Translator
A person who speaks Chinese, but most likely does not know the specifics of your business. Suitable for accompanying for visiting events and suppliers (Canton fair, visiting a supplier’s office or one or two markets «just to look», without purchasing or placing an order). The cost of services is around $100 per working day. The work consists solely of support and translation.
Guide
A person who speaks the language and also understands one or more related segments. You should be wary if a guide claims to know about tea, furniture, children's clothing, and cosmetics. Typically, guides are tied to cargo and therefore can work with the redemption and dispatch of goods. Prices for guide services range from $50 to $150 per day, but more often than not, this is only the tip of the iceberg; the guide will receive the lion's share of the money in the form of kickbacks for bringing a client or a percentage of the cargo. The client also pays for all this, but he doesn’t know about it, and he believes that he paid 50-150 dollars. However, the guide is quite suitable for simple work, for small orders, for purchasing from several already known points, etc.
Buyer
This is a specialist who knows the specifics of his segment very, very well; can assess the cost of a product from a specific seller relative to the entire market (is it expensive/normal/cheap); knows about alternatives and various subtleties. Very often people who sell “inexpensive Chanel handbags” call themselves buyers, but this is not our story. Professional buyers should be approached by stores for which it is important that this person understands the words «cross-body bag, crop top, street style, and smart casual» and nods when they tell him that they need jewelry in the style of that project from Los Angeles.
Honestly, all the good buyers we know are owners of their projects. Working with a professional buyer starts from $500 per order.
Of course, not everyone needs a top buyer when working with China, just as we do not have the goal of working with absolutely all clients. Everyone will find something to suit their needs and capabilities 🙌🏻