How to find a QC partner
In my past videos, blogs and articles I am constantly encouraging readers to do a quality independent control inspection before the goods ship out from China. I am happy to say that more and more buyers are taking that advice and having fewer quality problems and less friction with their suppliers over quality and payments.
In this blog post, I would like to write about how to find 3rd party QC (3PQC) service provider.
Finding a 3PQC
The 3rd parties that I have used are listed at http://chinasourcinginfo.org/endorsed-service-providers/ but for those readers that wish to explore options on their own, here are some suggestions.
Do a good search under the key words of “China + inspection + audit” and you will find plenty of options.
Some tips for selecting a 3PQC:
- Are they a legitimate company? If they ask you to pay to a personal account, this is a big red flag.
- Do they have a clear track record of performance? If they can’t give you some client references, run away.
- Are they focused on a certain set of services or do they try to everything for everybody? Yes, even the 3rd party service providers have been known to outsource to others just like some factories outsource production without telling the buyer. If an inspection company is also a trading company- that is a big conflict of interest.
- Is their pricing structure and service agreement well defined and transparent?
It is a major pitfall to do business with a 3PQC service provider without a clear contract in place that outlines the service, costs, time frame and other desired attributes of the partnership. If something goes wrong, you want to know in advance how the company is going to stand behind their services.
Next Blog Post: How to Manage a 3rd Party QC service provider
Wishing you successful China sourcing!
Mike Bellamy
About the blogger
Mike Bellamy is an Advisory Board Member & Featured Blogger at the not-for-profit China Sourcing Information Center (www.ChinaSourcingInfo.org). He is also the author of, “The Essential Reference Guide to China Sourcing” (chinasourcinginfo.org/book) and founder of PassageMaker Sourcing Solutions (www.PSSchina.com)
