I was wondering if anyone has any experience travelling to China to bring in building supplies like tiles, bathrooms and kitchens to build a house?
I have built multiple owner builder homes before and currently in the process of building a few for myself and family members and thought it might be a good idea to travel and bring a few containers.
Anyone to shed some light on the process, which locations they go in China and cost?
Source: my wife says I have been wrong in the past.
Like mine, she is probably mistaken.
If it’s got a paint diagram, it can’t be wrong.
Shenzhen, ask for Johnny. Can't go wrong with that
Spoiler; his real name isn't Johnny.
Just bear in mind that you only have 4 armor slots, 27 storage slots, 9 hotbar slots, and an off-hand slot :)
Yeah, but 64m3 of stone per slot? That's a lot of building material - about the same as a 40ft container!
Do you speak Chinese?
Unfortunately don't, but have friends that do and are happy to come along
So your going to fly the family, friends, neighbours over seas to buy a few taps and tiles to save $100 ???
I can see the logic there….
would not bother if the savings was 2-3k, but its much more than that when you consider everything to build and furniture
FYI, one piece of 800mm*800mm premium tile is only AU$7-12
I have heard of this as well, but here's the problem in the current climate. Containers are expensive to ship, then you will need to pay import duties and unless you have experience will need a customs broker.
Then for example bathrooms and kitchens require watermark approved items. You will be responsible for demonstrating all of this documentation.
You will also need to round all these items up from various suppliers and have them container ready and packed etc. You will need approved pallets. The list goes on.
I would say your efforts are probably better spent just earning more money in your usual occupation.
Yea, the current climate has changed many things. In terms of watermark and being Australian standard, I heard there are specific markets there that have products for each country and come with documents.
The electrician I use went there and bought a container worth of supplies and he recommended to do it and bring in furniture as well.
Unless you got a companion who is well versed in this type of operation or access to a trusted agent I would be careful.
I’ve been burnt before on a small scale. Went over, visited factory with agent and friend, had a meeting, checked out products, agreed on spec, got products and they’ve cheaped out on all components and finish. Had to sell it off at a minor loss but it’s a good lesson.
Also be careful of any anti dumping duties etc that may apply, especially for any aluminium :)
I agree, just trying to get more info before making that decision.
I know there is a lot of money to be saved by doing it right, I was considering going there for a holiday and see if there is potential or not.
Brave lol.
I used to go Hong Kong and Taiwan a lot but I cannot see myself going back anywhere in that region for some years.
Sounds like you've had some bad experiences
A mate of mine went to China to get his windows - lots of them, all double glazed with shutters within. Saved a bucket load of cash but the quality was not the best and in the end I think he regretted it somewhat.
Double glazed windows are super expensive here, it's probably still better to do that than to get single glaze from here
I would argue that you will be unlikely to buy tile — landed in Australia as cheap or cheaper than National tiles.
In addition to all the other things I would say is A) the relations between Australia and China aren't that great making import/export just that much more difficult, B) you are (from what you've said) neither fluent in the language nor the customs of business.
Good luck with whatever you plan to do but if you think there is some massive savings I suspect you are penny wise and pound foolish.
National tiles would be the last place I would look at
I do agree with what you are saying, there is risk involved and the relationship between the 2 countries doesn't make anything easier.
I'm Chinese and have recently bought some spc vinyl floor through Chinese e-commerce/internet, and via third-party shipping companies. It's a lot of work for someone who's not familiar with supply chain.
I think if you are to do this, it's best to go with someone experienced with shipping.
Check out alibaba.com - you may be able to do some things remotely.
Overall shipping cost is quite expensive recently, for me it's about $300-$350 aud per m^2 but if you are doing bulk it's a lot cheaper.
The other risk is tiles are fragile to ship and you'll need to factor in a good percentage of wastage. Shipping companies a lot of times don't do content insurance if things break, and you really need some good experienced people to guide you on how to package these things in China before shipping, without adding too much cost.
Also factor in gst and other tax that you may need to pay the custom.
One company to google is sgs logistics (as an example, not a great company), but you can call to ask for quotes etc. to understand shipping fees
Thanks for your input, I've been able to buy 60x60cm tiles for $10 per m^2 on clearance here in Australia. So just trying to weigh in the options
I had a look on alibaba and was going to order fiber glass in ground swimming pool but decided not to
that's a pretty good price for tiles, buy local then, it's less work and stress!
It would be less work, but I heard it's about half that price from china and its one of many other things that I want to bring in like fire places and furniture
@onyxx: yes a lot of my friends in Aus ship furniture from China. However people always complain about
1) shipping company has hidden costs that they don't disclose
2) things might be broken during shipment and shipping companies dont cover that loss
3) goods we see online are different when they arrive - this one can be mitigated if you go to China yourself to pick goods
If you are in the industry for the long term, it's a great thing to learn even you may be paying a bit more for the first time; for the 2nd time/3rd time, you'll get the hang of it.
Also consider timing, you may need to quarantine for two weeks due to covid restrictions in China.
Guangdong is a good place to go - loads of factories and large port over there.
@ragnarokz: Thanks for that, really appreciate it! I believe I'll be in the industry long term, so I'm happy to just visit for now and see what opportunities I find
typo in the above….. it's per m^3
nothing makes sense anymore
The airline will charge you a lot for the carry on. Not worth it IMO.
With current situation of China being COVID free , and coming down hard on any small outbreaks, no foreign visitors or travellers will get a visa to go to China for the foreseeable future. Forget about it.
Yes you can do it a lot cheaper but is it worth your time and stress? If you were planning to create a business out of importing either to wholesale or sell yourself it would be a different story.
For the hassle and work involved it may not be worth it. You can’t just rock up to China to buy stuff with no experience as you don’t know who you are dealing with. Every part of the country has a speciality also. Foshan for furniture etc.
Given you are a new to it they will smell the blood in the water…
You may save some money along the way but the added cost of logistics and you travelling over there will add up.
Best of luck!!
Chippie mate was building his house. His Kitchen quote here was around $70k.
He ordered online from China and got kitchen for around $16k (fully assembled). Cabinet maker here said build was good. Top of the line hardware etc.
He was stressed though, communication is really bad. He paid money, didn't hear anything for ages, then cabinets turned up.
do you know what website he used?
No idea - Sorry. Might have been off ali express.
"I was considering going there for a holiday and see if there is potential or not"
Don't know if your trip would get any exmptions but you do know the entry requirements to China includes Sinovac vaccination and at least 14 days hotel and then potential additional period of home quarantine?
"You may be permitted to enter China with a valid Chinese residence permit. You must provide negative COVID-19 test results prior to flying. There are multiple tests required within tight timeframes. Testing requirements may change at short notice. Australians who have been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine produced in China and who meet other eligibility requirements should contact the nearest Chinese embassy/consulate to confirm visa eligibility and other travel requirements (see 'Travel'). You'll be requested to undertake at least 14 days mandatory quarantine at a designated hotel or facility on arrival followed by additional COVID-19 prevention measures and testing determined by local authorities at your entry point and final destination in China. Measures may include an additional period of home quarantine."
doesn't look like I will be able to go anytime soon, will keep an eye out for any updates before making a decision like that. wasn't planning on going anytime soon
There is really no point, all the material is available here at a great price.
Freight costs have gone up 800% apparently.
If you are buying a container load of one item then yes it may be worth it but not for only a couple of sets of each item.
Just use a Bunning Kaboodle kitchen, they are made in China but you can get custom sizes if needed made here, I just finished refacing ours and a new utility room. All great.
Windows I had a custom made one ordered from Uptons and made in China, double glazed to go above one of their stock 3 fold windows, the stock window was 1/3rd of the price of one made here.
You just need to look around for bargains, easier here in Australia than in China I am assuming.
Have relatives that are Chinese, and while we were there one time went to check QA on some bathroom fittings one of them had contracted. It is not the least bit straightforward… She actually hired a QA contractor to check a certain portion of the production run, and the guy was really thorough. However, if you haven’t cultivated at least some personal relationship with the supplier it is very hit and miss.
There are basically towns that specialise in light fittings, tapware, ceramics and the like.
You would need to travel quite a bit, then navigate making sure that the product sent is the same specs as the samples. Then get your various orders delivered to a warehouse, then have an agent get it packed to a container and on board a ship. Then deal with the process this end.
Lots of work, but can be done. If you do it, the experience could be of long term value to learn importing.
For just a couple of homes giving yourself plenty of T in the T-Q-C triad probably more productive….
And if your product is faulty or damaged or as suggested above just poor quality on arrival how easy is it going to be to get either replacement product or a refund? IMO that’s a deal breaker.
I'm going to take a guess and say that no one on these forums has visited China with the only intention of filling container's then building a house.
But, I could be wrong.
Source: my wife says I have been wrong in the past.