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How to Import Agricultural Netting from China: The Ultimate Guide [2023]

vineyard netting installation (7)
This is a complete guide to Agriculture Protection Netting. Learn how to import agriculture protection netting from China with this in-depth post.
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China is rapidly establishing itself as a manufacturing superpower, producing a significant portion of the globe’s consumer goods. As a result, importing from China has proved to be a profitable global sourcing strategy for many companies. And to buyers and resellers, this is an incredible opportunity.

Out of 195 countries worldwide, 81 countries import all sorts of products from China, which is a big deal. So,  if you are a farmer or an expert looking to import crop protection netting, you are headed in the right direction. 

As you know, netting is an economical, eco-friendly method of shielding your crops and livestock from a myriad of problems, such as

  • Excessive sun rays
  • Hailstones
  • Rodents
  • Insect damage
  • Wind
  • Weed 
  • Bird damage etc.

Do you see? All your efforts to import the agricultural protection netting are worth the struggle. 

It is, however, not an easy task, especially for newcomers. Importing can be a time-consuming, confusing, and expensive affair. 

Long transit times, regulatory fees, rising or fluctuating distribution costs, and unforeseen delays can wipe out expected gains.

Nonetheless, you can still import your netting from China and reap the benefits if you follow the correct guide. And that’s where we come in handy. We got your back.  Here is our step-by-step guide on how to go about the process of importing agricultural netting from China. 

Let’s dive right in. 

Step 1:  Find the Best Places to  Import Agriculture Protection Netting from China

Now that you’ve decided to source your agriculture protection netting products from China, what next?

The biggest question you will face is which manufacturing company to import from.

Finding a good manufacturer for agriculture protection netting can be a challenging task.

Luckily, you will find various manufacturers by surfing the internet and using platforms like Google and Alibaba.

Also, you can interact with manufacturers and other importers by attending trade shows and exhibitions for agricultural protection whenever they come up.

Use  Google to Look for Manufacturers

The first place anyone is most likely to visit in search of answers in any given scenario is Google. Similarly, Google will deliver a range of the most relevant results for your search.

This is especially possible because of the recent modifications made by Google to its page ranking feature, which helps its users distinguish the bad and good sites.

google
google

You’ll have to narrow it down to the few manufacturers who suit your needs better from all the results you’ll find.

After which you’ll contact them and then make the decision on which manufacturer to work with.

A Major drawback of using Google to look for manufacturers is that: you are unlikely to find all the different agriculture protection netting from one manufacturer. This might force you to source the netting products from various manufacturers, which is costly and exhausting.

Using Google is the number one technique to employ when looking for agriculture protection netting manufacturers.

Use Alibaba to Look for Manufacturers

Alibaba is China’s and the world’s largest e-commerce company.

Because Alibaba is famous and has tons and tons of users, you’ll quickly find manufacturers for various protection netting products.

alibaba
alibaba

However, being an open marketplace, Alibaba is a breeding area for scammers.

Also, the ranking structure for Alibaba is susceptible to corruption from companies that pay for top rankings yet they are incapable of offering quality products.

Therefore, take extra caution when using Alibaba.

Use Exhibitions to Look for Manufacturers

Agricultural protection trade shows and exhibitions are an excellent way to link up and get reliable contacts for suppliers and manufacturers.

The significant advantage you’ll get from attending exhibitions is that you can view and purchase samples of what you want.

This will help you dodge disappointments from importing products you’ve never seen.

exhibition
exhibition

Exhibitions have the potential to build you a robust business network because you’ll be interacting face to face with both sellers and buyers.

Unfortunately, exhibitions and trade fairs don’t happen frequently.

However, you can create a traveling budget if you want to attend exhibitions in other countries. It will be worth it since you’ll gain immense knowledge to make calculated steps in the future.

Otherwise, make sure you use them properly whenever they come up in an area near you.

Step 2: Communicate with Manufacturers

business workflow
business workflow

Business Workflow to Aid in Your Agricultural Protection Netting Import

Most companies have working communication platforms which you can use to reach out and communicate with them.

A good company will respond to your messages almost immediately. At least before 24 hours elapse.

Good communication will eventually create a better understanding while building trust between you and the manufacturers.

The best way to reach a manufacturer is by use of email. However, in case they take time to respond, you can give them a call.

Things to Avoid When Contacting a Manufacturer

Manufacturers receive tons of messages and emails from potential clients every day. Both serious clients and passing ones. Here are a few tips you can use to avoid being ignored.

  • Long emails: Your email to the manufacturers should be short and to the point. Manufacturers do not have all the time to read long emails.

After they respond to your straight-to-the-point email, you can jump into the details.

  • Asking for too little: If you ask for too little from the manufacturers, they will not take you seriously.

 You could call the manufacturing company if you are unsure if you’re asking for too little. 

 Step 3: Visit Agriculture Protection Netting Companies

If you are pressed about getting quality agriculture protection netting, you’ll have no choice but to conduct on-site visits.

An on-site visit to a manufacturing company means you’ll meet manufacturers and see the manufacturing process.

Also, you will get to visit the company’s product display site and production line.

 Take A  Product Display Site Tour

Agriculture Crop Covers
Agriculture Crop Covers

Agricultural Protection Netting Product

A product display site is where the company displays its products attractively to convince customers to purchase them.

When you visit a manufacturing company, you’ll get the privilege of touring the display site and checking out all the different agriculture protection netting products. 

The products you’ll site cover:

  • Wind protection.
  • Pest control.
  • Hail protection.
  • Frost protection.
  • Bird control.

 Visit Production lines

orgainzation
organization www.eyouagro.com
process of prodcution
process of production www.eyouagro.com

Production of Agricultural Protection Netting

A production line is a strip of equipment and machines or workers in a factory setting that showcases all the steps a product goes through up to the final stage.

By visiting a manufacturing company, you can check out the production lines for different agriculture production netting products.

 What you’ll gain from Taking On-site Visits ( Benefits)

The benefits you’ll gain from the on-site visit are a boatload. 

  • Relationship: Visiting the company site will give the manufacturers the impression that you are serious about making purchases from their company.

They will aim to make an excellent long-lasting customer relationship with you. 

A good relationship with the manufacturers will earn you better prices and services.

  • Knowledge: One who possesses knowledge possesses great power. Equally, the knowledge you’ll acquire after an on-site visit will be worth it.

You’ll know firsthand the material and techniques employed to get the final product.

One-on-one conversations with manufacturers will broaden your thinking and expertise when dealing with agriculture protection netting. 

  • Communication: A good relationship with the manufacturers will eventually lead to good communication.

With good communications, you can make beneficial negotiations with the manufacturer.

Also, good communication will build trust between you and the manufacturer.

  • Negotiations: The best place to make negotiations is in the company setting after the company tour.

You can make product tailoring, adjustment, price, and delivery negotiations.

  • Assessment: From a tour to the company site, you’ll assess a company’s products and how the company runs.

This way, you can make a rational decision on whether on not to go ahead and purchase their products.

Step 4: Consider the Following Before Importing Agriculture Protection Netting

The significant considerations to make before purchasing and then importing agriculture protection netting include;

  • Material: An exceptional agriculture protection netting product is 100% virgin high-density polypropylene. Polypropylene is used because it has high tensile strength and is UV and rot-resistant.
  • Size: Agriculture protection netting product size is customizable. A good company will tailor your product according to your specifications.
  • Structure/ Construction:  Many netting protection is constructed using monofilament Raschel, monofilament Tricot, and monofilament Taffetas.
  • Color: Agriculture protection netting products are available in a range of colors: Blue, white, black, and crystal.
  • Weight: The weight of a netting product will depend entirely on its size.
  • Accessories: 

Some accessories to go with Agricultural Protection Netting

The accessories you will use to install an agriculture protection netting product include

  • Pins for joining pieces of fabric
  • Pegs for pinning the fabric to the ground
  • Connection clips
  • Elastic wires 
  • Clamps for fastening the fabric
  • Hooks for fastening fabrics and many more

 Step 5: Negotiate Pricing With Agriculture Protection Netting Manufacturers

negotiate pricing
negotiated pricing

The goal of a negotiation is to create a win-win situation for you and the manufacturer.

Some of the strategies to use for successful negotiations are:

  1. First, put together well-detailed data for negotiations. It will give the manufacturers an impression that you are ready to make purchases, and they wouldn’t want to lose you.

Therefore, negotiating will be easy to carry out.

  1. Request for product prices based on quantity tiers. We all know that purchasing any product as a single item is more expensive than buying the same product in bulk. 

Therefore, request product prices from the manufacturers based on quantity tiers.

However, it is essential to remember that quality comes with high pricing. 

Negotiations with a manufacturer do not mean that you’ll get agriculture netting products at a low price. It means you’ll get the products at the best price.

Understanding the manufacturers’ input costs, including labor costs, material costs, and mark-ups, will help you assess whether their pricing is sensible.

Also, being a good customer will ease negotiations between you and the manufacturer. 

Requesting endless sample orders without an actual purchase and having non-transparent communication will decrease your chances of significant negotiations.

As a customer, don’t drive too hard at a bargain. Remember that you and the manufacturer strive to maximize individual profit gains.

If you cannot make a personal visit to the company, thus not negotiating with the manufacturers, face to face,  hire a representative in China to help you. 

If you cannot hire a representative, making calls and exchanging emails with the manufacturer will work just fine.

Step 6:  Place an Order With The Agriculture Production Netting Manufacturers

After successful negotiations, it is time to place orders from us.

  • Sample order or bulk Order

Sample order is a small order you make of a product or products you’d like to purchase.

When the sample orders arrive, you can inspect them to determine whether or not you’ll make a more significant purchase.

Sample orders are less risky because they save you from making huge losses if you dislike the products after seeing them. After all, you might purchase sample orders at a reduced price.

Carrying out sample orders is especially beneficial for customers who have not carried out on-site visits. 

Here’s a list of what to include in an email to a manufacturing company when discussing sample orders:

  1. A clear statement that you are requesting sample orders.
  2. Which products do you want to sample?
  3. Suppose you’d like any customization made on sample orders. If so, state clearly and in detail the customizations to be made.
  4. The number of sample orders you like to order.
  5. Your shipping address.

Creating a bulk order will be the best thing to do if you made an on-site visit since you are knowledgeable enough to take that risk.

 Step 7:  Make A Deposit

make a deposit
make a deposit

After making an order, the next step is payment. In most cases, you will need to deposit 30% of the total amount before the company starts to work on your Order.

You’ll get bank details from the manufacturers.

An advantage of on-site visits when making deposits is that you can negotiate with the manufacturers and tailor payment arrangements.

The manufacturing processes for your products begin as soon as you make the initial deposit.

 Step 8: Inspect the Product

inspection
inspection

Inspecting products to check if they’re up to standard is crucial, and most of your effort should go into this step.

Check for holes, gaps, and loose knittings on agriculture production netting products and ask them to be corrected.

If you can’t make it to the site to be part of the inspection team, you can ask the manufacturers to send you photos and videos of your products. To ascertain everything is ok.

A good manufacturing company has compensation strategies for instances where, after delivery, a customer finds fault in the products.

 Step 9: Final Payment

When all is set and done, you’ll be required to settle the final payment, which is the remaining 70% of the total amount.

In some instances, after procuring successful negotiations, you can settle a 50% payment before delivery and then a 20% payment after delivery.

The delivery processes begin as soon as you settle the final payments.

Step 10: Get Ready to Import Agriculture Protection Netting

get ready to import
get ready to import

Regardless of what you are importing, one of the areas you should be very knowledgeable about is Incoterms and the implications of different shipment methods.

Methods of Shipment

A shipment method means you’ll use it to transport Agriculture protection netting products from China to your country. The popular shipment methods include:

  • Sea

It is advisable to use ocean shipment to ship bulky products that don’t require fast shipping.

Shipment by sea is economical.

  • Air

Shipment by air is the most expensive way of shipping goods. 

However, it is worth it since you’ll receive your shipments faster and in the best condition.

  • Train

Rail transportation is only available for routes from China to Europe or Southeast Asia.

Thanks to the Belt and Road establishment, China, Central Asia, and Europe are better connected.

From China, reaching Europe by rail transport along the Belt and Road.
China-Europe Railway Express can reduce from the 30-day sea voyage to 18 days of arrival, which also provides an additional option for different transport routes

Using Incoterms

incoterms
incoterms

What are Incoterms? 

International commercial terms are guidelines that importers and exporters use when trading locally and internationally.

The primary role is to make both the exporter and importer understand their responsibilities and tasks, costs, and risks from when a product leaves an exporting country to the importing country.

Incoterms clearly define the guidelines governing:

  • Delivery points.
  • Transportation costs.
  • Export and import costs.
  • Insurance costs.

The most commonly used Incoterms used by most traders are Ex Works ( EXW) and Free On Board ( FOB).

Ex Works – EXW

With EXW, the role of the manufacturer is to make the product you desire available in their location. As the importer, you must take up all the transportation costs and risks until the products get to you.

This means that you are responsible for any payments that need to be made until your shipment arrives.

Advantages of EXW

  • Buying products on EXW terms is cheaper than buying products on FOB terms. Because with FOB, a manufacturer includes the local costs they’ll incur.
  • You will have complete control of your shipment.

The disadvantage of using EXW terms is that it is generally expensive. 

Free On Board

If you use FOB terms, the exporter is responsible for all the local costs, including transporting your products to the ports and custom fees. 

 Please understand that as soon as the exporter ships your products, all the charges plus risks shift to you. 

Advantages of FOB

  • You can save some coins when shipping using FOB terms. In addition, FOB is generally cheaper to use compared to EXW.
  • As long as your products are still in the exporter’s country, you do not have to worry about a thing. Not even the necessary documentation.

A common drawback of FOB is that your supplier might refuse to incur local costs, forcing you to incur additional charges.

Freight Forwarders and Custom Brokers

The importation process on its own is backbreaking, let alone all the documentation processes you need to deal with before the products get to you.

To ease the load, you can use the help of freight forwarders and customs brokers.

Step 11: Track your Cargo while Awaiting Product Arrival

tracking the cargo
tracking the cargo

International shipments that use water take time before they arrive at their designated destinations.

It takes 14-40 days to ship goods from China to other destinations.

When a shipment has five or fewer days to arrive at a port, a consignee will receive a notification from authorities on the cargo ship.

The consignee will inform the authorities at the port, who will later notify you or your customs broker.

How the Product Reaches Customer Destination

When your products reach your country, there are necessary steps to be undertaken before the products you receive your products.

Step 12: What to do When the Product Reaches the Port

Once your products reach the port in your country, there are necessary procedures you should undertake before the products receive your products.

You’ll need to pay customs because most goods from China have duties associated with them.

Once you’ve settled the custom duty pay and filled out the customs declaration form, your products are released to you from the warehouse.

If you do not wish to undergo all the hassle, you can hire a customs broker to do it for you.

Step 13: Transport the Products from the Port to Farm

cargos arrival
cargos arrival

The transportation you will use to get the products to your farm from the port depends entirely on you.

Opt for a means that is cheaper considering that you’ve already spent thousands of dollars to import the products,

The two common cheap means are by use of road or rail.

You could hire someone to transport them for you or do it yourself.

Step 14: Check for Warranty of Agriculture Protection Netting

warranty policy 2
warranty policy

 Every top-quality netting product should have a standard warranty. There are two types of warranties:

Express Warranty: This guarantees that our products meet standard quality and performance.

Implied Warranty – This is to assure you that the product will function and perform as intended.

The warranty period for most netting products is five years.

Pro tip: The longer the product warranty period, the more quality it possesses.

Conclusion

Protecting your agricultural produce from harsh weather conditions, birds, and insects is crucial. 

Many netting protection products might be available locally, but the costs could be in the sky.

Thus, most farmers and experts in agriculture protection netting products prefer to import them from China.

A helpful tip is, that international trade relies heavily on mutual trust. 

If you don’t trust your supplier and work on building good relations with them, you’ll have a lot more to lose than gain.

For any information or questions on importing Agriculture protection netting, visit our website at www.eyouagro.com or drop us an email at info@eyouagro.com.

Hey, I’m Kevin Lyu, the founder of eyouagro.com , Family-run business
An expert of agriculture protection textile specialist .
In the past 26 years, we have helped 55 countries and 150+ Clients like farms, orchards , vineyards to protect their plants. The purpose of this article is to share with the knowledge related to agriculture growing protection for making the plant healthier and stronger.
We are at your disposal for any technical or commercial information

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