Are you a consultant or the marketing lead for one of the top Chinese leather manufacturers hoping to invest in Nigeria but do not know how to find a trustworthy importer?
Are you a Chinese company looking to diversify your leather manufacturing and distribution business by venturing into the Nigerian market? If yes, you’re on the right track, and as you already know, this is a great step that could significantly impact your revenue.
Nigeria, with its over 200 million population, is a robust market to sell your leather products. However, finding reliable importers to help distribute your products in Nigeria might pose a major challenge if you don’t know how to identify them. This article gives insight into eight ways to identify reliable leather importers in Nigeria.
Ways Chinese Manufacturers Can Identify Reliable Leather Importers in Nigeria
Here are some valuable ways you can find reliable leather importers in Nigeria:
Research and Background Checks
One of the most efficient ways to find a reliable leather importer in Nigeria is to do your due diligence by conducting thorough research and background checks. With Nigeria being Africa’s largest consumer market for leather products, the Nigerian leather industry is robust and filled with many legitimate and dubious players.
Therefore, before entrusting any importer with your goods, you should examine their track record and reputation in the market. What are their names, and under which company do they operate? Are they registered players in the industry? Do they have a strong reputation online? Have they imported goods from China before? If yes, what are their previous Chinese suppliers saying about them?
These questions and many more will give you a clear understanding of their background and guide you in making the right decision.
Online Platforms and Directories
Online directories like Alibaba and Global Sources are excellent places to meet reliable Nigerian leather importers. Search for them and browse their profiles to learn about their track record in the leather business.
One good thing about these platforms is that they make customer reviews easily accessible. You must ensure you go through these reviews to know how reliable these importers are.
Other platforms you shouldn’t neglect are social media and dedicated review platforms. Most of these importers have social media profiles you can peruse to determine their authenticity. If you can, reach out to some of their followers who have interacted with them in a way that suggests they’ve done business. You might get valuable information from them about the Nigerian leather importer you want to partner with.
ALSO READ:
- 5 Types of Furniture Leather You Should Know in Nigeria
- What Type of Leather is Best for Upholstery in Nigeria?
- What is the Best Leather Material for Making Bags in Nigeria?
Trade Associations or Chambers of Commerce
There are trade associations or chambers of commerce in every country, and they are reliable sources of information about the importers and exporters of different products in a country. These organizations have accurate records of businesses and companies found in their countries.
Contact the Chambers of Commerce in Nigeria or China to get detailed information about registered and reliable leather importers in Nigeria. You can also register with these organizations and become a member. As a member, it’s easier for importers looking for reliable Chinese leather manufacturers to locate you and establish business partnerships.
Supplier Verification Services
You can use third-party companies that provide supplier verification services to know if a Nigerian leather importer is reliable. These companies can help verify if an importer’s business is duly registered in Nigeria. They can also help you determine the importer’s financial status, warehouse capacity, and reputation and check their compliance rating with legal authorities.
If you’re dealing with new suppliers or importers, supplier verification companies can help you thoroughly check the individuals involved in the business. A check on their person will reveal their personality and how they’re perceived by the people around them, helping you identify those who are capable of defrauding you and who you should trust.
References and Recommendations
Another surefire way to find reliable leather importers in Nigeria is to seek references and recommendations from other Chinese manufacturers who export leather products to Nigeria. While this might be difficult due to business competition, fellow manufacturers who want your success wouldn’t mind giving you the contacts of some of their trusted Nigerian distributors.
Alternatively, you can visit Chinese manufacturers who export complementary leather products, such as furniture woods, car interiors, shoe materials, etc., to Nigeria, and they can recommend you to their distributors. The good thing is that their distributors would have contacts with reliable leather importers in Nigeria and wouldn’t hesitate to give them to you because they’re not direct competitors.
Factory Visits
If an importer reaches out to you to distribute your leather products in Nigeria, visiting their factory or warehouse is a great way to verify their reliability. Apart from verifying their authenticity, these visits will also help you know the capacity of goods they can distribute for you, ensuring you don’t send them goods beyond their distribution capacity.
Another good thing about such visits is that they let you meet other importers in person. By visiting the leather markets in Nigeria, you can find many importers capable of handling large distribution quantities, and make deals with them.
Secure Payment and Contractual Agreements
Most disputes between importers and manufacturers can be avoided if payment terms and contractual agreements are established before business begins. A reliable importer will strive to establish secure payment terms with you and ensure a clear contract is in place before placing an order. This helps put your mind at ease, especially when sending large leather quantities to them on credit.
Start with Small Orders
This is one of the surest ways to test the waters, especially when exporting to a country like Nigeria. Before trusting an importer with large orders, test them with smaller orders. This helps you assess many things, from their ability to sell goods faster to their reliability with money.
You can increase the order quantity once you are satisfied with your working relationship with the importer. Similarly, anyone who doesn’t meet your reliability test with small orders doesn’t deserve another order.
Conclusion
Nigeria is a huge market for any product, especially multipurpose products like leather. Expanding into the country will boost your business and significantly improve your bottom line. However, to do this successfully, you must work with reliable leather importers like Nestken Masters, who have a wealth of experience in the leather industry and a good track record and reputation. Hopefully, this article has given you insights on identifying reliable leather importers in Nigeria to partner with. Call us today on +2348039388366.
