subject: Protecting Yourself In The Search For A Quality Rattan Furniture Exporter [print this page] So you have turned over all the rocks in your own hometown, state or province, and you have been unable to find a good piece of rattan furniture for your home or garden. What are your next options? You could try to go to another source, but the likelihood of running into the same trouble as before is great. Or, you could go straight to the country of origin and find a rattan furniture exporter, who is skilled and adept at finding high quality furnishings at good value. But if you are planning on doing business with an exporter, there are some things that you need to do to protect yourself on the front end. What kind of things? Consider the following:
1. Check with the embassy or consulate.
Your country has an embassy or consulate in the Indonesian countries where rattan gets its origin. In fact, depending on where you live, you may have an embassy or consulate in every continent and most countries of the world at large. Since you know these people to be reputable and endorsed by your own government, you can use them as a channel for research. They can tell you who the reputable exporters are. Even after you get the list of names, however, you're still not out of the woods. Now it's time to contact and see what is available.
2. Comparison shop.
To get the best price, you have to shop around. Exporters are going to want top dollar at first contact, but they are also savvy, and they know you probably are, too, and that you'll shop around. Once you have a list of prices, you are in a superior position for negotiating. At this point, it is a good idea to talk about how you will protect one another during the transaction process. Instead of using wire transfers or credit cards or online payment services like Paypal, you will likely want to use a mutually agreed upon financial institution.
3. Get a letter of credit.
When it comes to exporting anything, the letter of credit is pretty much the only way to go. What you have hear is an agreement acknowledged by one mutually respected bank that guarantees the receipt of product before the delivery of funds is finalized. The funds are kept in escrow, so the exporter knows the money is there, but he also knows it won't be his unless there is a delivery of the agreed upon item.
Doing business with a rattan furniture exporter is a great way to get the best indoor and outdoor furniture available. But before you do business with just anyone, make sure you have taken the necessary precautionary steps for protecting yourself.
