The Do’s and Dont’s of sourcing overseas

Sourcing overseas

The do's and dont's of finding and ordering packaging overseas.

We speak with Sally Wade, product industry expert, about what you need to know when buying, designing, and manufacturing packaging Sally has years upon years of dealing with factories nationally and internationally and has seen it all! Here are some extremely valuable tips from Sally:

Hi, I'm Sally!

Over fifteen years is how long I’ve been in the product buying industry! With the last ten years as a Production Manager where I managed all of the relationships with international manufacturers…its safe to say I’ve become an expert on the “how too’s” of successful purchasing!

The manufacturing of their product is definitely where Brand’s get lost in the process and its only the beginning!

Here are the top 10 of Do’s and Don’ts when looking to Manufacture Overseas:

Do’s

1. Do research the manufacturer and question anything that seems suspicious.
2. Do consider what the manufacturer specializes in, they all differ in what they will excel in.
3. Do discuss the expectations of the entire process. Agreements and official documents will help to minimize risk.
4. Do consider location, shipping can be a hurdle to coordinate.
5. Do negotiate!

Don’t’s

Don’t compromise your values, anything but these!
Don’t make a payment until you have confirmed the account information to be safe.
Don’t assume they understand your product requirements or updates, get approvals.
Don’t lax on quality or communicating any concerns.
Don’t forget your manners, the manufacturer is human and needs to be your best relationship!

The Key is always to revert back to your own brand values and use them as guidelines!
It can be a frustrating process to find a manufacturer that aligns with your needs, using an agent can quicken the process dramatically. If you need help to find that perfect product, Sally is ya gal! Chat with Sally here