Importing from China can be extremely profitable for your business, but it’s also full of pitfalls that can turn a good operation into a logistical and financial nightmare. These are the 5 mistakes we see most frequently:
1. Blindly trusting the supplier
This is the most common and costly mistake. Many companies find a supplier on Alibaba, negotiate via WeChat, wire the money, and hope everything arrives fine. Reality tells a different story.
What can go wrong:
- The supplier ships quality inferior to the approved sample
- Quantities don’t match what was agreed upon
- Labeling doesn’t comply with Mexican regulations
- Packaging is insufficient for maritime transport
The solution: Always verify with an independent inspection. An inspector on the ground is your eyes when you can’t be at the factory.
2. Not verifying regulatory compliance before shipment
Mexico has specific regulations for imported products: NOMs, labeling, certifications. If your goods arrive without meeting these requirements, customs will hold them.
Real example: A company imported 3 containers of electronic products without verifying that the labeling complied with NOM-001. Result: 45 days of storage, re-labeling at port, and over $15,000 USD in additional costs.
The solution: Verify regulatory compliance before the goods leave China. It’s much cheaper to correct at origin than at destination.
3. Not documenting the loading process
If you don’t have photographic and documentary evidence of the loading process, you lose all ability to file claims. If the container arrives with damaged or missing goods, how do you prove the problem originated at the source?
What you should document:
- Condition of the goods before loading
- Stowage process inside the container
- Container seal number
- Packing list verified against the actual cargo
4. Choosing a supplier based solely on price
The lowest price is rarely the best option. Suppliers offering prices significantly below market typically compensate with:
- Lower quality materials
- Unskilled labor
- Production processes without controls
- Deficient packaging
The solution: Before committing to a large order, conduct a factory audit. Knowing the supplier’s facilities, processes, and actual capacity saves you from surprises.
5. Not having a backup plan for logistics
Production delays, port issues, and peak seasons (like Chinese New Year) can drastically alter your delivery timelines. Many importers don’t plan for these scenarios.
Recommendations:
- Schedule your orders with at least 2 weeks of buffer
- Have alternative suppliers identified
- Maintain constant communication with your freight agent
- Monitor your shipment status in real time
Conclusion
Importing from China is a huge opportunity for businesses, but it requires preparation, verification, and control at every stage. At Trifecta, we support importers from supplier verification all the way until the goods arrive as expected.
Need to protect your next import? Contact us and we’ll help.