This is with a client I’ve worked with for two years, and I truly appreciate the trust he’s placed in me.

Aluminum prices have gone up sharply. When he wanted to reorder, my updated quote was much higher than when aluminum was RMB 19,200/ton. I’d already squeezed my profit as thin as possible, but it was still hard for him to accept at first.

He was honest enough to tell me he wanted to check other suppliers. I completely understood.

I even shared some tips on how to compare quality properly — check the appearance, thickness, width, length, unit weight, all the specs. And as you can see from the screenshots, he did exactly that.

In the end, he came back to me.

His words: “Thank you for your honesty, Diana.”

That meant everything.

I’d like to take this chance to share my thoughts and briefly introduce myself.

I’m Diana. I’ve been in foreign trade for over 10 years, and now I run my own company — Zhengzhou Joyi Import & Export Co., Ltd.

We supply disposable packaging products: aluminum foil containers, aluminum foil rolls, coffee paper cups, plastic cutlery, and more. Customers can mix different goods into one container. This saves you the trouble of communicating with multiple suppliers, cuts shipping costs, and enables you to get reasonable prices with reliable quality.

1. Why I don’t mind when clients compare prices

-I spent nearly 7 years working as a purchaser in Shanghai, cooperating with overseas supermarket buyers. I was responsible for new product development each season and supplier price negotiations. So I’ve been on the other side. I know comparing prices is just normal. It’s how you understand the market. I’d do the same if I were you.

-When clients compare different suppliers, they are actually filtering options by themselves. Most buyers don’t chase rock-bottom prices blindly. Apart from cost, they will judge whether a supplier is professional, reliable, and capable of solving problems when things go wrong. If you can deliver on all these points, clients will naturally lean towards you.

-Don’t see this as a bad thing. Feel free to ask clients about their comparison results.

If you win the order, ask what makes them choose you — that helps you recognise your strengths.

If you don’t get the deal, don’t be discouraged. Find out why they went with someone else, so you can learn from competitors.

2. Is it true that my profit is already extremely low?–Absolutely.

-As an ex-purchaser, I always put myself in clients’ shoes. My clients have their own customers who demand competitive prices and stable quality. Only when they get favorable terms from me can they win business from their buyers.

Instead of chasing high profit on every single order, I prefer thinner margins to secure more orders. Larger order volumes also let me negotiate better factory pricing in return.

-For clients who have supported me all along, I never view myself merely as a supplier. I see us as business partners. That’s why I always tell them:

“Please feel free to tell me if you have any questions or concerns, hope we can solve them together.”

3. What are the benefits of cooperating with me?

✅ Reasonable price with good quality

I always say “reasonable price” instead of “the lowest price”. I firmly believe there is no absolute cheapest price — only the most reasonable price for matching quality. There will always be someone offering a lower quote, but you have to question whether their quality matches ours.

✅ Capability to solve problems

Most of my customers aren’t looking for a one-time deal. They want a long-term relationship. Long-term cooperation means issues will come up. You need someone who helps you fix them when they happen.

For example, not long ago, shipping costs went up by about $3,000 for a 40HQ container. One of my customers needed to ship urgently, so I offered to cover $500 of it myself. It’s not a huge amount, but I wanted to help however I could.

✅ Sincerity and honesty

I will never compromise product quality just to get an order. If any adjustments to specifications are needed, I will always inform clients upfront.

I hate lying. Once you tell one lie, you end up needing countless more to cover it up. I already have plenty of work to handle every day, and I have no energy for that.

✅ Thinking ahead for clients

I don’t just wait for problems to happen and then fix them — I try to spot them coming before clients do.

Take the recent aluminum price surge. I know aluminum foil containers might just be a small part of my clients’ overall product line. But if prices keep going up, it will become a problem.

So instead of waiting until pressure builds up, I started looking into alternatives. Are there other materials that can deliver similar functionality, but at a more stable price?

To be honest, this project hasn’t succeeded yet. I am still working on it. But when I shared this idea with my client, I could tell they appreciated it — not because I had a ready solution, but because I was already thinking about their problem before they even mentioned it.

Getting a low price from a supplier is easy. Finding a supplier who truly thinks for you? That’s rare.

Final thoughts

I’m truly grateful to every client who’s supported me, especially those who trusted me when I was just starting my own company.

I promise I’ll never take that trust for granted. I’ll keep working to be the best partner I can be.

Thank you all!