| It is hard to find any product in this day and age that | | | | She said it is also a good idea to buy a single item first |
| doesn't come from China. But are these products well | | | | to check that the product was safe and worked well |
| received and has Chinese manufacturing managed to | | | | to guarantee customer satisfaction. |
| shake its bad reputation the same way some other | | | | 2. "Chinese manufacturers will try to cheat you after |
| Asian countries did 20 years ago. Apparently not if | | | | you pay." |
| you followed last year's news reports of safety | | | | While a quick search online could turn up hundreds of |
| concerns and product recall of Chinese-made goods. | | | | stories of people who say they have been cheated |
| So are all the criticisms true? We decided to look at | | | | by Chinese suppliers you would be getting an |
| the three most common myths of buying products | | | | unbalanced picture as those with good experiences |
| from China and see how valid they were. | | | | are much less likely to speak out. |
| 1. "Chinese products are unsafe." | | | | Ms Li recommended those using credit cards do it |
| This is a long-held belief that has been brought to the | | | | through a third party payment handler like PayPal. |
| forefront of people's minds again by several | | | | "That will prevent the seller from getting sensitive credit |
| high-profile cases in the US. | | | | information from the buyer and allow the buyer to stop |
| Mattel enacted a massive toy recall in August 2007 | | | | the payment if there are any problems with the deal," |
| because the toys had been decorated with lead paint, | | | | he said. |
| an illegal practice in many western countries. An | | | | Another key piece of advice offered by regular goods |
| estimated 10.5 million toys were recalled, which led | | | | traders is to transfer money into company bank |
| people to question the safety of many other Chinese | | | | accounts and not personal bank accounts, and always |
| products. | | | | keep a documented record of transactions to help |
| Who is to blame in such cases? | | | | dispute cases if things go wrong. |
| Some Chinese export companies say that people are | | | | 3. "There is no way to tell if a Chinese company is |
| looking in wrong place for answers and, instead of | | | | legitimate." |
| looking at manufacturer, we should look at the | | | | This is a particularly big fear for exporters who buy |
| companies ordering the products. | | | | online or over the phone and are afraid the company |
| Rose Li, Chinavasion public relations manager, said | | | | they are ordering their products in might not actually |
| Chinese factories were only able to work to the | | | | exist, or may be in financial trouble, leaving them no |
| specifications given to them by the customer. | | | | recourse if they pay for an order and that order does |
| "Chinese factories will view improved materials and | | | | not arrive. |
| certification as optional extras, which increase the | | | | Analysing some case studies of people who've been |
| price," she said. | | | | scammed, certain patterns emerge. Seasoned |
| Ms Li said importers looking at sourcing products from | | | | importers will spot obvious danger signs at the |
| China should first find out the end markets' exact | | | | beginning of each story that should have warned the |
| safety compliance standards before telling the | | | | buyer away at an early stage... before money |
| manufacturer about the exact specifications they | | | | changed hands. |
| needed for the product. | | | | |