The biggest mistake people make when sourcing from China? Thinking the contract is the hard part. A lot of Western buyers show up expecting everything to work exactly the way it does back home, then get confused when things start going sideways. For example, a supplier saying "yes" doesn't always mean "yes." Sometimes it just means "I hear you" or "I don't want to say no right now." And if your supplier suddenly starts calling you "dear" or "honey" every message... there's a decent chance a price increase is coming soon. A lot of the real relationship-building happens outside the office too. That can mean long dinners, endless toasts, strong alcohol, cigarette smoke, and being expected to eat whatever lands on the table. Then there's the famous "chabuduo" mindset, which roughly translates to "close enough." If you're not extremely specific with your requirements, you might get something that's technically correct... but not exactly what you wanted. And one of the oldest rules in manufacturing still applies: Never judge a supplier by the front office. The showroom can look incredible while the actual production floor tells a very different story. At the end of the day, sourcing from China is usually less about paperwork and more about managing relationships, expectations, and details.