Preparing Logistics and QC for A New Ecommerce Brand (Discussing the Products) with Nelson Xiao

Welcome to another Global From Asia podcast! We’re still here in house lockdown but continuing the podcast, as always, and the Blimp Method – Excalibur Brothers brand is moving along. Four (4) products are under development and the mastermind is moving along.

Today we bring on GFAVIP member Nelson Xiao, an experienced supply chain and QA expert. I first met him at the NowShenzhen launch party in Terrace bar Shekou last December 2021 and we have gotten to know each other over the new year.

He has followed the GFA podcast for some time and recalls the struggles we had with the previous public case study (the Sisitano moka pot) and the handle breaking issue. Thanks for reading the Ecommerce Gladiator book, Nelson – and now we have you on the podcast to discuss QA (quality assurance) done right. 

√ Nelson’s VIP Page
√ Phthalate content
Main Testing Centers:
√ SGS
√ Intertek
√ BV
√ TUV

Thank you Nelson for being in the GFAVIP member community and also for coming on to share with us today.

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gfa372

[00:00:00] All right. Everybody episode 372 of Global From Asia. We’re talking about certificates, testing labs for your products, or e-commerce here in China with experts on the ground, local people here. This is what we’re trying to do here at Global From Asia. Let’s tune in. Welcome to the Global From Asia podcast, where the daunting process of running an international business is broken down, into straight up actionable advice.

[00:00:27] And now your host, Michael Michelini. Just me on the intro today. Wow. It’s actually Aubrey’s birthday today. Happy birthday, Aubrey. I don’t know if you agree with me, but she’s amazing. She’s been doing great with her GFAVIP members. If you’re in our membership, you probably have talked to her lately. She’s got her passport.

[00:00:48] We got to get her to China. We’ve got to send her around. You know, I think she’s an up and coming star here in the community. So keep it up. Aubrey, happy birthday, enjoy. So I’ll just do his intro on my own today. And we are rocking and rolling here with the Excalibur Brothers brand case study here at Global From Asia using our new Blimp method. And today’s session,

[00:01:10] we bring with us an experts in supply chain and testing, Nelson Xiao. He’s also a listener and he’s also a GFAVIP subscriber or member. So thank you, Nelson, for your support. We had met in person. I haven’t been able to meet how to do this recording in online because we’re locked down here. I mean, it’s still, I’ve been like over two weeks, locked down, actually my buddy’s apartment.

[00:01:34] And there’s a long story to this. Maybe any outro I’ll share. All right. If you’re curious about my lockdown story after this meaty interview, where we dive into certifications and testings and labs and China for your e-commerce product or any kind of product with some price, insights and tips of ways to save money and time.

[00:01:53] We will talk about my lockdown story in a blah-blah-blah session. All right. Enjoy this session 372 with Nelson. And thank you to our sponsor. Our returning sponsor mercury.com online bank was a real bank, but can a totally online for US, our blimp program participants are going through this as well. Thank you, Mercury. 

[00:02:13] Travis is great. They has been on our show has been in our events. We’re gonna have another event where we will have them attending as well. And if you want to get a little bonus for you and us, if you sign up and do some special circumstances, so you can go to globalfromasia.com/mercury also have a video tutorial that we use, even for the blimp people used the

[00:02:31] same exact video to learn how to use it. I hope you can check it out totally free. Why not see you there? All right. Thank you everybody for a Global From Asia podcast tuning in today, still in the same background as last week. Last show, I’m still locked down since the last podcast and that was two weeks, two weeks ago.

[00:02:51] So, you know, Nelson, it’s great to have you Aubrey, of course Aubrey, our co-host here and community manager. Thanks for being here, Aubrey. Things as well, Mike. As usual, it’s our pleasure to be on your show. Yeah. It’s our show. It’s our show. It’s a community show and we’re trying our best to include everyone in the community.

[00:03:10] So today’s Nelson, Xiao, Nelson. I believe you’ve been listening to the podcast for quite some time, from what I’ve, what you’ve told me and the e-commerce gladiator story. It was the Sisitano and the mocha pod. And, you know, we met for the first time in December at the nowshenzhen launch relaunch party. And it was a great to see you there.

[00:03:31] We’ve met a couple of times since, and that you’re also in our GFAVIP memberships. So that’s really awesome too. Thanks for supporting today, Nelson. So do you mind just introducing yourself for our listeners today? Oh, sure. Yeah. Okay. First of all, it’s really an honor, you know, to be invited here?

[00:03:52] So this is really the first time I’m doing the podcast with Michael. So really it’s a great time. I hope I believe what we will have the good time today. Yeah. I have been working like for, you know, a US company, UK company for, over 15 years. So all these years, you know that at the beginning, I, my major focus is focused on the, you knows the product testing quality, inspecting, and the factory quality system audits and studies my major task for my, for the [00:04:30] first seven or eight years.

[00:04:31] So after that, I’m starting, you know,  almost focus on the whole thing, you know, for example, was a US team, you know, design as a progress. They want it to, you know, producing China. So my first, my first job to, you know, write to factories to give us a right price. And then I need to follow start from their point.

[00:04:54] And then as they made the samples, I needed to follow the productions and check checking the protocol days and then make sure the product can be shipped to US, to your all time needs. It’s basically what I’m doing right now. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. I think a lot of listeners are going to learn a lot from your insights today.

[00:05:14] It’s great. Also your expertise would be very useful to the community. So let’s make this interactive and let’s go to our new public case study, which is the Excalibur Brother brand. Oh, we’re also using a new strategy, which is the blimp method? I hope are you have already known about that? Because we have mentioned that before.

[00:05:39] So we have four products being developed and preparing to launch now. We’re excited. So let us go through them. And can we discuss some of your QA insights? Sure. Sure. So yeah. You know, basically as a QA, you know, we put this way. Okay. Each time you’ve we have the. If you were, for example, if I, my team, our company has a new project, you program get started at QA.

[00:06:12] Oh, you know, the role, well, get involved at the very beginning, since the product start designing. Because we’re already working with the designers at the very beginning point, you know, give the designers the right size and what is it’s specific.  You know, the safety issues. Because for each of the countries like the US, UK, different countries, they have a different direct safety requirements.

[00:06:39] So we need to get involved the QA stuff  getting involved at the very beginning to, you know, honor the designers. So what is the specific activities you also need to be taken care of and to start considering. Right. So, so yeah, you know, different types of products, different  counties. You’re going to have the different, you know, specific requirement.

[00:07:05] Yeah. All right. Well, I think it’s perfect then we’re still in a development stages of these first four products. So I think maybe today we’ll get some, even new insights and people can learn that at the same time. The first product we’re building is a polishing cloth for wine glasses. So I don’t have it cause it’ll lock down physically with me.

[00:07:28] Can’t receive samples here, [00:07:30] but it’s, it’s essentially  a microfiber cloth that you can dry a glass with. So make it very clean and no spots. So it’s from a Dongguan factory being produced, starting production. I think they’re ordering materials right now.  So what’s the major other main, main materials is it fabric textile? It’s polyester, yeah textile.

[00:07:56] Okay. So it’s just for the major purpose, the major function is to dry a wine glass, right? Yeah. The main purpose is drying a glass. Yeah. It’s like a, you know, it’s very soft, you know, and stretches and stretches. So that as long. So that you can hold it the bottom of the glass and the top of glass

[00:08:19] so you don’t use your fingers when you’re touching it at all. Okay. Okay. Okay. So I guess based on what you have said [00:08:30] the major point we need to focus is a. Since the, uh, strength, you know the fabric, the fabric strenth, because if you, like what you mention? Right? These, this product is to dry a wine glass.

[00:08:48] So after that, the user going to wash it, right? Yeah. Talking about it, a washing, they mean the first point we need to consider is the the cotton of  the products. The cotton fabric needs to be stay good, right. After washing, all of the counters, you know, going to getting state.

[00:09:10] That’s also one of the major point need to be considered. So after that is a, the strength. Because you know, we cannot have, you know, just if somebody uses it several times and then it’ll start cracking, right? So this is the, for this kind of products, basically this QAs you need to watch, right?

[00:09:33] The cotton adn the thickness,  you know how strong’s the the fiber contain is. Because if you, I’m not sure if this, if this product you just mentioned, they’re going to send it to some factory for testing or not. If we need to cast them to the testing lab to test it. So there’s strengths that the federal condenser stress is absolutely one of the things.

[00:09:59] Well, it One of our community members has experienced selling this product in the past. So we have a little bit of an advantage. With this factory, he has a relationship already with this, this factory, but it’s true. We should get a, even, even still additional tests as well for the strength and other other requirements.

[00:10:23] Yeah. I also definitely agree with that as well.  Durability  is a must and also it must be soft enough, right. So that our customers will be happy with that product. So I believe we can proceed to our next product, the leather glass cases. I think this case, you will put your reading glasses in it. Also maybe sunglasses for a rough and masculine look and feel. It’s kinda cool.

[00:10:49] So for leather, any tips or insights on that one?

[00:10:56] That’s all right. Sorry I don’t have clarity. And what was the product specifically? Could you say it again? It’s a leather glass case. So you put your ear glasses, Nelson, you have your glasses, you can put them in this case it’s made of cow, cow, skin, leather, cowhide, leather. So it is a glass little case, right?

[00:11:20] Not as a glass. Not the glass. It is just a, just a container to protect it when you’re not using them, maybe it’s slip or if you take them off.

[00:11:31] Okay. So yeah, this is also, I think of these one who sees a major, uh, thing we need to focus is, you know. These containers, they gonna have the cover, right. Put in the glass and they close it, right. So the major thing is to life test. They need to be closed, open, open, close, close they open.

[00:11:58] So usually, yeah, we have a we have the same products before. So, you know, we test, this is one of the very common regular test. Test how, how good are they gonna be? They’re going to be test, you know. And they’ll keep closing and the opening like 200 times to see how good it is.

[00:12:19] So that is one of the major performance tests for this kind of a product. So yeah, as you described, I just can, you know, and can tell this is one of the major tests. And this is a performance test, right? For the safety issues. Yeah. As I mentioned, all our products is quite similar. You just need to consider all of the heavy metal contains, the soft issues, negative, total mass or something that could say yup.

[00:12:49] And it to be. Does it beginning to mention to the factory suppliers to, to meet or all of the, if there are any, you know, clothing  or yeah. Another thing is that, you know, So, as you mentioned as a, the material is a, is a cow fiber, right? Am I hearing it right? Cow, like cow hide or a cow skin like leather material from the animal.

[00:13:17] Okay. Yeah, this is kind of a specific material. If also, again, you want to send the products to be tested. Another major task that you will be testing, which is for the phthalate contents. Have you ever heard about that? No. Maybe I can text to. It’s a, is a chemical, a chemical test.

[00:13:45] Test if there’s any, you know. Is this a real, I mean, is this a man-made or what? Or just the real, of course there’s the poly PU, but we want the real, uh, animal leather. We don’t want the plastic. We want the top, you know, from a cow. Okay. Okay. You said it, right. As you mentioned, they will have some, or somehow a little PU included, right?

[00:14:14] So for the PU part, so one of the major test, let me test it here. They call phthalate content. Oh, wow. That’s a long one. Yeah. I’ll put that in the show notes, maybe in the, in the, in the, some people that are interested p h t h a l a t e. Phthalate, phthalate content. Interesting. Yes, phthalate content. It is one of the chemical chemical factors.

[00:14:47] Okay, interesting. Yeah, this is great. I mean, I, and I hope, you know, the point of this is also for listeners to understand the thought process of each product and what to consider. So the third product is the shot glass, you know, like drinking a shots of alcohol or baiju something. And it’s, it’s in a bamboo wood holder.

[00:15:10] So it’s six, six shot glasses with a, a bamboo wood holder two cold glasses together. So for the sale, it will include wine glass and a bamboo holder.  Yeah, the shot glass and the bamboo wood. It’s it’s seven pieces, six glasses, and one holder. Wow. This is a great product and glass and bamboo holders. For the glass or wine glass,

[00:15:46] Wine glass part, you know, this, the major test, I also texts you, is thermal shock test

[00:15:57] Because as we, we [ can easily understand. So wine glass, it’s generally used to hold the wine, right? Maybe sometimes the consumer, you say they use a glass, the wine glass to, okay. Let me, let me show you what the, what specific test it is. Yeah, thermal shock test. Okay. Aubrey, also add that to the notes for people to read. All of the, particularly for the glasses.

[00:16:31] You know, glass cups, these very important and common test, you know? Okay. That’s a good one. Let me show you. I just have one glass here.

[00:16:45] Because you know, we use the cup to hold water, particularly sometimes, they are hot water, right? It’s a warm waters. So we have to be sure.  If the customer use the cups to put some hot waters into it. If the quality is not good, it could be breaks immediately.

[00:17:14] And it can hurt their hands. Right? So, so this is basically how these test happens? You know, put some hot water into the cup  [00:17:30] for one or two minutes and then take, take out the the hot water and immediately put some cold waters into the cup to see how the grass can react.

[00:17:40] So this is how to test is basically.. Nice. Thank you so much, Nelson. Sure, sure. For the bamboo part, for the holder part, let’s say, is it a real bamboo?. They say so. Yeah. I mean, we’re, we have a sample. I haven’t seen it yet, but they say it’s real bamboo wood. Oh, why I’m asking this is because we do have the similar products.

[00:18:06] Actually. I have TLC for my company. A lot of the products, they have the natural material effects on the surface, but actually it just looks like natural materials, but actually it is not. Say paper on the surface. There’s a paper printed as a wooden print. Looks likes a real, okay.

[00:18:34] If the bamboo holder is already using the natural bamboo, so yeah. One of the things is absolutely needed to be tested, which is the first step is to make sure the very common quality issue for the natural material is if there was a moisture campaigns, not, it’s not as bad bamboo. But it could easily get them move moisture contents.

[00:19:03] Moisture content. Okay. Yes, we share contains not at the right level, it could easily get the, this the mold.

[00:19:18] Yeah. This is the, one of the test for the natural materials. We absolutely need to be critical, you know, for natural materials. Makes sense. Thanks Nelson. Yeah. Thanks again Nelson about that. So I think we can proceed to our last product, which is the drinking flask. So our first final product for the first batch of our blimp method participants, we will come with two metal shot glasses and also in a nice box.

[00:19:51] So we want the casing of the plastic to be leather  as well. And yeah, we’re still finalizing about that with the factory. So any comment on how to quality check a flask? Yes. Stainless steel 304. And, and we’ll have a leather also leather. We want to have real leather case around the metal. Okay. For the leather part, I just mentioned about it, right.

[00:20:18] For the critical part, critical  tests for the metal parts. Okay. So does the metal going to be exposed outside, or going to be covered by leather? Uh, the majority will be covered by leather, but there will be the top and the bottom exposed to the air. Okay. So, and then for the metal part, okay.

[00:20:44] Let me text you this one of the test. Cool. Oh, is that yeah. It’s Rust Resistance test, right? For the metal parts, the metal components. This is already common critical tests. I think people are familiar with rust. Right? So rust is when especially metal gets older or wet and you know, it corrodes. It’s corroded and oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:21:11] You all right. You mentioned that, right. A word at some stage, the corrosion. So that’s definitely something corrosion, corrosion, resistance and rust resistance. Exactly. So of course, with metal, nobody wants something that corrodes and it gets like, you know, like flakes and then, you know, gets creaky, obviously it’s, you know, and especially, you know, unfortunately China, Chinese made products have bad, some bad reputation for this, right.

[00:21:41] So we want to make sure the products that anybody sells is a top quality. And I won’t rust or corrode over time as you know, to, to be used and, and, and clean and helpful. So for sure, that’s a test that needs to be insured is passed for this product. Okay. Another day for the metal parts. Let me, let me test it.

[00:22:09] This is very important for the metal parts and these, you know, generate this kind of a sharp, sharp edge. And sharp corners. Yeah. Yeah. Like, especially if it could hurt or cut, but not just hurt, it’s just rough. Right? It’s not feeling smooth.  It feels cheaper if it’s, if it’s sharp and rough, so just make sure the edges are, are, are smooth.

[00:22:38] Okay, this is great Nelson. So we went through four products that were starting for this first batch of Amazon sales with Blimp method using the Excalibur Brothers brand and case study. So I really appreciate that. I think listeners, I know, I, Aubrey got some ideas, you know, each product, as you can tell has different types of requirements and test depends on the material, right?

[00:23:01] Depends on the type of product the country you’re selling in. So. You know, what we’re planning to do is, you know, send them to a one warehouse in China and then have them prepped and checked. But I’d love your feedback, you know, like, and I think Aubrey and I could send you more information to Nelson and I’m sure for listeners too.

[00:23:23] So you say as soon as possible, the QA person should know about the product and the requirements right before it’s made? Yeah, so, okay. First of all, let me emphasize. All of the things I just tested, it’s just a very basic and some of the key tests. Okay. So I will say, I really think, you know, Michael, you organize this sit, you organize.

[00:23:52] Global From Asia, you know, members have shared the experience. I think it’ll be pretty good, I think for me when I can share, you know? Yes. Maybe different members, they have different products, right. Just the, you know, these, uh, what’s their major products, put it in the Global From Asia and then later on

[00:24:12] I can review, review them one by one. I could create a very detailed test for each products. And what is the major key test that needed to be taken care of? I think we can, can help, help each other sharing, you know, each other’s  backgrounds, experiences and see how they could benefit each other.

[00:24:33] Right. That’s so helpful, Nelson. Thank you really. I’m sure to members will really appreciate that. And yeah. We’ll make sure on this show and of course in the community, we’ll let them know. I guess one thing maybe that’s worth adding to this discussion today is cost costs for these tests and time for these tests.

[00:24:52] I know the cost could change and the time can change. Year 2022 right now. And maybe you’ll go up or down. Can you give us some ideas of how much the cost would be for these tests and how long it should take. Uh, if you’re able to be really great. Sure, sure. You know, every day we have been, you know, sending the products to do the test.

[00:25:22] Yeah. Okay. First of all, just for the testing costs, let me see. It depends. Okay. If you, if your product, they just. I’ll send few days, uh, piggery pinners and like on Amazon, Walmart or other big sellers. So do you know this big sellers assign a specific per products cost tests in that, which used to usually this testing cost is quite high.

[00:25:51] So, but if your products is not selling, or you’re just, you know, selling under your own brand and the customer doesn’t have any specific requirements. So basically you just needed to test some a regular test. For those products, I will suggest you, you don’t need to send it to the big companies.

[00:26:16] You don’t have to send them to big testing companies there in China. There’s lot of smaller company that is still qualified. You know, testing labs where testing cost is much cheaper and the testing time is much faster. So that’s the first I was suggesting. Okay. I mean, can we just say a thousand dollars or RNB or a $500, $2,000, you know, like what’s kind of an expectation, a range.

[00:26:52] Let me give you, give me a very specific example. Okay. One of the very common tests is heavy metal. Heavymetal content tests. This is a very common test, whether your products will be sent to Europe or a US. So that’s a very common test. Okay. For this specific test, if you, if you are like sending to Walmart or target other platforms, they then will require you to send the products to specific labs, which is

[00:27:29] the authorized for the, like, you already know, you see SGS, Intertek, BV, let’s say these, these three or one more, TUV. These for are the big four across the world. They are very famous international third party testing companies. So if you’re bigger sellers, use these four, right.

[00:28:01] So for example, the heavy metal content test. If you send the products to these 4, usually will cost you for this one single test, it will cost you, uh, 500 to 1000 USD. But if you just sent you, you know, the new co-lab just one-on-one, you will be a 40% cheaper, Hmm. Great insights. Yeah. So overall it it already depends what your customer is, right.

[00:28:39] Is there or do you. Does your customer has specific a lab and they want you send your products to the specific labs? If you are, if your customer doesn’t have any specific lab, we can send that to the low-cost labs, which, which is the. First of all, the cost is much cheaper and the testing time is much faster.

[00:29:07] That’s really great. Thanks Nelson. You know, we get some ideas of costs and price differences between large or smaller solutions. Uh, thank you so much, Nelson. So again, we’re really happy to have you here on our show and thank you again for being a GFA VIP member. We appreciate you in the community. So. How can people find you and connect with you?

[00:29:33] Maybe you can suggest your socials and such, and we can definitely find you in our GFA VIP community, right? Yeah. For sure. Yeah, that’s right. It’s just one over the way you can find me. Okay. Another way. It’s just that. Okay. Bye. I’m going to put my phone number also or my WeChat ID. We could put on a show notes if you’re okay with that.

[00:29:55] Sometimes it might, it might change. Okay. Aubrey we’ll, we’ll keep that. We’ll connect people that need to Aubrey. Right. So that’s awesome. Nelson, thank you. Thank you so much. And again, yeah, like Aubrey said, thank you for, you know, being active in our community and supporting with the membership and, and sharing some really amazing insights today.

[00:30:16] I really appreciate it. Sure, no problem. Absolutely. Always honored that you, you know, come here, we can share some experience, you know? Yeah. I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m following. I’m  quite busy, you know, having to follow your podcast for awhile yet, but I will catch up for sure. No problem.

[00:30:36] I know. We’re all kinda going through a huge, the whole world right now. Yeah. We’re all going through adjustments. So it’s totally understandable. Thank you again and Nelson and we’ll talk soon. Thank you, Nelson. This has been great. And I think this is actually gone back to what Global From Asia was meant to be about. We’re trying to get local experts in the community, not just, you know, good English, speaking, native English, speaking people from the Western here, but  actually local Chinese people, local people in Asia, like in Thailand or Philippines and bringing them on the show.

[00:31:06] That’s really what I think was always about, I know the show started a Hong Kong business, which is under huge pressure right now, but you know, it’s about Global From Asia and Asia business globally. So I hope you enjoyed that one with Nelson and you know, we’re trying to give you really insights. You can’t find elsewhere.

[00:31:25] Let’s talk about my lockdown. I am here in my buddy Dave’s place in Shenzhen. It’s a nice. Nice big place. So that’s been nice, but don’t break my camera now. And I had to didn’t have to come here. I was in my apartment in Shenzhen. My wife went to a Buddhist funeral for one of her masters in the west of China, near Tibet.

[00:31:49] You know, I support her there. Of course it was a bit harsh. She knew it would be hard for two kids with me and all this stuff I do in my work. I love her, so my daughter went to see her aunts or my wife’s sister. And then, my son Miles came here to David’s, Uncle David, Godfather David’s and I was able to work on my own, but then just a couple of days later, there was a lock down in David’s place here.

[00:32:17] Cause it’s right next to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is right over there. So I think they set a foreigner, which I believe was a Hong Kong taxi driver. Didn’t follow quarantine and spread it, started spreading it. So they are super serious here and super strict. So they just lock everything down that has a potential of spreading.

[00:32:37] I think it wasn’t this apartment compound, but in this neighborhood, there’s a village next door. So they locked it down. All right. And then I could have stayed free outside of this, but my son was here and Miles is, you know, seven going to be eight and it’s a lot of work. So. Plus, you know, I was kind of going, gonna get locked out of my place.

[00:32:57] I just had to come here and willingly, get locked down to support, you know, take care of Miles and being with my son and my, my, one of my best friends and also a partner at NowShenzhen and we had to interview also Luciano or has also roommate here. So it was great chance to get a lot of work done on Excalibur Brothers, and NowShenzhen and work and be with my son.

[00:33:17] So we were locked down here. It is finally after two weeks has been able to leave, but can’t come back. So I’m staying here because I can’t come back here and the internet doesn’t work so well in my apartment. And it’s a bigger place here. So I’m running an online conference for handshake next week, and I just don’t want to risk the online event, not being smooth.

[00:33:41] So I’m sticking it out another week here on my own. But then actually my, my family’s apartment where I was supposed to be is also a locked down. And he can’t re enter, enter, unless you’re a resident improve with residents know, registering with the police. So that’s why I can’t come back here unless I was registered with the police then changed my address to David’s place for more.

[00:34:00] I am very complicated, very strict, very, you know, I’ll just keep it at that. Then we’ll just see how this virus and China goes on this new variants. I mean, it’s over two years now, but we have to stay strong. We have to stay positive and we will come out of this stronger. So thanks for listening or watching, and I wish you the best health and safety first. Cheers!

[00:34:27] To get more info about running an [00:34:30] international business. Please visit our website@wwwdotglobalfromasia.com. That’s www.globalfromasia.com. Also be sure to subscribe to our iTunes feed. Thanks for tuning in.