u/messengerchina

I cannot log into my WhatsApp. It shows an account‑security warning. I’m wondering if this is because I’m located in China. Does anyone know how to fix this?

I live in Shenzhen and would love to find someone for language exchange. We can chat freely — I’ll work on my English, and I can help you with your Chinese

When sourcing from 1688 or Alibaba, the common advice is always: go for the biggest factory and cut out all middlemen.

It sounds logical. Larger facilities have complete certificates and seem safer. Yet for early‑stage small brands, this often backfires.

Most new buyers haven’t finalized full specs. Material details, tolerances and packaging are still changing. Big factories are optimized for stable mass‑production. They tend to deprioritize small orders with frequent sample revisions. Quotations may be based on assumptions different from your requirements.

Specialized smaller workshops are usually more flexible for product iteration. Move to large‑scale manufacturers only after your product and demand are proven.

Have you wasted time jumping straight to big factories at the beginning? Share your experience.