Back to the Basics: Air Shipping

In the spirit of the last “Back to the Basics” article on sea shipping, here is the air-shipping counterpart. 

We’ve Been Doing This for “X Number” of Years

Mountains of advantages come from good ol’ fashion experience.  Many things in life and business come from putting the time in, logging in hours and simply doing it.

It’s Like a Big Machine

A Chinese factory is a like a big machine.  Picture a gigantic steamroller that once you push the button, it mindlessly and harshly starts its path, regardless of what’s going on around it.  And once you get that big beast a’ started…it’s extremely hard to find the “off switch”.  Or better yet, it’s extremely hard to find the “let’s all stop for a minute and hold hands and sing kumbaya” switch.

Back to the Basics: Sea Shipping

A few reminders about sea shipping;  especially for those of you in the promotional product / ad specialty industries bringing in goods offshore.

Confessions of an Open Networker

I like LinkedIn.  In fact, probably too much and had let my network get out of control.  The thrill of connecting.  All the exotic foreign countries.  The multitude of careers, positions, names, faces.  I was caught up in the moment.

A Lot Like Dining Out

(Thanks for stopping by this post.  After you read this, do me a favor and stop by the new house:  http://jacobyount.com Hope to see you there and remember to leave a comment so I know who is reading!  Much love - Jacob) 


This weekend we went to a restaurant that serves “Western Cuisine”.   I mentioned in a post from last year, that I seldom like to go to the so-called Western places in China.  I wasn’t surprised during this outing…the same ol’ same ol’ rang true. 

But one thing that stood out, is that, especially in the promotional product and branded merchandise realms, managing and supervising production from factories is a lot like dining out in China.

Unity

Back to the conversation I had with the “China sourcing expert”…

I’m going to pick on this guy again.  Not because this guy just deserves being picked on but because he embodies the mindset of most Westerners in the manufacturing business in China.  It’s a mindset that is focused on the short-term.  It’s also a mindset that leads to a multitude of the problems you see with China manufacturing, whether quality issues, certification / health scares, late delivery times, inconsistent pricing or loss of time.

Does Your Buyer Know You Quote That Way?

Many buyers treat offshore quoting like shopping

Buyers, importers, distributors, folks thinking about becoming importers, distributors who import, suppliers who import…whatever the classification, I’ve heard the same complaint from them whenever they come to a trade show in either Hong Kong or Mainland China.