Simple Guide to Importing Textiles from China in 2023
Mehdi Chibani
Founder & CEO at KabyLabs | Investor | Polyglot (English, French, Spanish, Amazigh, Arabic) | Passionate about Tech, Politics, Economics & Travel | Empowering Professionals to Succeed.
If you're planning to start selling textiles, this article is for you! I will explain how and where to source, as well as how best to manage your supply chain. In addition to the many methods you'll see in this guide, i will show you the mistakes to avoid so you can make the most of your business.
A) How do I import textiles from China?
1. At fashion shows in China
All clothing retailers are required to attend fashion shows. It's by attending these events that you'll forge links with the manufacturers who approach you.
Some of the major exhibitions in this sector include:
I recommend that you target a manufacturer and make an appointment with them so that they can free up their time for you, and so that you can share your questions and requests with them.
2. The Business to Business in China
In addition to exhibitions, you can consult Chinese B2B platforms such as:
You can search for what you need on these platforms and ask manufacturers for specific information. I recommend that you ask suppliers what minimum quantity you can order as well as the price and delivery time depending on the volume of your order, whether they can make original equipment manufacture or original design manufacture and the cost of the sample with delivery.
It's best to send a message that's neither too short nor too long, with enough information, as suppliers receive many requests, many of them spam.
3. Use sourcing companies
If you're not involved in the supply chain of clothing sales, sourcing companies or buying offices in China can find you the right manufacturers for your needs. Most of the time, they will efficiently find you reliable and qualified manufacturers, allowing you to concentrate on your core business of selling.
What's more, they also strive to find you the best price. Here are just a few examples of Sourcing companies:
Jing Sourcing - ideal for drop shippers, wholesalers and SMEs
Dragon Sourcing - suitable for medium-sized and large companies
Imex Sourcing Services - suitable for medium-sized and large companies
4. Go to Linkedin
Many potential suppliers post information about their companies and employees on Linkedin. You can contact them directly on this platform.
5. Search on Google
Searching on Google isn't that complicated. Just the words you use will make all the difference in finding satisfactory results.
You can type your product name preceded by "manufacturer wholesale China" or "factory wholesale China". If you don't find a satisfactory result, don't hesitate to repeat the same search in English: supplier, factory or manufacturer. However, since Chinese manufacturers focus more on manufacturing and sales than on online marketing, they won't necessarily appear in the first ten results of your search.
6. Six notable wholesale clothing manufacturers in China
1. Shandong Jining Ruyi Woolen Textile Co Ltd Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Jining, China, this manufacturer has over 5,000 employees. It specializes in the production of woollen textiles and worsted fabrics. Annual sales exceed $150 million.
2. Shandong Demian Incorporated Company Established in 1997, the company is headquartered in Dezhou, with a group of subsidiaries producing spinning, weaving, printing, dyeing and knitting garments. The manufacturer offers all types of knitting yarn and cotton. Sales exceed $190 million.
3. Huafang Textile Co Ltd Founded in 1997, based in Zhangjiagang, China. It offers textiles and raw materials for garments such as cotton yarns, knitted fabrics, imitation fabrics and electrolytic solutions. The manufacturer earned over $260m in 2017.
4. Jiangsu Sunshine Co Ltd Established in 1994, this company specializes in textiles, particularly worsted fabrics, but also in many other sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, electricity, retail, oil and gas. It is a very large manufacturer with annual sales of $400 million.
5. Shijiazhuang Changshan Textile Co Ltd This company is active in the production, research and sale of various types of textiles. It went public in 2000. You'll find cotton garments, printing and dyeing woven on the assembly line. You can't miss their $1 billion turnover in 2017.
6. Weiqiao Textile Co Ltd Produces and distributes textile products and raw materials of all kinds, such as cotton yarns, twill fabrics and cellulose fiber blends. With 54,000 employees, sales exceed $1.2 billion.
7. You can also start your own business by buying from Made-in-China
This is a wholesale platform serving users all over the world. It offers articles of all kinds, including fashionable clothing for all occasions and tastes. Made-in-China has years of experience and has built up a network with thousands of professional Chinese textile manufacturers. It will be easier for you to deal with them than to contact the manufacturers yourself. If you're not a supply chain specialist, communicating with dozens of suppliers will require considerable time and energy, not to mention management, follow-up, quality, logistics and all that goes with it. Only large companies can afford to do this, as they have been experts in this field for many years and have teams in place to handle supplier management. If you're just starting out, it's best to use a platform such as Made-in-China to focus on your sales and communication, so you can perform more effectively. Made-in-China can take care of all your supply chain management, so you could spend 20% of your time working with them and the remaining 80% on improving your sales figures and company image.
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B) What Made-in-China can do for you
1. Launch your store and merchant site without taking risks.
If you're short of finance and don't want to risk going into debt or losing too much money, Made-in-China has the solution with its drop shipping service, which is very efficient for retailers.
2. Get Boost products at the click of a button
Most retailers waste a lot of time looking for profitable products, and every day thousands of them decide to buy from Made-in-China. It's easy to find the latest trends and best-sellers on their site. Entrust your product search to Made-in-China and put 100% of your skills to work to increase your sales.
3. Made-in-China saves you time by taking care of SEO
Many retailers have problems optimizing their SEO for online stores, especially start-ups. Made-in-China is surrounded by professional teams of experts who create SEO-relevant product descriptions, so members can download full product details and publish them in their online stores more easily.
4. Receive your clothes on short notice
Are you tired of waiting for your parcels? Thanks to Chinabrands' global warehouses and logistics system, you can even get your wholesale clothing in less than a week.
So you know how to find garment manufacturers in China, and you know who to work with for your garment business. In the next section, I will look at some frequently asked questions in the apparel industry.
C) What you need to know to find clothing suppliers
1. Identify wholesale suppliers
First, you need to determine whether clothing suppliers are retailers, wholesalers or manufacturers. You can also understand how these companies operate by going to Alibaba or Global Source and understand their role by seeing the trade license. In these descriptions if you see the word "production" of such products, you can conclude that the company is a manufacturer otherwise they are merchants but also offer a wide choice of product.
2. Think about the right choice for your company's capacity
Don't focus your search solely on large manufacturers, as they will always favor large companies ordering very large quantities. So they won't always be interested in smaller quantities. Look for small manufacturers who can offer you quality products. They'll be more likely to accept your small orders. On the other hand, this kind of supplier will provide you with greater proximity, making it easier to communicate with and manage them. They'll also offer you better service than the big manufacturers. 3. Manufacturers must provide test reports Several test reports or certificates are required to export garments to the European Union, the USA and other countries. The supplier you choose must be able to provide you with test reports such as the SGS or SST test.
4. The supplier must have a formal manufacturing system
Many manufacturers have this kind of system, such as ISO 9001: 2008. Manufacturers with this certification will have a higher quality standard than those without. Manufacturers with BSCI and Sedex certifications should be given priority in your list of potential suppliers. 5. Divide manufacturers into garment manufacturers and fabric manufacturers If you are familiar with the supply chain, you can better manage your suppliers, particularly in terms of quality control, by focusing on garment manufacturers on the one hand, and fabric manufacturers on the other.
D) Some recommendations
1. Where to find good clothing manufacturers in China
You can find suitable garment manufacturers in China using the following methods:
Online business-to-business platforms in China
Sourcing companies
Buying offices or agents in China
Google search
Clothing industry trade fairs in China
2. Approach the best clothing manufacturers
Manufacturers will be best for you if they match your business strategy. If you have a price-competitiveness strategy, look for the cheapest, and if you have a non-price-competitiveness strategy, look for those who offer good-quality products.
3. Where to find manufacturers who accept small quantities
You'll find them on B2B platforms or online wholesale sites. Made-in-China, with its experience and connections, it's a very good choice of supplier.