Updates from the China Electronics Center of Shenzhen. Business has never been better in this part of China. Every corner of the city has a bustling electronics market, and the biggest one near Luohu (not the one at the border!) also has its fair share of foreigners, many eagerly trying to establish a good buying source.
And there's a problem that has not changed. For the new hopeful from a Western country, the odds are stacked against them the day they step off the plane - with, or without a Chinese speaking helper.
Fresh with all the stories and information they've sought from the internet, reality now hits !
Let's examine just one of the pitfalls in this article:
Your willing Chinese Guide/Translator:
Being unable to speak Chinese is your biggest drawback... believe me, the ones who tell you differently actually CAN speak Chinese, or have access to services they seem to have forgotten about when they give you such ludicrous advice.
And worse than NOT being able to speak Chinese is having (and paying for) a guide who doesn't know left from right, and can't tell a question from an answer.
Solution? - When you hire any guide/translation services, ask for the contact details of a recent client of the service and make contact with them and ask the salient questions (beware that the client is now more friend than client!) A good guide will happily supply you with bona fide information.
And for the final surety, CALL UP the prospective Guide/translator and talk to them on the phone. Ask a few more than "plain simple" questions and judge the result. Why? - most mainland Chinese with some English proficiency have very low oral English ability. The email replies will look good, but there's a more than a 90% chance that the oral skills will be insufficient for the job.
This is just one article in a series of what to watch out for when buying Wholesale Electronics from China.
The author Sam Dolbel lives and works in Shenzhen (Guangdong Province - close to Hong Kong) and specializes in supplying mp3 and mp4 players, digital camera and associated products to small to mid-size buyers in Western countries http://www.greatdeals-hk.com
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