Lara Guevara shares ten lessons from visiting suppliers in China and Vietnam for DTC brands. China's factories present polished confidence but need filtering for real operations. Vietnam is earlier in export maturity but eager to learn. MOQs and sampling are negotiable, and you can use both countries for leverage on tariff strategy and pricing.
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Foreign. Hey, it's Lara. Welcome to Supply Chain Moves, the podcast where we talk about what it really takes to launch and scale products in this crazy, wonderful DTC world. Today's episode is personal. A few months ago, I went to both the Canton fair in China and sourcing exports post in Vietnam. And those two trips completely shifted how I look at the product development, supplier selection and global production. Now we're heading back and this time we're bringing clients, team members and a much deeper level of strategy. So I thought before we go back, let me document the top 10 biggest lessons I learned from those few trips I had this year and last year. These are real practical founder to founder lessons. The kind I wish someone had told me before I stepped into my first massive fair haul. So let's jump in. Lesson number one, the confidence gap is real and it's strategic. Walking through The China Fair versus Vietnam is like watching two different movies. China big booths, polished teams, PowerPoint decks ready. They know the game, they've played it for decades. You feel that swagger. And for Vietnam, the energy is raw. Exciting, yes, but less polished. Some booths still feel like they're figuring out what kind of clients they want. And yet that confidence gap, it's massive opportunity if you walk in with a plan. In China, the goal is to filter who's the real factory, who's overpriced, who's production capable. And in Vietnam, the goal is to guide can the supplier grow with you or are they willing to align with the standards? Knowing how to adjust your posture, assertive in China, collaborative in Vietnam makes all the difference. Lesson number two, Vietnam is eager but needs coaching. One thing I loved about Vietnam, not just their pho, everyone is hungry to work. They're responsive, open to new ideas and willing to code fast. But and this is important, many are still learning how to work with Western DTC brands. Things like clear documentation, understanding compliance like OECO text or fsc. Familiarity with US consumer preferences, pricing transparency. We had cases where we asked for one thing and got another, or where follow up emails had broken English and missing details. So it's not because they're careless, it's because they're really early in the export maturity curve. So if you're a founder who wants to build, not just buy Vietnam school, but you'll need systems, SOPs and long patience. Lesson number three, beautiful booth is not equal to good factory. You'll see the booth that look like Apple's trade show setups, neon lighting, video screens, uniform wraps. And then you find out they don't actually own the factory. They're a trading company and sometimes three to four layers. We learned this the hard way. And one vendor had gorgeous packaging samples, great English and a surprisingly good price. But they couldn't provide factory photos or real sampling timelines or just answer basic compliance questions. That's a big red flag. So here's what I ask now. First is can you show me your factory floor? Second is how many full time staff are in production. Third, do you subcontract anything like cutting, stitching, painting, qc? Ask anything that is subcontracted. Can I speak to your factory manager? So you're not just being nosy, you're being a good partner. Lesson number four is MOQs are not fixed numbers, they're negotiation anchors. So most founders assume China, sequel to high MOQs and in Vietnam low volume. But here's the truth. MOQ is often just the opening number and we had a supplier start at 5,000 units. After 15 minutes of real conversations, sharing our demand plan and marketing strategy and reorder forecast, they came down to 1,500. Why? Because suppliers want predictable partners and not just big ones. So come in with your 12 month forecast. Prepare this even if it's just rough numbers. Then sample marketing assets a clear calendar for planned pos. When they see your seriousness, they flex. And honestly most other buyers don't even bother doing that. So going to lesson number five don't just collect catalogs. Come with sourcing scorecard. At my first fair I made the classic mistake of walking booth to booth, collecting business cards, taking pictures, getting catalogs, saying thanks well we will email. Then I got hold forgot who was who. It was a massive fair. It was three, four huge buildings. So you will really forget. Now we bring a score sheet, a scoring sheet each vendors gets rated live on responsiveness, price flexibility, sampling terms, factory transparency, communication style. It's the difference between information overload and informed decision making. Because remember, you're not just sourcing products, you're selecting long term partners. Lesson 6 Sampling starts with how you talk, not what you ask for. So sampling doesn't start when you fill out a form. It starts the moment you open your mouth. Suppliers prioritize brands who speak clearly, ask smart questions and respect their process. We once asked can we get a sample of this product by next week? The supplier smiled and said for you? Yes. For most people just say send me samples and disappear. So here's your new script. What's your normal sample lead time if you order 2000 minutes or can I pay for this sample and get reimbursed on the PO or what's your prototyping process? Do you have a tech pack template? Be someone they want to work with and you'll get better samples and faster. Lesson number seven China versus Vietnam. Use both to your advantage. Here's the real move. Don't choose compare. And at the last fair we found the same Same water bottle in China and Vietnam. Same shape, same specs, but different pricing structure, lead time, MOQ flexibility and tariff exposure. Having options means leverage and when you stop both countries, you can run smart A B test for margin, quality and logistics. You can try to order 50% from China, 50% from Vietnam and compare. So if you're only sourcing in China or only trying Vietnam, you're leaving leverage on the table. Lesson number eight is ask for their tariff strategy, not just their HTS codes. With tariff going wild, some over 100%, it's not enough to ask what's the HS code? Or you need to ask do you support first sale valuation? This is very important. This is gold first sale valuation or FSV. Can you separate packaging and subcontractor invoices? Or have you worked with bonded warehouses? Or do you offer DDP shipping? In China we found suppliers with clear tariff engineering strategies and in Vietnam not so much. But the upside is that many goods are zero tariff to the US or very slow or very low compared to China. The smart brands are not just sourcing for quality, they're sourcing for tariff resilience, especially this season. Lesson number nine trading company factory. Know the difference between the two? Repeat after me. Not all suppliers are factories. Some booth will say we're the manufacturer but can't provide factory photos, team size or production flow. It's not always shady. Sometimes trading companies help with language, logistics or compliance. Sometimes there are manufacturing that doesn't have sales teams so they get traders instead. We've had great successes working directly with factories, especially when negotiating timelines, cost and compliance. So just ask politely, are you a factory or a trading partner for the factory? And go from there. Lesson number 10 Real relationship is more than first transaction, last one and it's the heart of this whole episode. The best sourcing wins we've had. They didn't come from lowest coat or from the flashiest booth. They came from the warmest, most consistent relationships. One Vietnam supplier emailed us every week with updates even before we ordered and another sent us a holiday gift. A third helped us redo our packaging to cut tariff exposure. This isn't touchy feely stuff. This is how you build a resilient supply chain. People who like working with you, they go extra mile and in peak season, when everyone's fighting for production slot, that extra miles matter. So those 10 biggest lessons from my past China and Vietnam trips, we're going back this time. Smarter, sharper, and way more strategic. And if you want to follow the journey, see behind the scenes sourcing or even join us for future visits. Make sure you're subscribed to Supply Chain Moves and follow us at Move Supply Chain Part two is coming next, where I'll walk you through exactly how we prepare before the fair, our checklist, templates, cost models and the biggest mistakes to avoid. Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Lara. Keep your supply chain smart, your sourcing sharp, and your margins healthy.
