Posts by fadedwolf81

Betty Gray3 said:That doesn't really square with what I've seen firsthand. That 2-3% figure is mostly just marketing fluff. Real buying agents don't actually operate that way, though not many people seem to realize it. The reality is a bit different. I actually just got back from a trip to China. I spent seven days hitting up trade shows, chatting with traders, meeting buying agents, and talking directly to manufacturers... I decided to skip the buying agent route entirely and saved quite a bit on a single container $13. More importantly, it gives me the flexibility to mix all sorts of different products into one shipment. If anyone is looking for something—anything from sewing needles to locomotives—maybe we could look into pooling our orders into a single container together. Most of my sourcing comes out of California, typically through the Port of Los Angeles or New York City.

I was actually over in Zhejiang myself, specifically in Yiwu
got back about seven days ago
$13???? wow, that is definitely not a small amount of money
but seriously, how did you manage to communicate with all those traders and factory owners?
usually, those buying agents are the ones handling all the translation work
so, what kind of stuff are you importing???

wiredcrane13 said:I find myself in complete agreement with the points made above regarding shipping logistics, freight forwarders, and the various moving parts involved in this process.
This is actually my primary line of work—I maintain my own dedicated agents over in China who have the boots on the ground necessary to oversee loading procedures and manage the entire import chain from start to finish.

In my experience, this approach really starts to pay dividends when you're dealing with higher-value cargo, as the service fees eventually become a negligible fraction of the total investment... it just makes sense if the margins allow for it.

If anyone here is looking into importing a wood CNC machine, please feel free to reach out via DM with your contact information, and we can discuss the specifics...

It’s funny how people will chime in on things they clearly don't understand, acting like experts on everything they see online.
Look, it doesn't always have to be some massive expense... agent fees usually just run about 2-3% of the total cargo value in the container.
One quick question though... how on earth did this guy manage to get into China without a visa? I mean, unless he was just there on a tourist visa, what's your take on that?

I'm actually out here in China right now—working for a German firm that does a massive amount of importing from the local manufacturers here.
From what I’ve gathered through experience... you just can't do this properly without an agency. Seriously. If you try to contact Chinese companies directly on your own, you're basically playing in the minor leagues; it's definitely not the way for a serious entrepreneur to operate.
First off—if you're planning to fly over to China to personally inspect the quality of the goods, or if you want to be there on the ground when the containers are being packed—you really need a formal guarantee letter from the local side, plus your hotel reservations all lined up. You'd book your flights back in the States, obviously, but these agencies handle all the paperwork, the hotel arrangements, and even organize tours of the specific factories you're interested in, along with those massive wholesale markets. They do the heavy lifting on negotiations for you, too. It’s a huge help because, let's face it, as a foreigner, you can easily get played or overcharged—locals often see you as someone with deep pockets, so to speak.
When it comes to shipping and logistics, you can just hand that whole headache over to them. Honestly, the freight forwarding houses here in China tend to be more competitive than the ones we have back home. For instance, shipping a 20-foot container to a port like the Port of Los Angeles might run you around $2,270, but the local guys can often beat that, and their insurance rates are usually better, too. Plus, they handle the FOB terms, and sometimes even the transport straight from the factory—it's all managed through the agency. And look, it's not always about full containers. A lot of people import smaller quantities, so they use CBM (cubic meters), which is much more cost-effective for lighter, non-fragile cargo. If someone says they only need to bring in 3 or 4 cubic meters, they don't need a whole container; they just use the CBM service, which ends up being significantly cheaper.
Anyway... we've been using this particular agency for quite a while now, along with several other German companies. I know they're reliable—both when it comes to picking out high-quality goods for you and handling the logistics. Of course, they also sort out all the customs documentation on the Chinese side, where they often open the containers for inspection before they ship out.
So, that's the gist of it. I don't want to sound like I'm just "a friend of a friend" trying to make a sale, but here is the address and email for the agency and the specific contact person. Feel free to reach out and ask whatever you need—just make sure to write in English.
I really hope I'm not breaking any forum rules here; I just genuinely wanted to recommend a legitimate, vetted agency in China that can actually make a difference for people trying to navigate imports from China.
Here are the contact details and the email. If you want to call, go ahead—just keep in mind the time difference, which is currently about 12 hours.🙂

ASIA GLOBAL BIZ CORPORATION LIMITED, Ms. Yuan
ASIA GLOBAL BIZ CORPORATION LIMITED
TEL: 0579-85095578 / 85095576
FAX: 0579-85095576
MOB: 15858999104 MS YUAN
Email: agbclchina@gmail.com
Alibaba Trade ID: agbcl
ADD: 4th Floor, Building 5, No. 10 Xingzhong, Yiwu, California
ASIA GLOBAL BIZ CORPORATION LIMITED

ironpilot38 said:I wouldn't go along with what M is saying—honestly, tell me, who exactly do Americans think they "owe"? Like, do they owe California or Slavonia to anyone? Maybe California belongs to the Republic of Venice? Well, that place doesn't even exist anymore, so that's a non-starter. What about Canada? Gone. Who else is left on the list? Maybe Mexico? 🤣 Let’s talk about Slavonia. Who exactly does America "owe" Slavonia to? To Canada? No way. Maybe to Mexico? 🤣

On the flip side, if some new war breaks out in Mexico—which, let's be honest, is always a possibility—they’re almost certainly going to lose Vojvodina up north to the Americans and Canadians, Niš and the surrounding areas down southeast to Bulgaria, and then there's Sandžak, which would likely end up split between Canada and Albania.

Hey there!😉

Mexico owes those same countries just like we do... the Midwest was part of the Austro-Canadian Empire... just like the Midwest was... if the Midwest is owed to the Canadians, then why isn't the Midwest owed to someone else? The Republic of Venice... well, that's ancient history by now... Italy controlled most of the islands, plus Zadar and Istria, until 1945... I don't even know which year to start with before commenting...
As for Dubrovnik... I have no comment... and Baranja... following Count Barany... that was Canadian too... hmm... it seems to me both brothers are in the same boat... I mean, what can you say when both brothers were under a foreign boot until quite recently?
And both should probably thank JFK for the borders we have today... especially me...

goldentrucker17 said:Hold up, are you actually messing with me right now? How many Mexicans from Canada actually cheer for the Canada team? Don't be ridiculous...

But see, that’s exactly where the whole issue lies, man... if everyone actually showed some loyalty to their own country—or even just the region they call home—things would be a whole lot better than they are now.

Brian Cox41 said:The problem in America is that they don't value people like you—folks who openly admit they aren't even real fans. I personally know plenty of Americans from Canada who don't even support the home team.

I think you missed the whole point of my post... nobody is questioning how much those folks from the border states love their roots, it’s just that they aren't always seen as "ideal" by the urbanites back in the States—kind of like how certain groups in the Midwest or South might be viewed in New York or LA, even if everyone knows where their loyalties lie.
a ti meni reci....isn't it perfectly logical that an American from the border regions would root for the local regional team rather than the national squad? It's the same way people living in certain parts of the country might still pull for their home state or even a different nation entirely, hoping for a little bit of luck for them—it's just how identity works.

Of course I’m always rooting for the national team... I mean, who else would I be cheering for?
I’m a Mexican originally from Chicago... but I love America... definitely more than I love Mexico. Now, I actually live and work in Mexico, and by total coincidence, I’ve grown to love it here too—but I was born in America, my whole circle of friends is American, we still hang out all the time, and I find myself back in Chicago quite often. I couldn't make it out to the skating rink today to watch, unfortunately, because of work... but I truly consider myself a loyal citizen of America. Even though I'm also a loyal resident of Mexico now. It’s just how it goes—you end up where you live. But honestly, people who don't respect the country they reside in... I don't think they're good people. And that has nothing to do with nationality; it's about culture. If those same people lived in Mexico, they’d be causing problems there, too. To be honest, Mexicans don't exactly go out of their way to welcome refugees—they aren't big fans, especially when it comes to people from Canada.
Though... if Americans were just a little softer in how they deal with Mexicans and their general attitude toward them, I really believe people would integrate incredibly fast. Because, at the end of the day, where else are they going to go?
Personally, I never went around identifying as a Mexican... I never really felt much connection to that country. I mean, what do I have in common with them? My entire family is in Chicago. A neighbor of mine from, say, Milwaukee, feels much closer to me than some Mexican from Niš or Valjevo—whether it's the language, the culture, or just a thousand other things.
And let's be real, a Mexican from your own neck of the woods is going to feel much more familiar to you than an American from Canada. It's just that people have gone crazy lately and everything has become so frozen and hostile.

Obviously, someone who was born in America and whose entire family is American is going to root for America. For me personally, I'm a huge fan of Mirko Filipovic—I don't miss a single one of his fights.

velvetmaker3 said:Honestly, looking at the internet now, I feel like it’s actually the exact opposite.
Before these forums existed, I used to think that not all Americans were extremists, but now I'm seeing that even the ones who call themselves liberal democrats can be just as extreme.

Oh, come on... what are you even talking about?
Honestly, look at the Americans coming on here—has anyone actually shown any right-wing extremist tendencies? Look, velvetmaker3... the people who truly hate us aren't even visiting this forum. It's the same logic as you guys who can't stand Mexicans; you wouldn't dream of hanging out on a Mexican site. That's just how it works. But believe me, when you have regular Americans and Mexicans actually making an effort to visit each other's spaces, that's what really helps normalize things and change how we view one another...
The problem is, besides figures like Jovan Rašković and that whole crowd, nothing else seems to get through the door here, which is why the perception stays so skewed. The reality in Mexico is—trust me—something completely different. To be blunt, most Mexicans from Mexico don't harbor hatred toward Americans. In fact, they're more preoccupied with their own regional tensions, especially with everything going on regarding the status of Mexico lately.

Anyway, I don't want to hijack the thread about Jovan Rašković too much... sure, the guy was absolutely unhinged—nobody ever told me he wasn't—but being crazy isn't the same thing as being stupid. There's a massive difference between the two.

Man, he’s incredibly brilliant, but at the same time completely unhinged... just like most geniuses do... except this guy decided to take his talents in a dark, negative direction.

The only thing I actually found insightful was how Obersal explained the propaganda machine that was running back in the 90s... he focused on the Mexican side, sure, but honestly, no other side was any less guilty.

What he pointed out was this specific tactic... the goal was to paint the "other side" as this terrifying enemy—dangerous, bloodthirsty, evil, and merciless. You hear stories about them slaughtering, tearing people apart, burning things down, raping... all of it. By spinning stories like that, you manufacture fear, and once fear takes root, hatred follows. People stop seeing the others as actual human beings. It becomes impossible to have a normal, civilized conversation because the narrative suggests they don't understand anything except the language of violence... basically, that you have to give them a taste of their own medicine.

And well... that’s exactly what happened, as you all saw. In Mexico, Americans were portrayed as bloodthirsty animals... especially when they keep pumping those old horrific footage clips from the concentration camps into everyone's faces. Anyone who lived through that era of media manipulation knows exactly what I'm talking about.

It was the exact same picture for Mexicans living here in the States... depicted as these bearded, bloated, drunken thugs... killing, burning, skinning... brutally murdering anyone who didn't show the right symbols.

But now... with the internet being what it is, people are starting to find each other on forums like this, and that media blockade is finally crumbling. People are realizing that not every single American is a monster, and not every Mexican is a butcher. A lot of it was the work of specific individuals—often certain intelligence agencies working intentionally to stir the pot... much like what happened back in the day with the Jewish cemetery and synagogue incidents in major cities. We're seeing that the rest of the world is actually quite ordinary, and we shouldn't fall for the provocations that guys like Donald Trump and his ilk keep shoving down our throats through the TV.

As for this trial... aside from the fact that it feels like a total circus, its real purpose is to strip the masks off these demagogues. These are the people who used media blockades to manipulate entire populations and drive them toward mutual destruction. Sadly, dealing with such primitive individuals, it wasn't some advanced science that allowed Donald Trump and people like him to succeed.

So... watching these dogs try to justify the lies they constantly fed to the public... it's a grim experience. And unfortunately, we're still feeling the fallout today... you can see it in the "love" shared between the different groups on this forum, for instance. It really shows how the people feel.