Anyone seeking to buy greenhouse wholesale ought to consider Chinese greenhouses. China is known to be a manufacturing hub with many advantages. Amongst others, China is one of the leading steel producers worldwide. Logistics infrastructure in China have reached a pinnacle that makes it both cost and time efficient to import greenhouses from there. Also, greenhouse manufacturers are known engineer frameworks so they fit into space-saving packaging. However, there are still pitfalls when buying wholesale residential or commercial greenhouse in China. Let us list the pros and cons of buying tunnel greenhouses.
As a result of COVID-19 pandemic, the sales of garden supplies skyrocketed in the Northern Hemisphere. Residential greenhouses, also called hoop houses or polytunnels, together with garden tools such as gardening gloves, watering cans were in high demand. Now that supply chains have proven agile enough, it is time for importers and retailers that did not capitalize on the surge in demand to catch up with it.
The pros of importing Chinese Greenhouses & Their Benefits
Greenhouses made in China are not necessarily all bad quality. It’s just that sometimes, there are so many layers of buyers that the manufacturing cost is squeezed so tight that only small, unprofessional workshops are considered. If you take a hard look at world trade data, you can easily find out that most of residential greenhouses actually come from Chinese steel hoop factories. This type of greenhouse is made of zinc and PE coated steel tubes and PE mesh cover. They are stronger than plastic greenhouse kits. They come in with all greenhouse parts included in the kit.
Cheap but Good Value Residential Steel Greenhouses Kits
If you are in the business of greenhouse retail, looking for steel greenhouses made in China may hold the key to widen your profit margins. Getting in touch with residential greenhouse manufacturers should help your business maintain a competitive advantage, while keeping risks low.
Private Label Greenhouse Kits with no added cost
Chinese polytunnel vendors are eager to serve. The best ones have their own designer, and are able to customize the greenhouse kit as follows, for no extra cost!
- Retail packaging
- Inner packaging (i.e bags, that can be replaced by recycled or recyclable material)
- On steel tubes or greenhouse plastic parts
Wholesale greenhouse quantities are not an issue anymore
Over the last decade, greenhouse manufacturers have accumulated plenty of experience with both online and offline retailers. They have developed standard greenhouse kits that both hit the spot in terms of value for money and Minimum Order Quantity. As a consequence, ordering greenhouse from China does not require a large investment nowadays.
The cons of importing Chinese Greenhouses & Their Shortcomings
Now that we have listed the benefits of buying greenhouses from China, we need to consider the risks of buying from China. As with any offshore manufacturing operation, dealing with foreign suppliers, handling exportations, and making sure that deliveries arrive on-time are keys to your success. Additionally, we will consider the effects of a poor service, or low-tech greenhouses manufacturing capabilities can have on your operations.
Different cultural & business habits may not be overcome
Chinese culture and business habits are different from other countries. In some cases, especially when dealing with low cost greenhouse suppliers, it proves difficult to fill the gap. It is always easier to deal with vendors with a multicultural team. Or with vendors that have travelled abroad during greenhouse trade shows and garden products fairs.
Miscommunication & issues due to language
Buying from foreign vendors will always induce risks, latency in delivery and a specific management of funds. But what sticks with most purchasers is the sometimes overwhelming difficulty to communicate efficiently. Inaccurate orders, partial deliveries, additional costs and working time due to miscommunication are inefficiencies that can kill a business.
Botched order management and workmanship
If there is something that most walk in greenhouses and winter houses suppliers have in common it’s their ability to deliver fast. But to what cost? By auditing greenhouse workshops in China and talking with importers, we know for a fact that the end result is what counts most. Even if the defect rate in the product is high, suppliers will insist that they delivered on-time, which is, in their mind, good enough.
As you may have gathered already, buying greenhouses wholesale in 2023 requires your business to look into China manufacturing. Offshoring the production of greenhouses for your brand will not necessarily mean the end of your business, or endless hassles. On the contrary, it may empower your gardening equipment import business by increasing margins, selling value for money greenhouses and ensuring stable supply.
However, it is important for greenhouse importers and their purchasing teams to consider the downsides of buying from China. Taking into account difference in cultural and business habits, the pace of things in mainland China and miscommunication is key to deploying safeguards.
I hope this article has brought some insight. If so, feel free to share and comment.
