An importer asked me what he should do when Chinese factories ask for his “price targets”. 

一位进口商问我，当中国工厂询问“目标价格”时，他该怎么办。

I think it is a legitimate question from factories (when it comes to trading companies, though, it makes sense to be suspicious). 

我认为工厂提出这个问题是合乎情理的（不过，如果指的是贸易公司时，持怀疑态度也是可以理解的）。

Here is the sequence I advise importers to follow, when they source new suppliers:

以下是我建议进口商在寻找新供应商时应遵循的顺序:

—Get in touch with at least 10 potential suppliers, and ask some questions (about their main market, their size…) to evaluate if they are good fit for your needs.

与至少10家潜在供应商取得联系，询问一些问题（比如关于他们的主要市场，规模……），评估他们是否符合你的需求。

—Request quotations (FOB, in USD) from them, to get a first pricing (without giving any target).

和他们询价（FOB价格，报美金）然后拿到初步的报价（不要给他们任何目标价格）。

—Be in touch with them briefly on the phone, if possible. Human contact will show them that you didn’t sent that RFQ to 100 suppliers, and they will be more inclined to give a fast response.

如果可能的话，与他们简短地电话联系下。与人通话，显得更加诚意，让他们知道你并没有给100家供应商发过RFQ，他们才会更快速回复你的报价。

—You will likely see several very similar quotes: that's the "market price". Eliminate all the "outliners" that gave prices 20% higher or lower than the average. (If you are consciously looking to buy above the market price to get above-average quality, keep the highest quotes).

你可能会看到几个非常相似的报价：这就是“市场价格”。排除所有高于或低于平均水平20%的“异常价格”。 （如果你有意以高于市场价位的价格购买，以获得高于平均水平的质量，那就保留高价的那几家。）

—If you have a team on the ground and if all candidates are in the same area, this is the best time to visit their factories.

如果你在中国当地有团队，并且如果所有“候选者”都在同一个地区，那这是参观他们工厂的最佳时机。 

If this is not easy, continue discussing via email and phone, and pay for factroy audits once have narrowed your search down to 1 or 2 candiates.

如果这样协调起来并不容易的话，那就继续和他们通过电子邮件和电话讨论。一旦你将目标工厂缩小到1或2家，你可以请第三方来验厂。

—Give more information about your product and your quality requirements to the most interesting candidates.

最后向最感兴趣的几个工厂提供更多你的产品信息和你对质量的要求。

Don’t hesitate to give them your target price if it is very different from what they offer you. Ask them to justify their price level precisely.

如果他们的报价和你的目标价格相差还甚远，这时候不要犹豫，直接给他们你的目标价， 要求他们重新精准地审视他们的价格。

Don’t forget, in China price is very closely tied to quality. 

别忘了，在中国，价格和质量息息相关。

If you negotiate a very low price, most suppliers will end up saying yes. Then they will wonder how to make your products. 

即便你谈的价格很低，大多数供应商最终都会同意，然后他们会想着如何做你的货。

They will probably use the very cheapest materials and subcontract production in a small workshop. You will get what you pay for. 

他们可能会使用最便宜的材料，可能会找小作坊分包生产。一分钱一分货。

One last piece of advice: if you pay 20% above market price, all you risk is wasting 20% of the money you disbursed for your project (and actually it is closer to 10-15% because the FOB price is only a portion of your total landed cost).

最后一条建议：如果你支付高于市场价20%的价格，你的风险无非就是你为这项目多支付了20%资金 (实际上，没那么多，大概10-15%，因为FOB价格只是你到岸成本的一部分)。

If you pay 20% below market price, you risk getting something that can’t be sold at all (which means you risk losing all your investment). 

但如果你以低于市场价20%的价格购买，你就有可能买到根本卖不出去的东西（这意味着你可能竹篮打水一场空）。

Do you agree? 

你同意吗？