There is absolutely no guarantee that they are reliable.
Another way would be, to visit trade fairs in China and meet the suppliers directly. According my 6 years China experience, I know that 70% of the exhibitors are trading companies. Only if you have a well organized schedule, you will be able to find the right suppliers, out of thousands exhibitors. Now, I will tell you some secrets, how professionals do sourcing. The best way to source on line, is to search through search engines. Put in your product metal fabricator and search. Usually, you will find the b2b websites in the top results. No problem, go on and search there. Make a list of 4-5 factories, which you can find common, on most b2b websites.
Check their own websites. A serious supplier should have a website in English language. Compare the contact information. If they are same like on the b2b websites, go on to search the “who is” info. Are the websites registered with the same company name, go on in searching again in Google, but this time, only with full company/factory name. Check at least 20-30 results. After all this, you now know, that you have found some serious suppliers. Its time to contact the suppliers. Write a detailed, common inquiry with easy English. Send it to all as one mail. Let them see that you contacted their competitors, too. It will be like an open bid, enjoy it!