jarynth
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Registered: 12-8-2008
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Importing from China
In ths era of restrictions, hazmat charges and paperwork proliferation, does anyone have experience with bulk purchases from Chinese manufacturers,
such as those found on Alibaba? It appears some forumites have gone this way, which is alas fraught with complications (despite, among other things,
the Chinese regulations being notoriousy lean).
Common solids are usually traded in multiples of 25kg or even larger units, but the minimum order is often around 1 ton. In one instance I was refused
an order for a 25kg of a (completely harmless) powder.
Furthermore, the large-scale nature of these commercial ads comes with a lingo impenetrable to the layman/amateur chemist. Different payment &
shipping practices hide behind obscure acronyms, and it's never clear whether the buyer has to organize the shipment for themselves, what the method
of transportation is, and what an admissible destination is (eg in the ideal case, 'to your door').
So, if anyone who is reading this can tell their story and offer some advice, I'm sure it would be very appreciated.
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DNA
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Only ordered 2x100g of a certain compound.
This was by the company labeled as "sample #3 S"
The he e-mailed me what compound was in "sample #3 S" and it came to my door he made papers for the customs so that it would look weird and chinese
text everywhere so well that way it is harder for the american or dutch or french or whatever customs to read.
Had no experience with big amounts.
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chloric1
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DNA- Don't know what you are talking about. I have NEVER seen a Chinese company that sells in such small quatitites. I get a response from
MAde-in-China about ordering 25 Kg of Vanadium Pentoxide. He told me it was $54 per Kilo to Chicago or Cincinatti airport. Later, in the email, he
stated he could deliver to "my door". I sent him my zip code and asked how much additional it would be and I await a response.
My concerns over dealing with Chinese vendors:
1. How can I really be sure that they just won't take my money and not deliver.
2. Secondly, is there any recourse for me if they do.
3. How do I know that I am not dealing with a middle man who is just selling to me like a discounted retailer.
4. If I elect to have them deliver to the cargo portion of the airport, what documents would they ask me for to claim the item(s)?
I am tempted to get a business license to be a ceramic raw material vendor and find importers here in the states and try to play it safe that way.
Fellow molecular manipulator
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Sergei_Eisenstein
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Anything is possible in China if you want to pay for it (not only in China, off course....). A company officially can sell you 25kg of vanadium
pentoxide, but somebody at customer service can probably "fix" you a kg if you decide to pay at his bank account rather then the company's. This is
the law of economically expanding countries. If you do "legit" business with Chinese companies, I wouldn't be much affraid about them running away
with the money. I'd be much more concerned about the identity of the product and the presence of contaminants. If I'd run in problems (assuming I'm
doing legit business), I'd contact the embassy and inquire about possible sanctions. Several years ago, I read there was a Chinese organization where
you could go in case your Chinese trading partner was not too honest. Remember that Chinese have reason to be affraid of the law, unless they are very
wealthy.
Chinese are always friendly to the people they're talking with. You ask them to put "SUGAR" on that 25kg of TNT and they will do so. If your national
security agency contacts the same Chinese with questions about the shipment, they will show them your e-mail requesting to put "SUGAR" on it.
damnant quod non intelligunt
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Sauron
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First rule: find a factory and do not deal through some broker or middleman.
Second rule: the minimum packing depends on the sort of chemical you are ordering. For example, plain-jane amino acids you might have to buy a 20 Kg
fiber drum, while N-protected derivatives of same amino acids or esters of them can usually be purchased in 100 g to 1 Kg packing. Peptide reagents,
similarly 100 g to 1 Kg.
Rule three: QA what you buy. Chinese vendors vaery in quality and honesty. If you are not prepared to obtain physical constants like mp, refractive
index, optical rotation (if pertinent) and density, at the least, then prepare to be screwed. Finding a reliable vendor in China and keeping them
honest is something that requires some effort. The first part is trial and error.
Reagents with a short shelf life, or that are sensitive to air or moisture, I would really hesitate, based on EXPERIENCE, to buy from China, because
their repacking often sucks.
On the good side, high end Chinese companies selling pharm intermediates such as nucleosides will often offer samples if you tell them you want to buy
20 Kg. These range from 50-100 g for free to 1 Kg for a modest price. Don't expect to be able to drop your bucket in this well too many times without
ever buying a drum of something.
Sic gorgeamus a los subjectatus nunc.
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chloric1
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Well Sauron that is much appreciated. I am not too worried about shelf life reagents as most of my current interest are exotic metal oxides, metal
salts, and metal powders. For example on the page with Vanadium pentoxide I noticed that some grades where listed as having a brown color. I know
this substance is more of an orange/goldenrod color and that it might be too "raw" for my interest. Next time I will try to ask for a small sample
for analysis.
What is the best way to find the manufacturers? Any particular source that stand above the rest?
Fellow molecular manipulator
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jarynth
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Good info everyone. I made the mistake of asking for the smallest unit instead of pretending to be a big buyer and asking for a sample.
| Quote: | | What is the best way to find the manufacturers? Any particular source that stand above the rest? |
And how to tell them apart? These Chinese manufacturers all look the same to me 
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Contrabasso
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Buy a small pack, by airmail assuming it's legal. Wait 4 weeks buy the same stuff, wait 4 more weeks then order the same thing for the third time.
Then COMPARE! If the three items are identical then you are dealing with a factory or a very good agent - treasure the contact. If the three items are
different then you have a rather thick local agent who doesn't realise that he didnt send the same stuff each time and will perhaps never send quite
what you want need or ordered.
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DNA
Hazard to Others
Posts: 191
Registered: 11-6-2003
Location: @moon
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I often notice that chinese suppliers don't e-mail back...or when they do they do very late or very bad english.
First I got some e-mails about the olympic games that they were not allowed to sent any chemical in that period.
UPDATE:
Just got an e-mail of a chinese company that is willing to sent me 2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine 10g as a free sample.
I e-mailed them that I'm a professor of a university and that I wanted to buy 50kg of it after I analysed a sample of them and it appeared to be okay.
Now the point is, when I let it being shipped to my adress on behalf of the "university" won't I get trouble with the customs as I cannot go and ask
to put olive oil on it?
What are your suggestions?
[Edited on 12-9-2008 by DNA]
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