How to avoid delays in production and delivering furniture from China?
Proper work with Chinese suppliers is the key to success when buying furniture, sanitary ware and lighting in China!
We specialize in purchasing and delivering furniture from China worldwide, and we know the process from A to Z. A number of problems may occur when working with Chinese suppliers, especially the first time. We’ve put together some tips that may help you with avoiding any delays you might have with goods delivery or production.
When working with Chinese suppliers get a real idea of an estimated production time
Sometimes it seems like too long but it just takes this much for some of the furniture for drying, carving, quality control, loading, customs clearance, and delivery. All these processes can take quite a while, but it is impossible to guarantee the quality and integrity of the furniture, sanitary ware and finishing materials you have bought in China without them.
Sea freight from China by sea also takes a relatively long time to any part of the world, but it is times cheaper and saves tons of money. Plan your trip ahead and you’ll make the most of your trip and budget.
Best not to come right before and after Chinese New Year holidays to buy something.
Traditionally Chinese return home to celebrate New Year with their families. Showrooms, sales offices are closed for 1.5 - 2.5 weeks during the holidays, factories, on the other hand, may stop for 1-1.5 months.
Keep in mind when coming to China before CNY and placing an order, don’t expect it to be ready any time soon.
If they couldn’t make it on time, the production is going to be postponed until after the holiday is over. Expect additional 1-2 months to the order’s delivery time.
Right after the holidays, Chinese factories are overloaded and busy with delayed orders and the ones they haven’t even start making yet. So if you arrive right after the CNY, your order will be queued after the orders they already have.
Choose a reliable partner in China to buy any goods in China
When ordering goods, the Chinese often give a rough estimation of weight, volume, and, of course, production time. Chinese manufacturers do quickly win customers over and get the desired order. It is no secret that very much depends on your representative in China: we are in contact with manufacturers and strictly control the deadlines. An important feature of a good agent is the ability to prevent such situations. If it is immediately clear that a factory is unreliable and not able to make it on time. Over 10 years of work, we have collected a huge base of reliable Chinese factories, and will always help you avoid some dodgy manufacturers.
Pay to Chinese manufacturers on time
Production delays can a client fault too. Manufacturers in China start work ONLY after receiving the full deposit (to the very last penny). If you behind the bill for 20 USD, a deposit is considered as incomplete. Count the production time from the day a factory confirmed receiving of the deposit.
If you're planning on placing an additional order after leaving China, make sure you make the deposit for it ASAP. The longer you postpone the payments, the longer other things you've ordered (furniture, sanitary ware and decoration materials) gonna just sit in a warehouse waiting for being shipped because for some additional two chairs.
What's the production time for furniture, sanitary ware and lighting in China?
For some reason, lots of customers think buying in China is the same as in their local retail store where all is in stock and can be delivered within a week. Buying in China you're buying from manufacturers and everything is made by piece, rarely there is something in stock for clients to ship right away.
Estimated time for the production of different type of goods
Lighting — 7-21 days;
Upholstered furniture — 14-30 days;
Cabinet furniture — 14-21 days;
Kitchens — 25-60 days;
Ceramic tiles — 7-21 days;
Sanitary Ware — 14-25 days.
Think ahead and plan not only time for the trip, production and logistics but also leave a room for any kind of delays. Make sure to find an agent who is ready for these risks and can some control of it. In our experience, it takes an average of 3-5 months from the moment of order confirmation until receiving the container in your country.
We recommend coming to China in advance to purchase furniture and other goods. Please contact our managers and we are happy to answer any questions you might have!