A Quick Guide on How to Import Artificial Jewelry from China

China is known for its skilled talent, edgy technologies, and well-equipped factories. This means that even though the country has a bad rap and her products deemed of poor quality in the west and many other parts of the world, you could easily find high-quality jewelry from China.

The catch, however, is a complicated process, especially if it’s your first run. You’ll encounter a number of challenges, but there are steps you could follow to simplify the importation of artificial jewelry from China.

But just before we look at the steps you should follow, you should know that artificial jewelry differs from imitation in that – while the two types of jewelry are made with cheap metals and gemstones, the imitation jewelry is fake, but artificial jewelry is more the copy of original jewelry. These two types of jewelry also differ in terms of quality with artificial jewelry being of a higher quality than the imitation jewelry.

Now that we’ve got that covered, how do you import artificial jewelry from China?

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1. Finding your supplier/ Sourcing Company

With many suppliers listed on Alibaba and several others recommended by your network, choosing the right supplier requires patience and knowing what you want. You have to vet the supplier and what they offer, talk to their previous clients preferably from the US, then find out if they’ll be able to supply what you need or not.

While asking around is easy, the preferable and the most recommended approach is visiting the different markets in China. There are various places that you can import artificial jewelry from in China, but the most popular places include:

The Yiwu Futian Market; this market has a relatively low minimum requirement for the quantity of products you could buy
Guangzhou Xijiao Plaza; sells high-end jewelry and the minimum quantity order requirement is rather high
The Guangzhou Taikang Jewelry Mall; which sells fashion jewelry and a medium, minimum product quantity requirement.

If you’re unable to travel to China, you will have to engage with one of the many sourcing and supplies companies. You can find a list of reputable sites from Alibaba, Global Sources, or Made-in-China.com.

The other places to find sourcing agents or direct suppliers include social media and trade shows.

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2. Sourcing

This is the other critical step involved in importing artificial jewelry or any other product from China. You could source the products from direct suppliers or sourcing service providers, or even sourcing service providers. The sourcing service provider is safer than working with a direct supplier.

3. Using a Sourcing Service Provider

For sourcing, you must give your product specifications, and also the quality that you seek. It means that by the time you’re trying to source, you already know what you’re trying to source, as well as the quality categories available.

Note that you will have to fill out a Request for Quotation form and then you will be furnished with the initial product sourcing report with a quick overview of the estimated cost of the products you’re looking for.

At this stage, you will also receive an estimate of the shipping fees, as well as the shipping options available. The report provides also has the import fees, taxes, tariff, required product certifications, import requirements, as well as all other requirements for product alterations and customized add-ons.

Once all this information is verified, you will receive your Support Evaluation Report with more details on pricing and product descriptions. It also bears the information of the companies/ suppliers you’d like to try.

Note that the sourcing and supplies companies will organize product sourcing but only after you choose one company as your supplier.

Since there are multiple potential companies, each with their strengths and weaknesses, you or your sourcing company has to compare the rates offered and negotiate the best deal.

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When choosing the best supplier, check the following aspects:

The control systems put in place by the company
The countries they export to
Their responsiveness
Whether they manufacture products in their factories or if they’re the trading company
If the product photos provided on their website are actual images of their products or not
Their registration information and their contact details
Certification – this is tough because most of the companies you’ll find have acquired certification illegally.
An Alibaba Gold-Supplier Certification is also important, if getting a supplier from Alibaba. This certification is bought by the supplier, as well as an Alibaba revenue stream. Alibaba tries to verify the factory information provided.

Keep in mind that even if a supplier is verified on Alibaba or any other site, the verification should not be trusted because the company could have a bad reputation?

To verify your direct supplier, you might have to visit the relevant local government agency where the company’s registration is checked.

4. Trading Company

If you are only interested in a small volume of jewelry, you could engage a trading company and avoid the complexities of sourcing from China. This is an expensive option too.

5. Buying/Payment

When importing artificial jewelry from a direct supplier, you can save a significant amount of money. But, you also run the risk of being duped, losing your money, or you could end up with poor quality pieces.

But, if you’ve confirmed the status of the supplier, you could pay them using a safe payment option like a bank letter of credit that’s issued by the bank. Alternatively, payment could be done through an escrow account, also by a reputable third party. Wire transfers and credit card transfers are too risky.

A sourcing agent charges a commission of between 3% and 10%, but they are not very reliable as they do not vet the suppliers or confirm the quality of the products ordered.

The safest alternative, however, is the sourcing service provider who charges a certain fee, but will also verify the details of the supplier, run product inspections, product quality control, and logistics arrangements among other functions. The service providers are, however, very expensive.

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6. Tax

You must obtain the proper tax documentation because a legit wholesale jewelry supplier only sells to buyers that provide the right documentation of their sales tax ID and a business tax ID.

Keep in mind that your order will take a bit of time to be shipped. And if you’re buying pieces for display, ask the supplier for displays.

The leading wholesalers of artificial jewelry include: