Dropshipping requires a lot of work and effort, from hunting products to finding vendors and connecting to delivery partners.
While some elements in the process are controllable, like choosing the product and offering top-notch customer service, other aspects require trust. Thus, selecting the right person or company is critical to establishing and growing an online business. Choosing a supplier is one of them, especially when opting for dropshipping.
When you choose the supplier, it’s important to pick a reliable and credible vendor with a good reputation. It ensures that the products your customers receive are high-quality and not faulty. Thus, eliminating the need to stay on the supplier’s head all the time.
Running an online business from Australia adds another element to the vendor-finding process. Most sellers wonder if they should choose a Chinese supplier or an Australian supplier.
As a fulfillment agency, Wefulfil understands this concern and aims to educate our clients to help them make the best decision. Our expertise in the Australian and Chinese markets allows us to bring you the latest and valuable insights regarding online retail success, including vendor selection.
So, let’s dive into the details:
Chinese Supplier Vs. Australian Supplier: Influencing Factors
As the digital marketplaces in Australia keep growing, starting your own dropshipping business can seem complex. Furthermore, choosing the wrong supplier for your business can be a sandstorm that may bury your dreams of a successful online business.
So, today, we will unpack a crucial decision for every dropshipping entrepreneur: Should you partner with a Chinese supplier or an Australian?
If you’re on your initial journey, you might think, “The costs would eventually be similar; what difference would it make?”
But this choice could be the key to your dropshiping business success. The key factors to help you lay the foundation of a thriving business are:
- Product Variety
- Communication
- Delivery
Product Variety
China
China is the world’s supply chain superpower and offers an ocean of products. The vast selection is a treasure trove for dropshippers looking to offer their customers the latest and greatest.
You can find and deliver everything from China, from items like dainty jewelry pieces and handy kitchen gadgets to electronics, furniture, clothing, and almost everything you can think of. But remember that electronics is one of the three high-compliance product categories.
This vast range of products makes China a favorite among many dropshippers. They prefer getting products from China as they cost less, and you can choose from a massive pool of suppliers.
Even big names like AliExpress and Alibaba are China-based and supply products worldwide – it shows the potential the products in the Chinese market hold globally.
Australia
At the same time, the Australian market is not as huge. Suppliers in Australia cater to a few products, missing out on many others from important categories. While you may also find some of the latest items, the difference in the product variety between Australia and China is humongous. Considering the size of the Chinese market, reducing the variety gap is a huge challenge.
However, the lack of variety can be compensated by the product quality Australian vendors offer. Also, the suppliers search thoroughly and carefully select goods most suitable for the local market.
So, when choosing an Australian supplier for an Australia-based business, you will always have the products ready to dispatch. Eventually, it ensures a seamless experience for the customer, leading to a successful business.
Communication
China
You might already have this one in mind, especially when dealing with people in a country you do not speak the language of. Working with vendors in English-speaking countries is not usually a challenge. But it’s not the same when dealing with Chinese suppliers.
A huge number of Chinese suppliers working with international businesses can now communicate in English; some also use translation apps. However, the intent may sometimes get lost in translation, leading to miscommunication. If such misunderstandings keep piling up, they can turn small issues into towering waves.
So, unless you speak the language of your Chinese supplier (usually Mandarin, Yue, Xiang, etc.), or they speak fluent English, you may face issues.
Australia
Working with an Australian vendor eliminates the language barrier as they speak the same language as you, i.e., English. You do not have to worry if they understand what you mean and will deliver adequately. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for a translation app that you might require when communicating with a Chinese supplier.
Besides written communication, the availability of the supplier in the same country or city allows you to call or meet with them often to discuss your business needs in detail – get in touch with them on WhatsApp, call them on their number, or invite them over a cup of coffee. You may not be able to do the same with Chinese suppliers!
Delivery
China
Delivery, the anchor of customer satisfaction, is another important element when choosing between a Chinese and an Australian supplier. Timely delivery ensures buyers are happy with your service and want to buy from you again. The delivery time is typically never-ending when ordering products from China.
When you forward an order to your Chinese vendor, they may take a day or two to process the order. Additionally, the order will take around two or more weeks to reach the customer through standard delivery. You can quicken the process through air freight, which costs considerably more than cargo.
But now it’s not the case with all Chinese deliveries, and your choice of fulfillment partner also impacts how soon the orders reach customers. Modern logistics are bringing Chinese delivery to the Australian shores within a week.
Australia
While the Chinese delivery processes have sped up, imagine having products near the delivery destination to be dispatched immediately – customers love it too!
Nothing beats fast delivery in online shopping (besides the product quality, of course).
Let’s say your competitors take 20 days to deliver a product, but customers receive the same thing from you in 4 days; who do you think is the winner here?
If you do not opt for an Australian supplier, you can always opt to store your inventory in Wefulfil’s Australian warehouses for efficient sales and supply management. We ensure the safety of your product besides shipping it to the customers at the earliest.
Final Words
Choosing a supplier is critical to establishing a successful dropshipping business to ensure your customers receive high-quality products. Online retailers in Australia often ask, “Should we choose a Chinese or an Australian supplier?” There is no one-answer-fits-all; product variety, communication, and delivery are the most important factors influencing your choice of supplier. Chinese vendors offer a vast variety of products but may have a communication barrier. On the other hand, Australian suppliers are easy to communicate with and offer fast delivery.
In summary, the choice of a supplier, whether Chinese or Australian, depends on the winds of your business. Local Aussie dropshipping suppliers like Dropshipzone or iDrop are your best mates for a general store with ready-to-sell stock. But if you are running a niche dropshipping store, Chinese suppliers are more suitable and have better access to a wide variety of products. Improving the shipping times through a trusted delivery company will make it even easier.
The best way is to connect to a supply chain agency with anchors in Australia and a product sourcing chain in China. With Wefulfil, you will get the best of both worlds – a local presence with a global reach.
FAQs
How do I trust a Chinese supplier?
Trusting a Chinese supplier can be hard when you’re in Australia and do not have anyone to vet them for you. The best way is to connect to their previous clients and ask about their product quality and transparency. Furthermore, look for their certifications and business licenses to ensure credibility and authenticity. At the same time, some China-based service providers can also help you determine if the vendor is trustworthy.
Why choose China as a supplier?
China is the biggest supplier in the world today. The massive variety of products, from different materials to multiple qualities and price points, makes it a favorite among customers worldwide. Besides online customers, many businesses worldwide also bring products from China, making it an important name in B2B transactions. So, a Chinese supplier might be the best choice if you are also looking for unique items for your store at low prices.
Why choose an Australian supplier?
Choosing an Australian vendor can eliminate the language barrier to ensure better communication if you want to establish a business in Australia. Moreover, Australian vendors could deliver the products faster than Chinese suppliers. So, you can offer quick delivery to your customers, giving you an edge over retailers sourcing from China.
What are Australia’s top 5 imports from China?
Overall, Australia brings in a large number of telecommunication equipment and parts, totaling around $8.8 billion. Moreover, computers, furniture, mattresses, prams, toys, sporting goods, and plastic articles also make it to the list.
