Sourcing & SEM Expert

Recently, Tom eBay declares that it has connected with the parent company, American eBay to build a new trade platform for overseas purchasing where users can buy America products directly. It will be much easier for customers to choose their products because there will be Chinese description for those products in the American eBay overseas purchasing area. Customers can just use their credit cards to pay for the goods. This is the precedence for a C2C trade platform to run directly international overseas purchasing in China. Many people consider that eBay just wants to take overseas purchasing as a last resort to defeat its adversaries.

One of the biggest adversaries of Tom eBay is Taobao whose overseas purchasing in the first season of 2008 is about 520 million RMB, 481% increase than that of 2007. Tom eBay’s market share decrease from more than 90% to the current 2.1% in China. EBay’s overseas purchasing strategy causes great sensations both positive and negative. Running overseas purchasing online is not a new staff. Many networks in China provide such services, such as Yide, Usashopcn and so on. Network purchasing is becoming very popular due to many factors. Dollar depreciation and customs duties play an important role in network overseas purchasing. Some people think that eBay’s blindness to run overseas purchasing can’t help turn its situation better. They think it is helpless for eBay. However, others agree that it will make a difference for Tom eBay. Since the products in eBay are much cheaper than those in other overseas purchasing websites, some about 30%-40% cheaper. According to the officials in eBay, they will provide better service to customers. If customers’ products have quality problems, they can contact eBay directly and eBay will solve the problems themselves while other purchasing websites will ask customers to contact the manufacturers directly.

Different people have different opinions. I respect their opinions. However, I disagree that eBay is blind to follow others to run overseas purchasing. First of all, overseas purchasing has potential development space. Customers want to buy overseas products conveniently and with less money. The advantages of overseas purchasing are needless to specify clearly here. That eBay chooses overseas purchasing strategy is right. Second, eBay does enjoy high reputation in China though it is second to Taobao. Many Chinese people still buy goods from it. They can trust Tom eBay so that they would like to buy overseas products from eBay which enables them to choose products with Chinese description in foreign websites while other domestic purchasing websites can’t. Furthermore, the products in eBay are various. Customers have a lot of choices. Finally, eBay has experience in running its business and learns a lesson from its failure. I am confident that the future of eBay’s overseas purchasing is bright.

Overseas purchasing strategy is not the least as a last resort for eBay; it is just a turning point for eBay. Well, let’s wait and see.

Looking for Outlets??? Ask Google or Click here!!!

Are you hungry for Levis’s bags, Armani’s elegant apparels, Jil Sander’s perfume, Alexander MacQueen’s shoes and other brand names? Are they too expensive for you to buy? If you are crazy about one brand or more, no matter how wealthy you are, they will cost you a large sum of money while buying too many at a time. Nobody is a fool. Even you are very rich, you would like to buy as many brands with less money so that you can buy more. To those who have a low income but long for brands, it will be a hard time for them to do window shopping. Can we ordinary people enjoy brands with affordable prices? Can our dreaming of having branded products become true? Of course, we can! Outlets can make our dream come true.

Nowadays, more and more brand outlet stores/outlets are emerging. They are very popular all over the world. Outlets could date back to America one hundred years ago when some American apparel factories put their overstocks and off-season apparels in their retail stores where all kinds of discounted products of brands gradually get together. From then on, stores that specialize in selling branded overstocks and off-season products are called Outlets. The emergence of outlets is inevitable. Since products like apparels have their own seasonal characteristic, after the season they can’t sell well. On the other hand, some processing factories have some materials left and then will make good use of them to make authentic brands. Furthermore, overstocks can be happened almost in every store. There is no exception to brand manufacturers. However, brands will not lower their prices so as to sell better. If they do this on their own, customers may consider that these brands also lower their images and quality so that no brands will choose this solution to deal with their overstocks. Luckily, outlets can do them a favor. In this case, brand manufacturers take no risk of losing their images and transfer their closeouts.

Customers are welcoming outlets very much. They can buy lots of authentic branded products with affordable prices which is much lower than the original prices. For example, a BCBG’s dress cost 800 dollar may be 50 dollar in an outlet. With so reasonable prices and high quality, no wonder customers are rushing to outlets. Moreover, there are various brands for customers to select. With so many products to choose, customers couldn’t be happier.

Outlets can be found in Hongkong, Korea, Japan, Spain, America, France and the rest of the world. Take America for example; there are over 130 branches of outlets in Los Angeles. Outlets are developing very fast in Japan, North America and other economy developing areas. Outlets’ clear orientation, that is brands focus, low prices may enable them to be globally operated. Outlets provide a win-win situation for customers and sellers. Just embrace the joy that outlets bring!

Looking for purchasing networks??? Ask Google or Click here!!!

Though purchasing networks can help customers with their overseas purchasing and save both money and time of customers, some of these purchasing networks still need to improve their customer services and users experience in shopping in their websites. One of the reasons customers choose purchasing websites is that they can provide various good services that can make their shopping more convenient. For example, customers needn’t have to go outside to buy whatever they want from one store to another. In one purchasing website, if a BCBG dress customers need is out of stock in this website, the representatives of customer service will help you search it in other websites until you can play an order which makes up the insufficiency of wasting too much time in shopping around every store while there is no such a product.

However, every coin has two sides. There are some disadvantages in some purchasing websites. The users experience and customer service in purchasing websites need to improve. The users experience means the way how customers use the search engine while customer service means help and complaints solution.

First of all, let’s talk about the users experience in these websites. Purchasing agents should know customers’ consumption mentality clearly. Usually, customers want to know the latest products of a brand or the hottest ones. However, some purchasing websites do not offer the latest fashion trend or the new products of a brand. Therefore, customers find it difficult to know how the fashion trend is going. They need to ask the representative of customer service for help. I myself have such experience. I can’t find the latest products of Gucci in one purchasing website directly and have to ask for online help. But it is not convenient because sometimes you have to wait for someone to answer your questions. On the other hand, the number of different patterns and well-known brands are too limited. Take my experience for example, I liked a blue BCBG dress very much and want to buy it. However, the representative told me that it was not available and suggested another totally different yellow BCBG dress for me. I asked her to find me the blue one and she said even other websites didn’t have it. I felt very upset. Even though she introduced me another one just like the blue one, I would be very glad. However, there is no choice but to turn to another one. They just display a few products for customers to choose. I think it will be better if they can supply more for customers to choose. Anyway, customers want to have more choices and find the best one.

Then, about the customer service. Some of the representatives are not so kind to customers who need help. Sometimes, they are impatient so that just after a few questions from customers, they are reluctant to answer or they would just say they don’t know the answer. But, some websites do a good job. They will tell you specific information about the products, prices and services. They consider customers as their god. Customers are greatly impressed by them and will like to play another order with these kinds of purchasing agents. Which kind of purchasing agent do you like to do business with them? I think the answer is definitely the second one.

Purchasing websites have so many advantages that they should continue to serve customers better to win more customers. Don’t let some of the disadvantages ruin the business. Every purchasing website should think more for customers and improve customer service and users experience so as to make things better. The space of purchasing websites is rather huge. Just catch every chance to improve it.

Looking for Network purchasing agents??? Ask Google or Click here!!!

Do you find that if you buy some brand bags, shoes, dresses, such as these brands, Armani, D&G, Diesel, Marni, Louis Verdad, Versace and so on, directly from abroad or elsewhere far from where you live, they will cost more than you can imagine? Luxury products will cost you a large sum of tax. For example, cosmetics will cost you 50% customs duties. You feel painful if you can’t afford your favorite brands while worrying about money. What’s worse, if what you have bought is a counterfeit. Then, what should you do? Just forget it or just buy what you want at the expense of living a hard life? No, you needn’t. There is a key to such kinds of problems. The network purchasing agents can solve your problems and help you get those brands at lower prices while offering you completely authentic products.

Network purchasing agents help others buy products through network. Why are network purchasing agents becoming so popular now? Why people would like to choose them to buy products? There are some reasons.

To purchasing agents, first of all, the risk of running their businesses is smaller than those department stores which take the risk of being overstocked. Network purchasing agents just buy the products customers want so that there is no worry about overstocks. Second, they can earn attractive profits. Price difference plays an important role in network purchasing agents. Take China for example, a LV bag costs about 6000 RMB in mainland while 4000 HK dollars in Hongkong, which is cheaper. Therefore, people would like to buy it from Hongkong. Then, it’s network purchasing agents’ show time. As RMB appreciates, network purchasing agents can purchase overseas products with lower prices so that they can make more profits.

To customers, they can also benefit from purchasing agents. They can not only get authentic product they need with reasonable prices, but also avoid tax and other inconvenient factors, such as going abroad to buy the products themselves, exchanging their money into another one, and so on.

A lot of shopping search engines are widely used by visitors from all over the world. Through Google trend, you can compare the rank of different purchasing websites. Among them, www.shopping.yahoo.com, www.eshop.msn.com, www.nextag.com, www.pricegragger.com, are the most popular ones. In China, www.taobao.com is very popular. According to the statistics of taobao international purchasing, the total purchasing in the first season of 2007 was 90 million RMB while 520 million in the first season of 2008, that is 481% increase.

You can purchase every brand from these websites. If the products you want are not available in their own websites, they will help you to search them in other websites right away. They connect with other well-known shopping websites. You can just tell them the websites of your products; they will tell you the availability and prices of these products. Actually, they charge you the cost of the products as well as freight, including 6%-8% distribution tax, freight in foreign countries, international freight, domestic freight and commission. The commission differs from different purchasing agents. You can receive your goods within a short period, about 8 to 10 days. Imagine that you can dress in a skirt designed by world famous designer so soon that you will be very excited. Right?

Since network purchasing agents are so helpful to you, you should be careful to choose them. Here are some tips for you.

First of all, search the internet to compare those network purchasing agents. Just choose those who enjoy good reputation so as to be sure that they are reliable. You can just compare them through Google trend to see which has the most visitors. Or you can turn to your friends for help, whatever as long as to choose the right agent.

Secondly, be careful of some trickish agents. Some of them will sell you counterfeits online. You need them to show you the certificates to prove that your products are authentic. You should refund the counterfeits to them immediately and ask for compensation. Furthermore, some agents will charge you extra money. For example, they will just charge you some customs duties which do not exist. If a products made in America is used in America, then it will cost you money for the tax. But if you take it to China and use it in China, you don’t have to pay the tax because you can get the refund of the tax in custom.

To sum up, network purchasing is becoming hotter and hotter. There is plenty of potential space for it. It is really something to purchasing agents as well as to customers. Just wait and see how well it will develop.

Looking for fashion fabrics?????? Click here!!!!!

Our Italian business partners were asking for the channels of Italian brand-name distribution in China and they would like to sell the top brand clothing which overstock late in each season to Chinese market. Concerning about this factor, we discovered a tremendous demand of luxury brands after a research on the Chinese market and Chinese consumer behavior. Even though outlets (Discount stores selling top brand names merchandise) have been set up in some megalopolis, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, these discount stores still cannot satisfy the demands of fashion brands: Dior, Chanel, LV, Versace, Gucci, Prada, D&G, etc. Chinese consumers are calling for more supplies of brand-name clothing and accessories.

Everyone wants brand name clothing but not all can afford them. Ordinary people always hope to own some pieces of luxury brands and their wishes become truths because of the outlets. According to the investigations of brand name consumer markets in China, most of the young people would rather purchase a brand-name dress even though it costs half of their salaries. They love to go to outlets for the lower prices that affordable. What’s more, they don’t care whether the brand name lady tops, skirts, dresses, shirts, etc are old or closeout and overstock merchandise. Some are for fashion design, while the others for high quality merchandise. However, the existing outlets appear to be insufficient in store and some of the top brands still cannot be found. Outlets should provide customers with more luxury brands.

Since we have the channels of luxury brands of closeout and overstock merchandises, we are willing to supply brand names at low prices for our Chinese agents and customers. Now we have stocked brand name garments and accessories, such as Versace sport, Chloè, D&G, Armani, Fendi, Jil Sander, Gucci, Prada, Ferre, and other well-known brands. These leading brand-names are overstock merchandise late in each season but with authentic certificates. We are offering top-quality, brand name discount merchandise for agents and consumers who are looking for a great selection on their favorite brands. We also welcome foreign brand name suppliers to cooperate with us for marketing in China.

Looking for fashion fabrics?????? Click here!!!!!

The 8th China (Shenzhen) International Brand Clothing & Accessories Fair (SZIC) will be held on July 10th-12th, 2008. Gathering more than 3000 brand clothing enterprises, Shenzhen is one of the largest cities in garment designing and manufacturing in China. and the 8th China (Shenzhen) International Brand Clothing & Accessories Fair (SZIC) is one of the largest-scale fashion shows with the greatest influence in the Asia-Pacific region. With the tenet of developing the apparel culture, leading the fashion trend, promoting the communications in the apparel industry, achieving the prosperity of garment industry, the 8th China (Shenzhen) Int’l Brand Clothing & Accessories Fair (SZIC) sets a stage for apparel manufacturers to exhibit their brand clothing, brings endless trade opportunities to both exhibitors and buyers.

By participating in the fair, all the exhibitors, both home and abroad, are pursuing the same purposes:

1, to develop as many franchisees as possible in the whole nation.

2, to spread brand culture and to show off company strength.

……

Besides China (Shenzhen) International Brand Clothing & Accessories Fair (SZIC), the China International Clothing & Accessories Fair (CHIC), which is held in Beijing, is also a very famous exhibition in fashion industry. By comparing this two exhibitions, I personally believe that, CHIC  is better in the aspect of extending brand awareness, while SZIC is more efficient in developing franchisees. Since, in recent years, Shenzhen garment industry is showing a good trend of steady development, which have a good performance of exporting nearly 10 billion US dollars annually, also Shenzhen apparel brands are most famous in many Chinese metropolises. Honestly, by well cooperating with many distributors, Saurer Industrial has successfully helped some European fashion brands with opening up Chinese market, and sincerely, we are looking forward to cooperate with more partners.

Looking for nonwoven/non-woven bags??? Ask Google or Click here!!!

As people’s sense of protecting the environment is enhancing, they are doing everything they can to reduce resources and contamination. The notorious disposable plastic bags cannot meet people’s increasing needs anymore and are limited to use. Take China for example, since June 1, 2008, supermarkets and big stores are not allowed to offer plastic bags free of charge. Customers need to buy or bring bags for themselves. Therefore, more and more people, including Chinese people and people from abroad, are interested in the nonwoven bags, which are also called Green bags, E-bags. Unlike plastic bags, which can’t be dissolved soon and cause pollution to the earth, nonwoven bags are made of nonwoven, which can be dissolved faster than plastic and without bringing any contamination. Furthermore, nonwoven bags can be recycled so that they reduce resources and protect the environment.

Some people may have some confusion about nonwoven bags. Such as whether they are really eco-friendly, energy cost comparison between making nonwoven bags and plastic bags, how long can nonwoven bags last and can nonwoven bags be recycled with PDPE film, and so on. Well, let’s solve these questions one by one.

Everyone knows nonwoven bags don’t need any weave and their material is eco-friendly that is the main reason why they are called green bags. Moreover, activator has been added to the components during production. The nonwoven bags can be degraded by two means: photodegradation and biodegradation. In the photodegradation process, E-bags made from PP-nonwoven fabrics can be easily degraded within 90 days with Photocatalyzer (a kind of activators). However, in the latter process, nonwoven bags take longer time to degrade because the animalcules cannot consume chemical substances. It takes time. Thanks to Photocatalyzer, nonwoven bags can be good to the earth protection.

When comes to energy cost comparison, we should also compare the characters of the material of nonwoven and plastic bags. The melting point of PP is from 164?to 174? while the melting point of HDPE bags is rather low. It takes more energy to make nonwoven bags than that of disposable HDPE bags. Though the energy cost is higher, nonwoven bags are still favored by people for the sake of environment protection.

Thirdly, the longevity of nonwoven bags varies a lot. It depends on the frequency you use the bags and the weight, size of those things you put in the bags. Nonwoven bags’ material, PP-nonwoven fabric is composed of polypropylene, polyester fiber, mucilage glue and some other fibers. Most of these components are extraordinary stable under the usual condition. Therefore, nonwoven bags are durable normally. To carry light things, such as food, drinks, and garments and so on, nonwoven bags are competent and can be used for decades or hundreds of years. However, if you take too many heavy things in these bags often, they will be broken soon. We advice that everyone should take care of their shopping bags, nonwoven bags so as to recycle them and do good to the environment.

Fourthly, some people may ask whether nonwoven bags can be recycled with HDPE film. Well, the answer is definite! Because HDPE bags can be recycled into products such as plastic lumber, industrial bin liners, drain pipes, plastic flower pots, coats hangers, plastic envelopes and new plastic bags. Thus, the nonwoven bags with HDPE film are also eco-friendly to environment and recycled.

For more information or if you have any different or better opinion, please feel free to inquire us or share with us your views. As a nonwoven expert, Saurer has very good reputation both home and abroad. We are the reliable manufacturer and supplier of nonwoven bags that you can trust. We can make nonwoven bags according to customers’ needs, such as changing the colors, sizes, patterns and so on. Our competitive price, desirable service and good quality will great impress you. Now, contact us.