Bringing your product idea to life is an exciting but challenging milestone for any entrepreneur.

While coming up with product ideas and creating a business plan are big achievements, the real challenge is finding the right manufacturer. Many entrepreneurs, whether just starting or more experienced, often find themselves a bit stuck here, wondering where to begin their search.

This article is designed to help you find the ideal manufacturers and suppliers. By the end, you’ll clearly understand where to search and the right questions to ask.

Choosing Between Domestic and Overseas Manufacturers

One of the primary decisions when finding a manufacturer is whether to opt for a domestic or overseas partner. Here’s a brief overview:

Domestic: Manufacturers based within your country. Overseas: Manufacturers operating outside your country.

A few years ago, overseas manufacturing, particularly in China, was the go-to choice. However, with the rise of local manufacturing activities, especially in the US, you have options for domestic production at competitive prices.

Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each choice:

Domestic Manufacturers

Choosing a domestic manufacturer can present unique business advantages and disadvantages, varying by country.

Pros:

Faster communication: Communicating within the same cultural and linguistic context can make it easier to explain your product requirements. Better quality control: Domestic manufacturers are subject to the same regulations and standards as you, increasing the likelihood of producing high-quality goods. Faster shipping times: Domestic shipping is quicker than importing products. This means you’ll have a shorter lead time and be better equipped to meet customer demand. Lower shipping costs: Domestic shipping rates are usually lower, which can reduce your overall production costs. Brand value: “Made in [Your Country]” can enhance perceived product value. Payment options: More payment flexibility without customs duties. Simplified legal solution: Obtaining legal recourse in case of conflicts is more straightforward.

Cons:

Higher labor costs: Manufacturing goods domestically usually comes at a higher price due to labor costs. The cost of living in most Western countries is significantly higher than that in developing countries like China or India. Limited options: Only a handful of product types are manufactured locally. Finding domestic manufacturers for some products can be challenging. Higher minimum order quantities: Domestic manufacturers have higher overheads, making them more likely to require larger orders. Low-volume production: Achieving large-scale production may be challenging since many domestic manufacturers are not equipped for high volumes.

Overseas Manufacturers

Overseas manufacturing is a popular choice for entrepreneurs as it’s often cheaper. However, before selecting this option, you should consider some pros and cons.

Pros:

Lower labor costs: The main advantage of overseas manufacturing is the lower labor cost. This translates into lower product costs, meaning you can increase your profit margins or offer competitively priced products. A large pool of suppliers: With the rise of global trade, there’s now a vast number of suppliers in Asia, particularly China. This means you have an extensive range of options to choose from. Ease of search: Established platforms like Alibaba make it easy to find reputable manufacturers. High quality: Despite popular belief, many overseas manufacturers produce high-quality goods. With proper research and communication, you can find a reputable supplier who meets your quality standards.

Cons:

Language barrier: Language barriers may cause communication challenges, leading to misunderstandings or delays. (Although it may not be as challenging nowadays, it’s still important to note.) Longer shipping times and higher costs: Products shipped from overseas require more time and incur higher costs than domestic shipping. This can increase lead time and make it difficult to meet customer demand. Perception issues: Customers may see products as of lower quality. Harder to monitor product quality: Distance and time differences can make it difficult to monitor product quality, leading to potential issues with defective or subpar goods. Customs: Importing products involves dealing with customs, which can be a time-consuming and challenging process if not handled correctly. Limited legal shield: In the event of intellectual property theft, fraud, or theft, you may not have the same legal protections as in your own country.

So What Manufacturer Should You Choose?

While there are risks involved, starting with overseas manufacturers can be more cost-effective, especially for new businesses. Once you establish demand and cash flow, you can explore moving to premium manufacturers.

How to Find Manufacturers In Person

There are two approaches to finding manufacturers: the traditional method of meeting them in person or the modern approach of searching for them online.

Visiting Manufacturing Facilities

This approach might not be for everyone; it involves investing time and money to travel across the country, or even internationally, to check out various potential manufacturers.

On the bright side, you’ll get a firsthand look at their facilities and samples, which really helps to reduce the risk in the manufacturing process.

Visiting local manufacturers might be more doable. When it comes to overseas visits, a little preparation time will set you up for success.

If you’re aiming to enter the Chinese market, here’s the suggested approach for connecting with local manufacturers:

Identify manufacturers: Use the websites listed below to compile a list of manufacturers specializing in your product type. Create a shortlist: Use the guidelines in the next section to question manufacturers and narrow down your options to just a few candidates. Arrange meetings: Schedule in-person appointments with the shortlisted manufacturers. Seek assistance: If the manufacturer doesn’t speak English, consider hiring a reliable local translator to assist you during the meeting. Meet, assess, close: Visit the manufacturers to evaluate their facilities. If you’re impressed, request a few samples before finalizing the deal.

Attending Trade Shows

A more efficient alternative to the time-consuming process described above is attending trade shows.

At trade shows, you can connect with hundreds of manufacturers simultaneously, saving weeks of effort.

Many manufacturers showcase their products at local trade shows, particularly in the US. This eliminates the need to travel to other countries. You can discover local trade shows on websites like TSNN.com.

You can also check trade show directories like Online Trade Fair Database or EventsEye.

How to Find Manufacturers Online

If traveling isn’t an option, don’t worry—there are still numerous ways to locate quality manufacturers online. The thriving import industry has created an extensive ecosystem of online directories to assist you in finding the right manufacturer.

Based on your target location, here are some sites to help you get started:

China

Alibaba
Alibaba is the world’s largest directory of manufacturers and suppliers — a fact that has propelled the company to a $288.36 billion market cap.

There are thousands of Alibaba-verified suppliers with strong performance ratings. You can also take advantage of Alibaba’s trade assurance to reduce risk. Recommended platform for nearly every product category.

By the way, if you create an online store with Ecwid by Lightspeed, you can connect it to Alibaba. This way, you can import products from Alibaba to your Ecwid store and sell them as your own.

This means you don’t have to buy products from suppliers beforehand. When a customer places an order in your Ecwid store, the supplier handles fulfillment. This approach is ideal for testing new products without significant upfront expenses.

GlobalSources
Global Sources—or GS—is Alibaba’s closest competitor. There is no trade assurance, but you get extensive ratings and some assistance with your order. It is recommended if you can’t find anything on Alibaba (highly unlikely).

Made-in-China
Made in China deals mostly with larger items and offers quality inspection and reporting facilities. Recommended mostly for industrial products and parts.

Europe

The European manufacturing scene is picking up, though it is a far cry from the scale at which China operates. If you’re located in the continent and want to manufacture locally, here’s where you can find some help:

All.biz
One of the more popular platforms for connecting buyers and sellers. Available in different languages and has a presence in nearly every European country.

EuroPages
A Europe-only B2B e-commerce platform for finding manufacturing partners. A data base of approximately 2 600 000 companies mainly from European countries.

USA

The US actually remains the world’s second-largest manufacturer, with a 2021 industrial output of $2.5 trillion. If you want to produce in the country, here’s where you can find help:

MakersRow
MakersRow dubs itself “the home of American manufacturing.” It has a database of thousands of factories and neat search tools to find finished products as well as parts.

ThomasNet
The online version of a physical publication (Thomas Register), ThomasNet, lists over 500,000 commercial and industrial suppliers. Also a great place to find industrial designers and CAD modelers. Think of it as the Yellow Pages but for suppliers.

Other Countries

Besides the above, there are a handful of other platforms you can use as well:

IndiaMart
India’s version of Alibaba is best for sourcing apparel, chemicals, and medical supplies—product categories India excels at.

TradeKey
A large B2B marketplace for connecting suppliers with buyers. Has a strong focus on Asian countries, especially India, China, Pakistan, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Bangladesh.

MFG
A comprehensive directory of manufacturers from over a dozen countries, ideal for those seeking custom manufacturing of specialized or unique, made-to-order products.

Exploring Dropshipping as an Alternative

Dropshipping is an attractive model for entrepreneurs who prefer not to manage inventory.

Here’s how it works:

You create an online store (for example, with Ecwid) and sync it with a dropshipping platform of your choice. A customer makes an order on your site. The order is sent to your dropship supplier for packaging and delivery. The supplier ships directly to your customer.

Popular dropshipping methods include:

Reselling products — Partner with suppliers like Wholesale2B or Syncee. Print-on-demand — Use services like Printful for customizable merchandise.

Ecwid integrates seamlessly with various dropshipping suppliers located in China, the USA, and Europe, allowing quick product import and order automation. Check out all dropshipping options supported by Ecwid.

If you have a specific product idea you want to manufacture, dropshipping might not be the best option for you. It is better suited for resellers or those selling standard products with customized designs (mugs, t-shirts, posters, totes, etc.)

How to Select the Right Manufacturer?

By now, you should have a large list of prospective manufacturing partners. However, we still haven’t tackled the hardest part yet — selecting the right manufacturer from this list of candidates.

Many manufacturers promise the world but fail to deliver results. It’s vital to filter out low-quality candidates and choose a partner you can collaborate with in the long run.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to evaluating manufacturers.

Step 1: Ask the Right Questions

Begin the evaluation process by emailing these questions to the manufacturer before conducting any further due diligence.

How many employees do they have? How much equipment do they possess if they manufacture products themselves? What is their annual production output? A reputable manufacturer would gladly provide you with this information. What is their area of manufacturing expertise? It’s better to collaborate with manufacturers who have established proficiency in your specific product category. What is the profile of their typical customers? If they primarily work with multimillion-dollar businesses, they might not give you the attention you need. Have they ever manufactured products similar to yours? This will help you assess their experience in delivering your type of product. What is their internal quality assurance process? How do they guarantee that products are manufactured to specification?

These are standard questions any quality manufacturer would have answers to. If they are hesitant or refuse to answer them, cross them off your list.

Step 2: Ask for Samples

The next step is to request samples, ideally of a product similar to yours. Most reputable suppliers are willing to provide a few samples at no additional cost.

A manufacturer unwilling to send a few dollars worth of products is unlikely to be a good long-term partner.
When you request samples, it is also a good idea to ask them the following:

Where is their factory located? This will impact shipping times. What is their shipping process? Do they have any partnerships with logistics companies? Can they help with clearing customs?

Upon receiving the samples, assess them for quality and consistency. Should they fail to meet your standards, eliminate that manufacturer from your list. For those who do meet your criteria, move forward to the next step.

Step 3: Due Diligence

Before you proceed to the negotiation stage, do your due diligence and find out as much as you can about the company.

Here are some ways you can do this:

References
Request at least five references from the manufacturer, preferably from current customers. Ideally, these references should be from businesses similar in size or category to yours, as this will provide more relevant insights.

Contact these references to inquire about their experiences with the manufacturer, both positive and negative. If possible, purchase their product to assess the quality firsthand.

Ratings and certifications
Most manufacturers maintain a presence on major B2B platforms. Dig through their online profiles and check their ratings over time. Make note of any excessively negative feedback. Take note of other quality indicators such as years in business, total transactions, and certifications (if any).

Online search
Lastly, search for the manufacturer’s name online. If you encounter reports on RipoffReport, scam alerts, or negative reviews, exercise caution.

Step 4: Review and Order

Upon completing step #3, you should have narrowed your options to just a few manufacturers. At this point, the decision hinges primarily on selecting the one who offers the best value.

Before entering negotiations, ensure you are informed about the following:

Documentation requirements: Almost every manufacturer requires both a detailed 2D drawing and a 3D CAD model. Inquire whether they offer assistance with the design process, as many manufacturers have in-house design teams available. Terms and requirements: Inquire about their minimum order quantity (MOQ), turnaround time, and payment terms, as these factors significantly influence your choice of manufacturer. Generally, a lower per-unit price corresponds to a higher MOQ.

How to Get a Product Manufactured?

Now that you have selected the factories to work with, it’s time to start production and see who can make your product at a fair price.

Send a prototype. By this point, you should know what components you will need, what materials and methods, and market size/demand, as well as the cost of the parts and the retail price. Allow yourself six to 12 months to get the prototype made overseas. Have the factory and/or your contact sign a nondisclosure agreement. An NDA is not a guarantee that your product will be completely protected from copycats, but it’s a level of legal protection that sets your level of expectation with the factories you are considering using. Ask for a cost quote. Get separate quotes for volumes in excess of and lower than your target volume. This will help you anticipate costs in case of spikes/slumps in sales. Once you have quotes, it’s time to head to the negotiation table and hammer out a deal. Place the order. You will have to pay a portion of the balance due before the factory will begin production. Depending on the turnaround time, you might receive your finished product within weeks.

How to Build a Relationship with Your Manufacturer

Getting a product made is where the partnership begins. Ideally, it should become a long, productive, and stable relationship.

No matter how professional your manufacturers are, you should be able to manage them to meet the deadlines and get the desired product quality. Otherwise, you can find yourself looking for a manufacturer over and over again. We’ll explain below how to prevent it.

Communicate Regularly

Whether you choose an overseas manufacturer or a local one, the factory will be off-site in both cases. That means your manufacturer won’t be able to track sudden changes in your goals or everyday routine themselves. Be involved in the manufacturing to stay on the same page with your partner.

Mind the Legal Side

Even if you’ve been partners for years, you shouldn’t rely on oral agreements. Keep a record of every change to your contract in written form. If you want to discuss how to manufacture a new product with the same factory, think of getting a separate contract.

Be Polite and Professional

When you get your idea manufactured, you act as a client while staying a business owner. You have the privileges, so it’s easy to be bossy. Remember that your manufacturer has its own needs, problems, and goals, so observe the arrangements, make payments on time, and communicate politely.

Key Takeaways on Selcting a Manufacturer

Finding a manufacturer who can deliver high-quality products on time is one of the toughest parts of running a business, but it is also crucial for success.

Dedicate time to searching for the right manufacturing partner, and follow the guidelines above to make your search easier. Choose where you’d like to manufacture products — locally or overseas. If you can, meet manufacturers in person, for example, at trade shows. Use directories such as Alibaba to search for manufacturers online. Ask detailed business questions and do due diligence before settling on a manufacturing partner.

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