Find out the various types of suppliers to find available indoor and outdoor artificial plants decoration from today!
Everybody has a thing for indoor and outdoor decoration! Either it’s the real/living or artificial plants; we love the sight of it! However, it seems to be the thing that we someone prefer the artificial ones to the real ones. Why? I don’t have an answer to that, but it’s understandable. I also prefer them to the living ones. They are easy for a non-green-thumbed person like me to handle. What’s not to like about them? Nothing!
This then brings us to the fundamental question of business owners and importers who plan to buy indoor and outdoor artificial plants decoration for resale. Which supplier should we buy from? Who should be our plug for these plants? Well, it’s up to you to choose. As there are different types of suppliers (especially China-based suppliers) who offer artificial plant decoration in large quantities, you need to figure out the one to go into a long-term partnership with. Do you want a factory or a distributor? It all depends on your business model. But you need to know the various types of suppliers available before you can make a good choice.
So, dear enthusiast, I’m here to help you today! In this post, you’re sure to find out the various wholesale suppliers that you can buy indoor and outdoor artificial plant decoration from. You will learn their business model and how they operate. From that, making a good decision is a pickle step away. So, kindly follow me on this swift journey!
Three major types of Chinese wholesale suppliers for artificial plants
From my introduction, you must have gotten the basic idea of how necessary it is to know the type of wholesale supplier you’re dealing with for your artificial plants. Here in this phase, I will elaborate on the so-called three significant wholesale suppliers from who you can get these plants. Also, I will let you know who they are. I will try to iron out some misconceptions to make a good decision on an apparent plate. Could you take a good look now?
Here are the 3 Chinese suppliers below. I will list them out for you and then go into them separately;
- Manufacturers
- Trading companies
- Sourcing companies or sourcing agents
Now let’s jump straight into that!
- Manufacturers
In the supply chain of indoor and outdoor artificial plant decoration, the manufacturers are at the top of the chain. They are simply the artificial plants’ source, and without them, the products will be non-existent. And from the general knowledge and trials, it is proven that you get the best prices and rates when you buy directly from these manufacturers. They are considered to be the best option to get high-quality bulk products from. You can choose to reach out and communicate directly with them to get a high level of expertise.
However, there are two types of manufacturers in the Chinese market that you will most likely come across. They are; those who have their English representative or salesman and those without the English salesman.
Those without their English salesman will find it difficult to transact with international importers and prefer to sell their artificial plants through the trading and sourcing companies. This type of manufacturer will offer the best prices. So to say, to get the cheapest indoor or outdoor artificial plant decoration, opt for them.
Meanwhile, those who have their English salesman will participate confidently in exhibitions and fairs on their own. They will handle international buyers themselves. They usually have their websites or will have marketplaces on eCommerce platforms like Alibaba. You can easily find them on Google, unlike their counterparts. However, their prices are comparatively higher, which is understandable. Their MOQs are also very high, so you need to prepare for a reasonable amount of inventory.
The added advantage you can get from dealing with the manufacturer is that you can make special requests for the type of designs of the indoor or outdoor artificial plants you want to purchase. They will be able to develop your order for you all at the most reasonable prices.
- Trading companies
Alternatively known as the Middlemen, they are sometimes referred to as the expensive and unreliable source for artificial plants. But, that’s not always the case. In short, dealing with the trading companies may be the correct route for you if the circumstances are convenient with your business model. They primarily help foreign importers procure the products of their choice in China. There are many trading companies in China, and sometimes they are mistaken for factories because of their high level of expertise. And this level of knowledge is what differentiates it from its similar counterpart, the sourcing companies.
The trading companies usually have direct contact with reliable factories in many regions and sometimes act as intermediates to bridge the gap between foreigners and Chinese factories. This is only made possible because they always have their English salesman. This makes communicating with them relatively more comfortable and efficient.
They are quite similar to the sourcing companies. Still, a significant difference that makes them the least considered amongst the two is that the trading companies are considered to be on the side of the factories and not the buyers at times of disputes. They seek to protect the manufacturers’ interests, which makes the conflicts a lot harder to resolve. Meanwhile, the lines between the trading companies and sourcing companies are still a little blurry since they do similar things and can most often act alike. So to know the difference, let’s talk about the sourcing companies.
- Sourcing companies or sourcing agents
Here comes our dear helper! I mean. They are specific organizations that help you seek and source the right manufacturers of artificial plant decoration. Yes! They will go through all the hassle of helping you find manufacturers amongst the many in China. They will most likely also deal with these factories. But how similar or different are they to the trading companies, as we discussed earlier?
Unlike the trading companies who prove so much loyalty to the factories they work with rather than you, the buyer, sourcing companies owe their allegiance to YOU! So in cases where a dispute arises, they will represent and guarantee your interest. Also, they are a lot flexible when compared to trading companies. They are the representatives that will procure your indoor and outdoor artificial plants for you.
But let’s point things in the right direction here! Sourcing companies or agents do not sell artificial plant decoration. Instead, they are focused on all sourcing services. From finding factories or suppliers, follow-up, inspection, and shipping processes, they will take care of all of these for you, the importer. But that would be on request and your provision of the PAY!
Sourcing companies will be more helpful to you in a situation where you plan to deal with multiple suppliers. Sometimes you might not find all the species or types of indoor or outdoor artificial plants decoration from one factory. You might need to deal with more than one of them to get different designs. You might not be able to procure all of them yourself. Instead, sign up for help with the sourcing agents.
Rather than saying they are a specific type of supplier, I would like to correct that. They aren’t suppliers. They are LINKERS. And just how important it is to find a reliable supplier or factory, finding a worthy sourcing company is just as important.
Which type is the right one for you and your business?
So, what comes to mind? Which one of these have you desired to work with all along? Do you wish to buy bulk artificial plant decorations from the factories, trading companies, or sourcing companies? The choice is still for you to make. But, you need to carefully make the right decision as a wrong choice can endanger your business.
Since this choice is unique to all importers with different business models, some factors may influence these individual choices;
- The level of experience in importing from China.
- The understanding and knowledge of the regulations and procedures of importing from China.
- The size of the estimated order- how many artificial plants are you willing to buy?
- The available budget and resources to make the order.
If you are a huge buyer and can buy the artificial in huge quantities, you will not have issues meeting up with MOQs. This, therefore, means that the factories or manufacturers will be the best deal for you. Do you get the picture of how to weigh your options and make a decision? That’s it! Try it yourself now!
Let’s wrap it up!
Now it’s your turn. After weighing your option based on these factors, I would love to get insight into how you did it independently. Let’s talk about it.
I hope you got a lot from this article, and I hope to make the best decision that will influence your indoor or outdoor artificial plant decoration business. I wish you the best import experience, business partner! Ha-ha!