We have a small consumer electronic product that is currently
manufactured in the USA (at a cost of $14.50 per unit) and retails for
$30. We are looking to get it manufactured more cheaply (probably in
China) as as to retail comfortably for $19.95. Please provide me with
related info, links, contacts, etc. I'll happily tip especially
helpful answers.

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 19 May 2003 20:57 PDT

Please see comment section.

Hello Maxhodges-ga,

Nice to see you here again.  I have some good tools you can use to
find a broad variety of manufacturing and assembly services in China.


At made-in-china.com:

http://www.made-in-china.com/prod/catlist/?for=listsubcat&cat_id=117

There are detailed descriptions of hundreds of manufacturers of all
variety, sorted into various categories.  For instance, I looked
through the category:

Computer & Consumer Electronics  

which is sub-divided as follows -- the numbers in parentheses are the
number of companies listed in each category:
 
 Air Conditioner, Purifier & Humidifier(408)   
 Office Electronics(56)  
 Audio & Sets(242)  
 Phone & Fax Machine(323)  
 Battery & Charger(405)  
 Photographic Apparatus(185)  
 Calculator(215)  
 Portable Audio Appliance(329)  
 Commerce & Finance Electronics(65)  
 Power Supply(114)  
 Computer(52)  
 Printer & Copier(65)  
 Computer Parts(699)  
 Projector(18)  
 Dishwasher & Disinfective Apparatus(58)  
 Radio(176)  
 Disk, Cassette, Tape & Record(105)  
 Refrigerator(193)  
 Display & Monitor(262)  
 Scanner(5)  
 Earphone & Microphone(206)  
 Server & Workstation(4)  
 Electrical Cooker & Kettle(339)   
 Software(34)  
 Electrical Dryer, Iron & Shaver(497)   
 Speaker, Horn & Sound Box(362)  
 Electrical Fan & Exhaust Fan(249)  
 TV & Parts(408)  
 Electrical Pesticidal Utensil(35)  
 Vacuum Cleaner(93)  
 Entertainment Electronics(113)  
 Video(384)  
 Food Processor(273)  
 Warmer Appliance(195)  
 Microwave & Electromagnetic Oven(79)  
 Washing & Drying Machine(213)  
 Mobile Phone, Pager & Accessories(259)  
 Water Dispenser & Purifier(209)   
 Network Hardware & Parts(138)  
 Water Heater(117)  
 Notebook & Palm Computer(11)  
 Others(59)  


Clicking on, for example, "Entertainment Electronics" brings up a list
of all 113 manufacturers, with descriptions like:

C-Star is a professional manufacturer for game accessories,
Established in 1998 ,located in BaoAn, ShenZhen of China, With
experienced staff and creative engineering team, we are specialized in
developing and producing peripheral products for PC, PSX, PS2, PSone,
GBA SP, GameCube, XBOX and other novelty products. We always put
quality and credibility in the first place , providing service
following the principle of keep creativity, customer first to meet the
customers diverse requirements. We have very strong confidence that we
are capable of meeting market demand. OEM/ODM are always welcomed. We
always ensure to support our customers with the best quality at
competitive price and prompt delivery.

[there's much more info at the site, including a detailed product
list...this is just an excerpt]


You can contact the company directly through the detailed contact
information at the site...they will ask you to register (which you may
want to do), but there is also an option of: "Want to login/register
later? No problem!...contact now", which allows you to send an e-mail
to the company.

I'm sure you will find companies listed here with the type of
operations you need for your particular product


----------

There is another manufacturers' directory at this site:

http://trade.swissinfo.net/vec/

While not as extensive as made-in-china.com, it is easy to use, and
gives you the option of exploring manufacturers in other countries as
well.  Just enter a keyword, select a country, and you'll get a list
of contacts to explore.

----------

These tools should help you get going.  If anything here is unclear,
or needs elaboration, don't hesitate to ask for more information
through a Request for Clarification.

Good luck in your venture.

Hello -

Don't know if this will suffice as an answer, so I'm posting it as a
comment.  Please let me know if it will work for you.

------

Here is a list of manufacturers and sources I've found:

Titoma
http://www.titoma.com.tw/manufacturing.shtml?source=adwords_ElecAsia

Qintar
http://www.qintar.com/

ProPacific
http://www.propacific.com/domestic_internal_page.htm

Asian Manufacturers
http://asian-manufacturers.com/cgi-bin/cb/asianmanufacturers.cgi?search=CAT&Category=Electronics

Asian Navigate
http://asianavigate.com/project.htm

Global Light
http://www.global-light.com/history.htm

For $4,320, you can by a list of 57,601 manufacturers here [don't know
how many are custom]
http://mnistore.com/china/index.asp?source=CGJ&keyword=ChinaManufacturing

Search strategy:
"asian manufacturers" electronics
"consumer electronics" custom china

Based on my years of experience in sourcing products and manufacturing
outsourcing, the sources referred before are not the best ones and
they would cost you more time and energy.

For the general online resource, I would like to recommend
http://www.alibaba.com and http://www.ec21.com. However, I think the
best way to locate the appropriate supplier/manufacturer is to through
the specific industry channel or someone familiar with your products
and Chinese manufacturers.

With more detailed info (product picture, specifications, etc.) about
your inquiry, I am confident that we could help you to find the one
matching your needs.