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I'm taking a shot at retailing a value-added computer accessory I've designed. To do this I need a source of 32GB or 64GB USB flash drives. I'm trying to get between 20 and 50 as an initial trial order from any Chinese factory which has a swivel metal casing and the full reliable non-branded memory inside. Once I have them I'll be able to check their consistency, thrash a couple and test out my sales channels and whether there's even a slight demand. Assuming there is then I'll up the order to 200 or 500 and try to repeat it every month or two.

I've roughly worked out the freight costs, I know the import tax process, it shouldn't be hard but finding a couple of potential suppliers turns out to be a bit fraught. There appears to be a sell-on market for trade leads which attract scammers like a torch draws in moths.

By scammer I mean one-man emailers with spreadsheets of "FOB price" for a thousand or so products, websites with pictures of the products claiming a million dollars a year turnover and a hundred employees, the websites and spreadsheets are all cloned around a similar template, the prices are a half of what I expect and the scammers will let you order the moon. Can I have 256GB sticks? Yes sir yes sir. The fact that there's no fabrication plant anywhere in China that I've heard of doing 256GB sticks seems immaterial.

So, this is a thread for how I get on sorting the sheep from the goats. Alibaba has a factory inspection report I can read for proper suppliers, that might be a starting point - it carries a photo of the required export license for each company. It's a lot better than just an email assurance of good faith. I still think there ought to be a better way of knowing that the proposing partners are who they claim to be though.

These may be worth an approach

My Office In China

They look terrifyingly competent. If I reach a turnover where I can afford them I may well go cap in hand and beg their assistance but I suspect my first toe-dips will have to be unaccompanied.

It might be worth asking for advice, it's a jungle out there.

That's why I'm toe-dipping with low volumes so I can't get bitten hard. How does this sound?I have not imported from China before. I hope to build trust with a regular supplier. Alibaba lists you as a 2 Year Gold Supplier, Onsite Checked, accepting Escrow payment. That gives me confidence to ask for a low-volume trial delivery.

I would like to buy your Minimum Order Quantity, perhaps 20 pieces, of 32GB USB swivel usb flash drive so that I can check speeds, accuracy and endurance. I do not need a branded stick and on this first order I do not need a customised logo. I do need the full capacity and reliability. I would prefer your best speed and product lifetime to a cheaper price. If you can discuss alternatives I would be interested to hear what they are.

Please give me a price including delivery to my address, using Alibaba's escrow credit card payment. I can alternatively pay through Paypal if that's an option you use. For later larger orders I would expect to pay by normal t/t bank transfer to your account.

I apologize for being so wary but as your website says, "don't believe other website, there are so many scammer in internet". I have had several emails offering me spreadsheets with prices for products which I don't believe can even be marketed unbranded, like 256GB sticks. Finding a trustworthy contact in China is my priority at the moment, so testing a product is important to me.

That sounds good to me.

I would want to get advice from fellow Brits who have traded with China first.

I have heard mixed opinions about Alibaba, join UK business forums and get some feedback.

We'll see what happens. I've placed a trial order for ten pieces but through a different portal which seems to offer several levels of protection to the purchaser, dhgate.com

I've no idea what or when anything might arrive but if something does then it was a cheap way of making progress.

Here's what I've been told:Your payment has been made!

Order No.:1229076326

You have paid : US $ 96.9

DHgate will confirm your payment within 24 hours upon the receipt of it.

Before that, your order status will remain "Awaiting Payment".

Order Number:1229076326, Supplier will set to deliver your items via HONGKONGPOST within 2.0 working days. You will receive them after 2-4 days since the delivery

Wholesale - free shipping;10PCS/lot USB 2.0 memory stick rotating steel U disk 64GB Flash Memory Pen Stick Drive Sold by sdcards.LTD

US $7.25 - 9.69 / Piece

GBP 4.64 ~ 6.20

10 Piece / Lot

Quantity (lots) Price/lot Processing time

1 US $96.90 2 Days

Your payment for Order 1229076326 has been confirmed. You can click here to check your order status.

We will inform you of the delivery status when your item (s) has been shipped.

It felt quite plausible actually. I Paypal'd £6.34 per flash drive for ten flash drives and if they actually have 64GB each then I don't think I could have done better.

I'll update the thread when I know the answer.

I'm trying to decide why I've taken this route and the answer is that if I don't start at this end of the piece of string I'm not going to understand how establishing commercial trust begins. I'm paying a mild price for the education, I reckon it's cheaper than not knowing.

I wish you well, how else would you find out ?

By heck they don't hang about. "Your Order 1229076326 has been shipped and you can track the status of the order with the tracking number below in 1 to 3 business days". If I could get out of the starting blocks that fast I'd be on the Olympic hurdles team.

Matters have progressed. The delivery did actually get to HongKongPost (though a week after the initial notice went up), and it did arrive here to be signed for. By then I'd bought some pretty good 32GB USB3 drives in the UK for £20 a piece to get me up and running. That £20 per item is the limit of what I can pay and still turn a reasonable profit, I'd much rather get them nearer £10 and I'm sure I will.

Not from the Chinese supplier though. He (or she - I think it's she) gives Zhang NanDe; Shennan Road 1719 Nanguang Jiejia Building, Futian District; Postal/Zip Code:518032; Phone:13417560560. What arrived in the post were "upgraded" - they actually have a word for this process - "upgraded" USB flash drives which started life as reject unlabelled 4GB memory and were scam-patched to respond with "64GB" when plugged into a PC. They are worse than mere trash, they are deliberately fraudulent.

The scamming company describes itself as Shenzhen SunLight Hing Electronic Trading Co and uses "sdcards" as its account name. I suggest anyone hitting this post by way of Google avoid the firm and find a reputable alternative, which is what I'll try to do.

The remainder of this thread will be about how I got my US$96 back. Given that it's in an escrow account I have expectations.

So......................get a go between, as I may have mentioned.



You could just keep fishing until you get a goodun of course.

This might be good to take a look at.

That link pretty much sums up why I have to trade direct as well as why it's hard to find the right connection:[...] They could supply the product but their pricing was out of our reach due to them adding their cut. It has become apparent that finding a real factory that isn’t just assembling someone else’s components into products is pretty hard especially with epic size of this country.

I'm $94 down so far, with a fair chance of recouping it. It's a cheap education. Other people go to lotto sites.

spot;1387463 wrote: That link pretty much sums up why I have to trade direct as well as why it's hard to find the right connection:[...] They could supply the product but their pricing was out of our reach due to them adding their cut. It has become apparent that finding a real factory that isn’t just assembling someone else’s components into products is pretty hard especially with epic size of this country.

I'm $94 down so far, with a fair chance of recouping it. It's a cheap education. Other people go to lotto sites.


You did suspect that it would happen, let's hope the escrow works!

Sounds like a catch 22 situation to me.

You have to find a someone who is small enough to supply small amounts, but big enough to give a good price, and who is honest, by fishing in a quarter of the worlds population, best of luck.....seriously.

Hi Spot

You need not worry about the fees.

My advice is free !...............And I am a UK expat !

The best advice........Don't take chances...............Work with someone you can trust and understands your needs.

As previous posters have said, it can be a jungle out there, with many scammers.

I am here to help, if you need it.

Blimey how do you do that ?

It has to be link tracking right ?

Not too sure now whether I would be happy with such an approach.........shouldn't it be the other way around ?

That's a very kind offer.

What I've found is that I have a very specific need: USB 3.0 (to practically guarantee a write speed over 20MB/s when plugged into a USB 2.0 port) as either 32GB or 64GB flash drive. The dozens of quotes from Guangdong I've seen are either unbelievable (US$8-9 a piece) or higher than I can order on Amazon (which is around $28 a piece for the 32GB drive, delivered, and which I've tested). I agree these drives have to originate somewhere but I've seen no quotes from someone I'd have reason to trust at the price I'd like to pay. Ideally that would be $15 because then I'd be able to make an attractive priced product here.

Bruv;1388186 wrote: Blimey how do you do that ?

It has to be link tracking right ?

Not too sure now whether I would be happy with such an approach.........shouldn't it be the other way around ?


Hi Bruv

Let me explain............

We have a facility on our website that allows us to track people visiting our website.......

It intrigued me to find the source was from this forum, so I decided to take a look as I am a member at UK Business forums and I quite enjoy giving advice to people who need help with their China purchases etc.

Its a genuine offer for assistance for people needing it to cut out all the problems that can be associated with China trading.

It's an offer..........It doesn't have to be accepted.

To be honest, It was your post that prompted me to join this forum and offer any advice people need.

I am also curious....How did you hear about MYOFFICEINCHINA?

It's a small world !

I am a member of UK Business Forums also, more of a wannabe than a businessman though.

spot;1388187 wrote: That's a very kind offer.

What I've found is that I have a very specific need: USB 3.0 (to practically guarantee a write speed over 20MB/s when plugged into a USB 2.0 port) as either 32GB or 64GB flash drive. The dozens of quotes from Guangdong I've seen are either unbelievable (US$8-9 a piece) or higher than I can order on Amazon (which is around $28 a piece for the 32GB drive, delivered, and which I've tested). I agree these drives have to originate somewhere but I've seen no quotes from someone I'd have reason to trust at the price I'd like to pay. Ideally that would be $15 because then I'd be able to make an attractive priced product here.
As you have realised, and experienced, there are many scammers out there, in particular with USB flash drives.

Rule of thumb when working with China..........If it's too good to be true..........It's a scam !

Also, when asking for quotations, it's important to note, 'Real Capacity', this avoids the situation where you have been quoted for, lets say 32GB memory, but when tested it is actually less.

Unfortunately there are no 'short cuts' to working with Chinese factories and there are too many 'factories' to decide which is right for you.

It's best to get help, paid or otherwise, to initially introduce you to a factory, sound in the knowledge that they are both reputable and competitive.

It's a small price to pay in the long run, especially if you are looking to establish a long lasting relationship with a factory and a particular product.

Best of luck.

I agree with you entirely. If I reach a point where my volumes allow me to stump up for an introduction I'll take that route.

Bruv;1388198 wrote: I am a member of UK Business Forums also, more of a wannabe than a businessman though.
I can't help being a businessman, I've done it for the past 35 years.

UK business forums allows me to 'stay in touch' with the UK, as well as being able to offer advice.

Its actually very enjoyable, especially when there are differing opinions on a particular thread and people voice their experiences.

We all need advice at some point regarding some matter, and it's always good to listen to opinions people have related to a particular topic.

I think the more people use these types of forums, the more enlightened they become.

It's a great way to give and get advice.

Keep well.

spot;1388203 wrote: I agree with you entirely. If I reach a point where my volumes allow me to stump up for an introduction I'll take that route.


My offer to you is free.

MYOFFICEINCHINA;1388206 wrote: My offer to you is free.


By all means if you know a factory you'd vouch for who make what I need, pass them my email address and I'll be delighted to discuss it with them. It's beaconsfield@gmail.com

spot;1388216 wrote: By all means if you know a factory you'd vouch for who make what I need, pass them my email address and I'll be delighted to discuss it with them. It's beaconsfield@gmail.com
Was it you that complained recently about spam mail ?

Bruv;1388217 wrote: Was it you that complained recently about spam mail ?
It's my email address. I despise spammers, they're not going to prevent me from using my email address for what it's meant to be used for, which is solicited or individual communication. Maybe it's because I used email before the first online spam was invented.

spot;1388216 wrote: By all means if you know a factory you'd vouch for who make what I need, pass them my email address and I'll be delighted to discuss it with them. It's beaconsfield@gmail.com
Hi spot

Please advise the Capacity, Speed, Class of the USB you require, together with the quantity for the first order. Also if you need a specific brand.

You can PM me this information, and I will begin to source the best factory that suits your particular specifications.

spot;1388219 wrote: Maybe it's because I used email before the first online spam was invented.


Fair enough

Saw THIS and thought of you.

Bruv;1399563 wrote: Saw THIS and thought of you.


An interesting read it is too. Though I can see it might boost his business as an agent.

I don't think he set out to be an agent, although he does say he has acted on others behalf.

Have you succeeded in sourcing what you were after ?

Bruv;1399582 wrote: I don't think he set out to be an agent, although he does say he has acted on others behalf.

Have you succeeded in sourcing what you were after ?


My need to source hit a glitch when I discovered the paucity of customers for what I intended to offer in the marketplace. I'm revising my product line over the next month.