How I vetted and chose my manufacturer on Alibaba
Anaita explains how she sourced 4-5 manufacturers on Alibaba for her first product, compared their samples on quality, delivery, communication and packaging, then confirmed via Skype which suppliers already produced for major competitors. She used the same trusted suppliers as her big competitors but differentiated through customer service and delivery speed.
The lessons
Request samples from multiple manufacturers using identical specs before choosing one.
Compare suppliers on quality, delivery timeframes, communication and packaging.
Ask manufacturers directly if they supply your larger competitors and request proof.
If your product is similar to competitors, differentiate through customer service and delivery speed instead.
Questions people ask
How did you find and choose a manufacturer for your product?
Anaita sourced 4-5 manufacturers on Alibaba, gave them identical specs, and compared their samples on quality, delivery timeframes, communication, and packaging. She then asked manufacturers directly if they produced for her large competitors and requested video proof, ultimately choosing suppliers already vetted by $30 million businesses and differentiating on customer service and delivery.
Transcript
How I found the perfect manufacturer, the secret edition. Obviously went straight to Alibaba. I knew that the first product that I wanted to get out was a black card holder. So I found four to five manufacturers.
I gave them the exact same specs and asked them to each make me a sample. So when the samples arrived, I compared them on the following things. Quality, delivery timeframes, communication or lack thereof, and packaging. And do you want to know what I did next?
I know there's going to be some hate comments, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I Skyped those manufacturers and I asked them directly if they produce the products for my big competitors. I got them to actually send me videos of my competitor products in production. My competitors were $30 million businesses with QA teams, so I knew their products would be vetted and be very good.
So I used their supplies. Essentially we had similar products, but the way I differentiated myself was in my customer service and delivery timeframes. I hope this helps.
