Originally Posted by
Bob Dopolina
I'd also agree. It really does boil down to who your Chinese partner is and how much you are willing to insert yourself in the process.
I am a bit out of date with China these days, as my last project there was about 10 years ago, but ^^ that really sums it up. At the time I was working there, we did a benchmark study and found that US companies had a much poorer record in China compared to European companies, and the reason was the better ability - at that time - of European firms like Siemens, Flenders, etc. to adapt to the Chinese way of working.
Originally Posted by halfspeed
The difference between the likes of Planet X and ebay sellers is that PX is an ongoing concern owned and operated by people within the jurisdiction of western courts. Meanwhile, the ebay carbon sellers could be anyone and far, far away from any accountability. If PX is caught selling rejects, they're out of business, in court and have their reputation ruined. If the ebay seller is, he can just start up a new account and keep going.
Sure... another factor is that P-X takes on the responsibility of doing the QC on the parts, and finding the "right" partner, as opposed to the uncle/nephew. This is definitely worth a premium. How much of a premium - well, that's for each person to decide.
Personally, I think the relatively minor premium that P-X, BD, etc are charging is very fair.