A blog for Asian furniture industry professionals offering invaluable insights, comments and ramblings about China business and importing home furnishings from China, with the occasional sidetrack into "life in China related topics."
For all the complaining about poor quality or shoddy suppliers, we often forget that customers themselves are often equally as much at fault. From their inability to communicate needs to their unwavering belief that it should be a certain way (even if the reality is its often not), for every five bad suppliers there is at least [...]
Interesting article on the Financial Times website called “Exquisite artifacts from the Forbidden City.” Whats interesting is the section which discusses the Qianlong emperor:
The country’s attitude at the time to non-Chinese “barbarians” is summed up nicely in a letter Qianlong wrote to King George III in response to a trade mission sent by [...]
Chat with any “old school buyer” of Chinese antiques about the late eighties/early nineties and stories of 200 RMB rosewood tables and Ming dynasty porcelain for a few hundred RMB will bubble quickly to the surface. In recent times, this period might be considered the modern birth of the industry, with western buyers in Hong [...]
Furniture companies are raising prices despite fears that higher costs could kill off a rebound just as recession-shocked shoppers appear willing to spend.
If your in the furniture industry and dealing with American customers, yet haven’t yet heard of the Lacey act, get ready – you soon will. Though around for quite some time, it was amended in May 2008 and makes it a federal crime to trade in illegal wood products. Under a phased in process, industry [...]
The following is the first in series of posts chronicling and at times ranting about , some of the (often frustrating) experiences we encountered working with some local Chinese partners. While a excellent (though costly) learning experience, needless to say this particular partner relationship has now ended.
Little white lies…
Anyone have an aspirin?
Something [...]
After returning from the Chinese new year, its quickly becoming apparent that this year, the hottest topics being discussed by business owners in furniture manufacturing circles are:
How many of your workers returned back to work after this year’s holiday?
How much later did they return from their hometowns?
How much of an increase are paying them this [...]
Having been both involved in the past with furniture sourcing and buying, and more recently operating a retail furniture store and factory (where I now must sell to those same types of furniture buyers), I suppose I can say I truly understand both perspectives. Though I must confess, that for the first time being the supplier, is [...]
(For more on the snow see “Record Snowfall blankets Beijing – Record Snowfall blankets ACF”)
Original article here:
By CARA ANNA, Associated Press Writer, Sat. Jan 9th 2010
A northern China port that is one of the world’s largest was facing the worst ice conditions in 30 years Saturday, and icebreaking ships were working to keep the path [...]
The well known upholstered leather furniture manufacturer Decoro, recently closed it factory in Shenzhen, China after encountering liquidity problems. More then 2000 workers lost their jobs which lead to protests. Eventually, the local government stepped in and paid two months worth of the worker’s back salaries. Yet over the years, this was not the first [...]
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