The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading » China

Top ten dumb things overseas customers do when buying & sourcing from China

Roger — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:16:39 +0000

For all the complaining about poor quality or shoddy suppliers, we often forget that customers themselves are often equally as much at fault. From their inability to communicate needs to their unwavering belief that it should be a certain way (even if the reality is its often not), for every five bad suppliers there is at least [...]

Top ten dumb things overseas customers do when buying & sourcing from China is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

Tremble and Obey: the celestial empire abounds in all things and lacks nothing

Roger — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 15:22:07 +0000

Interesting article on the Financial Times website called “Exquisite artifacts from the Forbidden City.” Whats interesting is the section which discusses the Qianlong emperor: The country’s attitude at the time to non-Chinese “barbarians” is summed up nicely in a letter Qianlong wrote to King George III in response to a trade mission sent by [...]

Tremble and Obey: the celestial empire abounds in all things and lacks nothing is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

Little white lies in business relationships (or how to have a headache in 60 seconds or less)

Roger — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:15:27 +0000

The following is the first in series of posts chronicling and at times ranting about , some of the (often frustrating) experiences we encountered working with some local Chinese partners. While a excellent (though costly) learning experience, needless to say this particular partner relationship has now ended. Little white lies… Anyone have an aspirin? Something [...]

Little white lies in business relationships (or how to have a headache in 60 seconds or less) is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

Buying from China – The customer is NOT always right.

Roger — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:40:31 +0000

Having been both involved in the past with furniture sourcing and buying, and more recently operating a retail furniture store and factory (where I now must sell to those same types of furniture buyers), I suppose I can say I truly understand both perspectives. Though I must confess, that for the first time being the supplier, is [...]

Buying from China – The customer is NOT always right. is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

China port faces worst ice threat in 30 years

Roger — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:17:08 +0000

(For more on the snow see “Record Snowfall blankets Beijing – Record Snowfall blankets ACF”) Original article here: By CARA ANNA, Associated Press Writer, Sat. Jan 9th 2010 A northern China port that is one of the world’s largest was facing the worst ice conditions in 30 years Saturday, and icebreaking ships were working to keep the path [...]

China port faces worst ice threat in 30 years is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

CCTV Headquarters & Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Fire in Beijing

Roger — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:11:10 +0000

Absolutely nothing related to furniture but… WOW! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B1OnhSucP8&ed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzH_skByx3Q Was heading home from a late night at the office, when the taxi driver keys me in on what just occurred. Surprisingly the Chinese media has said little even though its all over the news elsewhere. A friend texts me to tell me she heard about it from her [...]

CCTV Headquarters & Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Fire in Beijing is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

Top ten reasons why your China side supplier may be clueless about the economy.

Roger — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:26:31 +0000

Supplier rings me today – complainingÂ I have not picked up my goods / nor paid for, goods we previously ordered back in the first quarter (nor placed any new orders recently). Now, normally I would have given him an earful – after all, these were goods which were not only a) delivered late, but [...]

Top ten reasons why your China side supplier may be clueless about the economy. is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

The saga of LinkWise Furniture, Conforama and allergies from your sofa

Roger — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:23:22 +0000

Melamine milk anyone? Once again, quality concerns are back in the headlines, this time concerning tainted milk (or shall I say for a second time, as this already occurred once before). Tainted, tainted, tainted. Its all about tainted. First we had fake baby formula. Then tainted pet food. There were recalled tires and lets not [...]

The saga of LinkWise Furniture, Conforama and allergies from your sofa is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

A video visit to toxic Linfen, China: The most polluted city on earth

Roger — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:07:44 +0000

Initially, had no idea who these VBS guys are, but I came across their site doing a search on North Korea (I know, I know but it looks like an interesting place to visit). Along the way, I noticed their documentary series on LinFen in Shanxi province, which is supposedly one of the most polluted [...]

A video visit to toxic Linfen, China: The most polluted city on earth is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading

Beijing traffic curbs stifle trade, may ripple to U.S.

Roger — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:10:49 +0000

LANGFANG, China â€” Road checkpoints erected this week around Beijing to boost security for the Olympic Games have put a chokehold on regional commerce and created ripples likely to reach as far as U.S. store shelves. Long lines of trucks formed at dozens of highway checkpoints around China’s capital, leaving many drivers grumbling that they were [...]

Beijing traffic curbs stifle trade, may ripple to U.S. is a post from: The ACF China Co - Millstone Trading