Online Shopping Reviews

Legitimate Chinese International Sites to Shop for High-margin Toys

Regular readers of my blog should have been familiar with how I definite “legitimate Chinese international sites”. Anyway, in case some new visitors of my site is not clear about the concept, I want to re-emphasize that from my own point of view, it is impossible to find a Chinese foreign trade site which is completely free of complaints and as a result some of the better ones are viewed as “legit” just in a relative sense.

When I put a site onto my personal list of “reliable sites” or “good sites”, I simply mean that it is an officially registered business and better in terms of credibility, products and services. Seriously, in order not to mislead people who are looking for helpful guides to sourcing products from China, I hope you are well aware that my ideas are just for your reference only and you are always encouraged to do as much research as possible yourself before you try a Chinese site.

As for legitimate shopping websites based in China that offer toys to global buyers, I use the same criteria to compile the list. Hopefully you may find some stable suppliers from my recommendations after rounds of real transactions between you and the suppliers. In December 2012, I posted a topic talking about my points regarding made-in-China toys as a response to an Indian reader. In addition to discussing about the quality issues related to made-China-toys, there I also introduced some better sites where you can find high resell-margin toys made by Chinese factories or Chinese suppliers of toys. If you are interested in, please read here.

Below I will share my knowledge in more details about which sites are better to use to purchase low priced toys, especially in wholesale quantities.

So far I haven’t found any Chinese global sites that exclusively offer toys – this does not mean that such sites do not exist though. It seems Chinese online wholesalers or retailers prefer to list toys as one of their major categories instead of the only category, usually named “Toys and Hobbies”. Continue reading Legitimate Chinese International Sites to Shop for High-margin Toys

Pros and Cons of Shopping for Toys with Sites like Aliexpress.com or DHgate.com

Below is my personal summary of the upsides and downsides of buying toys in bulk from China-based wholesale trading platforms like Aliexpress.com or DHgate.com. If you are interested in using such sites to source toys for your resell business, the following points may inspire you.

Pros:

As a big and famous trading platform, they have attracted millions of suppliers to do business there and as a result, they carry the widest arrays of toys that fit all ages, personalities or interests. Whether you are looking for toys for adults or kids, or toys for boys or girls, you will get a lot of products to choose from.

The toys for sale there are abundant to select from also in terms of quality levels. Both high-end toys and low-end toys can be easily found there.

Most of the toys listed at the sites are in stock so that you can get them delivered to your doorstep in a much shorter timeframe compared to shopping with suppliers who need to arrange the production after you place the order.

You can order the toys in small quantities while still at low wholesale prices. One big attraction of Aliexpress.com and DHgate.com is that their MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is generally very low. Most sellers require a MOQ of less than 10 pieces for a single order and some have no MOQ requirement at all. This has become a very popular trend in the Chinese international wholesale business arena.

Due to intense competition, the price tags for the same or similar toys offered by different sellers can be significantly different. As a buyer you can benefit a lot from the pricing difference.

Continue reading Pros and Cons of Shopping for Toys with Sites like Aliexpress.com or DHgate.com

Guide for Re-sellers: How to Get Best-Margin Consumer Electronics from Reliable Chinese Suppliers

When it comes to sourcing consumer electronics from China, Shenzhen is definitely a can’t-missed-out name – the city is the biggest manufacturing hub of various kinds of consumer electronics made for both the Chinese domestic market and the global market.

To purchase consumer electronics in wholesale quantities, the best way is to shop online with trusted suppliers based in Shenzhen. The shopping websites you use are not necessarily based there though. At the same time, just as the way I introduced in the previous post by which you can shop made-in-China jewelry efficiently (read it here), you can also choose to cooperate with a partner locating in the city. That is, to find a dependable partner in China to arrange the sourcing and the logistics for your wholesale or retail business in your own country. With the help of the partner, you can save more cost and the quality of the products you purchase can be better verified.

Actually I have published a post titled “Huaqiangbei: the Biggest Marketplace of Electronics and Digital Products in China” (read the full post here), which introduced Shenzhen’s most famous wholesale electronics marketplace. If you could find a supplier running business in Huaqiangbei, that would be good. However, for online business, it does not matter much where exactly the office is located. As long as the supplier is based in Shenzhen, or any other place nearing the city, it could be a better choice as it means that the cost is reduced without the Chinese domestic shipping fee and that it is much more convenient for the supplier to source the products of your interest from the physical wholesale marketplaces.

As for best sites of wholesale consumer electronics, one of my old articles listed some long ago. I found that the information provided there is somewhat out of date and it is necessary to give it a update here. In addition to the sites mentioned in that post (Aliexpress.com, Chinavasion.com, Lightinthebox.com, Lightake.com and more), there are some other Chinese sites famous for made-in-China consumer electronics. Here is the list:

Continue reading Guide for Re-sellers: How to Get Best-Margin Consumer Electronics from Reliable Chinese Suppliers

Tmart Limited-time Offer: Coupon Codes for 2nd Anniversary Sale

As a young shopping site of electronic gadgets, Tmart.com is not so widely known as the industry leaders like Dealextreme.com, Focalprice.com or Lightinthebox.com. Besides, we see negative reviews against them show up on the Internet from time to time. It is nothing surprising to us, honestly.

Made-in-China electronics are extremely cheap in terms of pricing while their quality standards vary significantly. Many people are disappointed by the gadgets purchased from Chinese suppliers, which are not as solid as they have expected. While consumer electronics are one of the biggest categories in the Chinese foreign trade arena, complaints against this category also rank the highest in terms of quantity. If you feel it is unbelievable, just try researching by searching the web for reviews of some popular Chinese sites that offer electronics, you will agree with me.

As a business with an official license, Tmart has been selling products to global buyers for two years. To be fair, it is not a top name and is far from perfect, but it is truly a legitimate company. If you are looking for low priced gadgets from China, it is worth checking out along with other Chinese online stores of electronics. I always encourage buyers to compare sites as many as possible in order to find the best deals. Of course, if you never purchase from a particular site before, do remember to start with a small order to test the water first. As for Tmart.com, my attitude is the same.

The site carry an amazing selection of products at extremely low prices. Addition to their major category electronics and accessories, they also have health & beauty, toys & hobbies, sports & outdoors, apparel, holiday supplies & gifts and more. They claim the products are offered at manufacturer prices. After comparing some typical electronic gadgets including tablet PCs, flashlights, Bluetooth headphones, wireless optical mouse and a few more available at the site with those for sale at their competing sites, I found that they are not overstating.

Below is a list of coupon codes on select categories issued for their 2nd anniversary promotion. The offers end January 15. If you are interested in any of the offers, you may need to hurry up. To check out the deals, visit the promotional page here.

10% OFF on All iPhone Accessories
Coupon Code: 2NDIPHONE

10% OFF on All Wii Accessories
Coupon Code: 2NDWII

5% OFF on All Flashlights
Coupon Code: 2NDLIGHT

5% OFF on All Shower Heads
Coupon Code: 2NDSHOWER

$5 OFF $50+ for All iPad Accessories
Coupon Code: 2NDIPAD

15% OFF $15+ for All Mice & Presenters
Coupon Code: 2NDMICE

$5 OFF $30+ for All Memory Cards
Coupon Code: 2NDCARD

$3 OFF $30+ for All Car Lights
Coupon Code: 2NDCAR

$3 OFF $30+ for All Electronics
Coupon Code: 2NDELEC

$5 OFF $35+ for All Jewelry & Accessories
Coupon Code: 2NDJEWEL

15% OFF $100+ for All Tattoos & Body Art
Coupon Code: 2NDTATTOO

20% OFF $55+ for All Musical Instruments
Coupon Code: 2NDMUSIC

Aliexpress Valentine’s Day 2013 Deals: Play Games to Win Coupons

Compared to general online stores, wholesale trading sites such as Aliexpress.com usually launch their promotions for a particular holiday or festival much earlier so that the merchants who shop the sites for their business can stock up on holiday supplies in time to earn money. Now the Valentine’s Day 2013 is just about one month away. I noticed that Aliexpress.com had already released their first round of sales (mainly on jewelry and watches) for this special day.

Play the Fun Game to Win a Seller Coupon

Valid from January 9, 2013 at 00:00:01 AM PST to January 14, 2013 at 11:59:59 PM PST

On their game page for the Valentine’s Day 2013, you can press the Up and Down arrow keys on your keyboard to aim Cupid’s bow at the hearts, which are running up from the bottom and disappearing soon. Then, click the Spacebar to shoot the running heart you’ve aimed at before it is gone. The game is over once you get a seller coupon. I’ve tried the game myself. It is really fun. Keep in mind that to successfully shoot the heart, you should press the Spacebar for 0.5 second before you release it. Otherwise you may let the target slip away. For details about how to play the game, you can view their instructions indicated below the game.

The coupons won from the game are different in terms of face value on different days, from January 9 to January 14. On the first two days, you can win a $3 coupon; on the following two days you can win a $5 coupon, and on the last two days of the promotion you can shoot for a $15 coupon. The coupon you get is only redeemable for the designated product shown at the window (as shown in the image above) which prompts that you have successfully gained the coupon. Also you should be aware that the deal is only available on January 15 and do remember to grab it by using the coupon that day if you are interested in it. In addition to the value reduced by the coupon, the price of the product is also greatly slashed down that day with a 50% or a 60% discount. This means by using the coupon to place the order on the item that day, you can make double savings!

Continue reading Aliexpress Valentine’s Day 2013 Deals: Play Games to Win Coupons

Made-in-China Toys: Are They Worth A Try?

The other day an Indian reader of my site e-mailed me, asking what my opinions are about the toys made in China. He said toys from China are reported as containing toxic material for children in his country. For this reason he is hesitant to get these toys to the Indian market. In case other readers may also be interested in purchasing toys from the Chinese wholesale market, I decided to create this post for your reference.

Before you go ahead, keep in mind that my shadow understanding about the made-in-China toys is based on my own experience and research only. You are encouraged to do more research yourself in order to make a smart investment decision.

Basics about Toys for Sale in the Chinese Markets

First of all, as a Chinese, I can tell you that it is true there are some crappy toys for children which are made of unsafe material or of poor quality in the Chinese domestic market. These cheap toys are available at small stores or offered by moving street peddlers. At the same time, consumers can also buy them from online stores, especially from sellers at Taobao.com (the Chinese eBay). This is pathetic as the Chinese governments do not take strict measurements to ban such poorly made toys, which are definitely a huge threat to the health of the children.

However, toys for sale at bigger stores such as supermarkets or brand stores are generally made of safe material, covered with authoritative quality certifications, e.g. the 3C Certification (China Compulsory Certification or CCC). If you see a toy labeled with a 3C Certification, you can be confident that its material does not have any negative impact on the health or safety of the kids. Although toys meeting national quality standards are usually more expensive than those not, they are not necessarily beyond common people’s consumption capacities. I myself have bought several good quality small toy cars or trucks with 3C Certification for my little boy, each priced at around ￥8 RMB (a little more than $1 USD). Also, I purchased a four wheel electric driving car (see image on the right) with a remote control function for my son at ￥300 RMB only – the high-end ones priced at around ￥1000 RMB. The car is very fun. My son can drive it on the road by stepping on the switch while we adults can control it with the remote controller. It has a 3C certificate, by the way.

Continue reading Made-in-China Toys: Are They Worth A Try?