Just for clarification.  A fapiao is like a tax receipt.  Basically the Chinese government has some difficulty in getting businesses (especially restaurants since they can open and close so quickly) to pay taxes to the government.  So the government created the fapiao/lottery system.  You get fapiaos at restaurants that have a scratch off section and you can potentially win money (I’ve yet to win money yet). But how it is a tax payment is- you ask the restaurant for a fapiao and they bring you the equivalent amount to your bill.  But when they run out of them, they have to buy more from the government.  So they pay their “taxes” by purchasing fapiaos.  And the system is overall the same with any business (i.e. a company has to get fapiao sheets from the government).

What my school was wanting was fapiaos from us, so they could in turn get a tax break by saying that they gave us the money as a reimbursement expense.  Anyways, the accountant has rejected our receipts which led to me getting A LOT of practice with my minimal Chinese.  V and I were livid! The school called the agent explaining things and then in turn the agent talking to us.  Turns out, the agent gave the school OUR (V and I) fapiaos.  So the school took our fapiaos and told the government that they paid us this money without telling us!  So they defrauded V and I of our money and the government!  My pre law background kicked into high gear.  I told the agent off!  Those are our documents, and sometimes police or anybody else who gets curious can audit us at anytime and without fapiaos as proof we can get in serious trouble.  I threatened legal action against the school AND the agency for this move.  Surprisingly they didn’t budge.

By this time, V and I are exhausted and are nearly ready to quit.  BUT we had gone too far, so we went fapiao searching.  Fortunately I had enough to cover us both (as V was quite short) and 6 hours later we had our money.  Money mind you, which was OWED to us. 

So it’s been an interesting few days to say the least.  There was lots of crap to deal with even with me giving my old school a year of my services.  One has to be careful who they choose to deal with in China.  My example is probably quite tame to some of the things that other foreigners have had to deal with.  If you’re going to be working or doing business in China, please pick someone reliable.  Yes that takes time, effort, and some money, but you won’t regret it. PassageMaker has had some clients for nearly a decade.  China is all about the “guangxi” or connections.  With PM in your corner, you have more than connection.  You have reliability, product confidentiality, rebates (see VAT on our site www.psschina.com) and trust.  Trust is something not to be taken for granted here. Trust me; you DON’T want to go through the ringers like I did, ESPECIALLY if you have shipment deadlines or a certain budget to follow.

Ladies and gents, this is a three-alarm fire bell.  You are not dealing with a reputable firm if they won’t stand an independent audit.  They are a trading company or a bad factory, plain and simple.

I came out of the automotive industry, which the best crucible for grown-up business I know.  I can remember auditors from Mack Trucks, Peterbilt, etc.,  showing up unannounced to inspect our facility.  We even had an ISO audit starting when OSHA showed up for a surprise inspection.  I stood two audits in one day on my facility and passed both with flying colors.  So don’t give me your *bleeping* sob story.

A Simple Factory Audit is the cheapest insurance policy you can buy.  If your supplier won’t allow it, run screaming in the other direction.  It is only going to get worse if you stick around.

Here are all the trade shows we’ll be attending this year:

April 12-15, 2010, Hong Kong:  PassageMaker booth 5B35

• Electronics & Components
• Security Products

April 20-23, 2010, Hong Kong:  PassageMaker booth 9J33

• Gifts & Premiums
• Baby & Children’s Products
• Home Products
• Fashion accessories
• Underwear & Swimwear

June 2-4, 2010, Shanghai:  PassageMaker booth 3A55

Shanghai New International Expo Centre

• Electronics & Components

June 8-10, 2010, Dubai:  PassageMaker booth 6A27

Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates

• Electronics & Components
• Gifts & Premiums
• Baby & Children’s Products
• Home Products
• Fashion accessories
• Hardware & Building materials

September 8-10, 2010, Mumbai:  booth not yet assigned

• Electronics & Components
• Security Products
• Home Products
• Gifts & Premiums
• Hardware & Building materials
• Auto parts & Accessories
• Bathroom products

October 12-15, 2010 , Hong Kong:  booth not yet assigned

• Electronics & Components
• Security Products
• Gifts & Premiums
• Home Products
• Hardware & Building materials
• Auto parts & Accessories
• Bathroom products

December 1-3, 2010, Johannesburg:  booth not yet assigned

• Gifts & Premiums
• Home Products
• Baby & Children’s Products
• Electronics & Components
• Hardware & Building materials
• Garments & Textile
• Fashion Accessories

Ideas born of greatness often times die from confusion, chaos and the inability to track and control development. With our network of resources, we at PassageMaker have made it our goal to eliminate the chaos and confusion and hand control back to you. A typical trading company operates by keeping the customer in the dark, whereas our motto is “Trust & Transparency”.

You will always know who your vendors are, where your product is, who has your designs and what you are paying for. PassageMaker does not add a hidden mark up and resell it to you, rather we charge only for the services we perform. Our resources allow us the ability to customize any operation regardless of size, scale or global target. Whether an invention, a mature product or anywhere in between, PassageMaker is your global solution.

Click on the link below to download our “Controlled Evolution of an Idea” sales brochure.

For those clients that need additional assistance beyond PassageMaker’s core services, our Endorsed Service Providers stand ready to assist your business in areas such as Engineering, 3rd Party Quality QC (3PQC) & Specialized Auditing, Lab Testing, Due Diligence, Legal Issues, Finance and Funding, Logistics, Marketing and more.

Click here to see our updated list of outstanding endorsed service providers.

Hover your mouse over each of the red service balloons to find out how PassageMaker can help your business.

Assistance is available to the buyer at any phase of production. Whether you need help turning an idea into production or you wish to explore the feasibility of producing an existing product in China, we can help.

Click on one of the links on the right column to find out specific details about PassageMaker’s service and fees

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