Category: Trading Guide

For Muslims in particular, travelling to places like China, Hong Kong or other non-Muslim countries can be a challenge especially when it comes to food. It has often been preconceived that Muslims might find it hard to locate Halal food because of the population in China who are mostly non-Muslims.

However, this is actually not the case for a city like Guangzhou because of its status as one of the primary and top trading cities in the world. As a lot of Malaysians and Muslims from other countries travel to Guangzhou for their stocks and to find suppliers, there are actually quite a lot of halal food available.

Muslims in Guangzhou

Guangzhou is actually one of the few China cities with a large community of Muslims. In fact, this community dates back to more than 1,400 years ago which contributed to more than 130 million Muslims in the country. As such, you can actually find some of the oldest mosques in the world here like the Saad bin Abi Waqas mosque in Guangzhou.

On Fridays, the mosque is very crowded as there are many stalls that sell Halal food for those coming in for Friday prayers. This is where you can actually try the great Halal services made to perfection by the Chinese chefs that include their own Nasi Beryiani and Mutton Satay.

Besides that, there are many halal restaurants around Guangzhou which includes Arabian, Pakistani, Turkish and most definitely Chinese cuisine. There are Muslim-oriented hotels where you can rest assure that Halal food is served.

Did you know that you can now earn an income by trading China products on a part-time basis? At the current economic condition, the ‘one bread-winner’ model might not be sufficient anymore. If you are staying in the cities, you will notice that prices of goods, education, medical and such are constantly rising. So, what type of business would be good if you are a housewife who wants to help in the income but cannot commit to a full-time job?

What are your options?

There are many choices when it comes to part-time income. MLM or Multi-Level Marketing is one of them but this might not be everyone’s cup of tea and it might not work for everyone. Another option is to make money by blogging but this has been done by so many people across the world. Perhaps dealing with tangible goods could be a good business and that is where you should consider buying cheap goods and selling for a profit.

Consider China

The China market has been extremely dynamic in the recent decade. Cost of production of goods has been low with the large pool of human resources and manufacturing plants. Goods from China are of good quality and reliable while delivery can be easily arranged. If you have time, make a trip to Guangzhou and pick your own goods which can be delivered to your doorstep and perhaps venture into some of the methods above. Once you have a supplier, you can order online and all arrangements can be made from there.

The China market is often seen to be very challenging and entrepreneurs have often been trying to bring China-produced goods out to other countries. Penetrating into the Chinese market is perceived to be difficult and sometimes even impossible.

Entering China market is easy

Did you know that with the right channel and proper planning, you will be able to bring your Malaysian products into China? Have you ever considered marketing your products to China but have been discouraged by those who failed that tells you it is impossible? We can change that and make what you thought impossible to be possible. In fact, when you trust us to help you market your products into China, it is extremely easy.

Our Expertise

This is because we have been in this market for more than a decade and has cultivated the expertise to help any business penetrate the market. We specialize in helping businesses grow particularly into China. Our Malaysian partners have already established their businesses in China for many years and many are already settled and living in the country which means you have a ready network of partners ready to trade and expand your business.

Over the years, we have built a strong network of Malaysian companies and partners and worked very closely with our distribution channels in the largest cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzen and Guangzhou which are all economic powerhouses not only in the region but globally as well. Besides that, we work with the local trade associations from both Malaysia and China, giving us a lot of access into the respective markets.

Our experience includes helping you to arrange and plan your business while advising you on all the procedures and regulations involved. This will cover areas like shipping and logistics as well as in tax and duties incurred. We can help you in promoting your products like foods, drinks and other raw material while other products can be arranged if necessary. For better exposure and promotions, we can help you in branding, packaging, marketing and other matters catered for the China market as well to help you minimize your risk, cost and other overheads.

The golden question of whether it is hard to trade in China is often asked to entrepreneurs and businessmen from different types of business sectors. While not many have survived the test of trading in China, there have been real-life accounts of those who have succeeded. The common perception is that with the large population in China, targeting 0.1% of them means you are reaching millions of buyers. Perhaps you should lower your expectations and learn from this true-life story.

An entrepreneur trading in children toys spent the early years of his business buying from suppliers in Malaysia. He found that most of the products he was selling were ‘Made in China’ which prompted him to try and cut the middle-man and buy direct from China. He then spoke to his supplier who discouraged him immediately. The supplier told him that to buy wholesale from China is very difficult. You will have to take a flight to an island to transit to another island before you will come to the wholesale market. Then, you will have to know the local practice, language and the regulations which are all very complicated before you can export into Malaysia.

The entrepreneur was determined and with direct flights from AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines to Guangzhou, you can now follow his example. Trading in China is actually not difficult. In Guangzhou, you do not even need to speak Mandarin or Cantonese because they speak English and such. Logistics and delivery can be arranged on the spot. Join our business and leisure trip to Guangzhou and see it for yourself.

You can now enter into a whole new business opportunity by venturing into the China market. Get to know what you can expect and how you can grow your business beyond your wildest expectations by joining our holiday and business trip to China. What you will experience will be a truly rewarding holiday while learning more about what you can do with your business by setting up new partnerships with traders and merchants from the world’s most populated country.

Guangzhou

You will be visiting Guangzhou. This is the third largest city in China after Beijing and Shanghai which are the administrative and economical powerhouses of the country. If you haven’t already known, Guangzhou is the top trading city in the world and is home to the largest pool of wholesalers. It is in Guangzhou that you will find almost anything which is sold in retail markets and to top it all, they are sold in wholesale and can be very cheap.

What you get here includes spare parts, home equipment and appliances, clothing and apparel, shoes and accessories, mobile gadgets and electrical goods and the list goes on. If you look close enough, you can find anything that can be traded here in Guangzhou.

In this trip, you are cordially invited to set up new trade partnerships with the local producers. Buy in bulk and arrange for delivery to your business back in Malaysia. It can all be done here. If you speak Cantonese, it would be a bonus because most of the locals here speak this language.

Why China?

The whole idea behind trading in the China market is the endless possibilities and limitless opportunities. We have the expertise to help bridge your business with the potential manufacturers here because we have been in this market for many years.

China is the most populous country in the world. It has an extremely large pool of human capital and the relevant resources to produce almost anything at a lower cost as compared to any other countries in the world. Even with this, the quality of goods is still very good. Because of these reasons, trading with China manufacturers provide your business with a great platform to grow and expand without having to increase your costs.

Objective of Trip

What we aim to do is to bring entrepreneurs like you to Guangzhou and be exposed to the world of suppliers and manufacturers. In doing so, you will no longer be at the mercy of middle-man or intermediaries. When you meet the suppliers directly, you can deal directly which means there is no need for commission or additional costs. All negotiations are carried out on the spot without intervention.

When you are in this market, you can check out the transaction mechanism and how the business is run for yourself. You will learn how to pick and choose the best products for your business and look for those that are ready for your market in Malaysia. In this context, you must be aware that there are certain types of goods like adult clothing, children apparel, bags and leather goods, gadgets and electrical items are among the best selling and highly demanded in the Malaysian market. When you are in direct negotiation, you get the real look and feel of your products before buying.

This trip will prepare you for future transaction. Once you have returned to Malaysia, you can always arrange your own trips in the future when you want to purchase more. Having done this once, you will know what to look out for and can be independent. Besides that, we help you to arrange for shipping and delivery of your goods back to Malaysia.

Commercial Invoice

This is the most common type of invoice used and goes by different names like Trade Invoice, Shipping Invoice or just Invoice alone.

Detailed Invoice

As the name implies, this document is more detailed, describing all the contents of the goods that include information like value, price conditions, unit price, total price, quantity and specifications like dimensions and measurements.

Certified Invoice

This document confirms that the contents of the invoice are accurate and true. It usually contains the information of the goods (although they might not be detailed) with a statement at the bottom of the document certifying that the contents are true and correct.

Receipt Invoice

This invoice functions like a bill or receipt. It is to confirm that payment has been received from the customer (buyer) and issued for safekeeping. In most cases, there is a statement in this invoice that clearly says how payment was made, whether it was by cash, credit card or other forms of payment.

Manufacturer Invoice

This document is issued by the manufacturer usually used for exporting of the goods. This invoice is a very important document for the importing country as it is the basis of how the related taxes and duties are calculated. The Manufacturer Invoice is usually issued with the domestic currency price and is dated earlier than the commercial invoice.

Proforma Invoice

Proforma means ‘as a matter of form’ in Latin. It is issued in advance of any shipment or delivery of the goods. The Proforma Invoice is issued to state the value of the goods and is commonly used for custom clearance.

Consignment Invoice

This is the document issued to be used as the basis for pricing used in consignment of goods.

Customs Invoice

Some countries require the customs invoice when goods are imported. There are certain formats that have been stipulated by the respective countries and this must be met accordingly. There are certain countries that will use the Commercial Invoice while some require the customs invoice as an alternative.

An RFQ or Request for Quotation is a standard business document which is involved in the buying and selling process usually involving public contracts and governmental offices. This is a standard process where the seller is inviting suppliers to send in their quotations as part of a bidding procedure.

In some sectors, the RFQ is known as the IFB or Initiation for Bid which basically means the same thing. RFQs are usually involved in public contracts as it is a way to prove that the awarding of the contract is transparent and to overcome any instances of fraud. In this context, companies in the private sector carry out such practices for the same reason as well.

The RFQ is a very detailed document where it contains information like terms of payment, quality, duration and all other related information. The most important pieces of information here would be the price of the product or service which is being offered where it would usually be the determining factor of who wins the tender.

Before the RFQ is issued by the supplier, the buyer will usually advertise the exact specifications and requirements of what is needed. This is to ensure that the RFQ from all the bidders are standardized and consistent. In some cases, the exact quality and brand of product is named. Once the RFQs are received, the evaluation panel will look into all the submitted tenders and the project will be awarded to the one that offers the best pricing (usually lowest) and fulfilling the requirements stipulated.