Plinth&Co // UK–China Trade Research

UK–China trade start-up I set up and run in Newcastle upon Tyne, also a research project on how UK buyers source industrial goods from China.

1. 01 Final designThe checks applied in practice, on a bilingual website designed and built for the company.Chapter 03 →
2. 02 PurposeRun a trade start-up and use it to study how UK buyers source industrial goods from China.Chapter 04 →
3. 03 ProcessA library of 68 sourced research cards, then two published series: 14 guides and the latest briefings.Chapter 01 →

Year

2026

Type

Trade start-up and research project

Role

Director, Plinth&Co Ltd

Site

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK · plinthandco.com

Scope

Research library, two article series, bilingual website

Tools

Next.js · IBM Plex Sans · English and Chinese

Status

Independent work · Plinth&Co Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne

Shows

Desk research, structured writing, bilingual web and brand design, procurement checks

At a glance

The project in six images.

Full process below ↓

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01 Research

Sources first, then articles.

Published research on sourcing, tariffs and import VAT, in English and Chinese.

Step 01 / 05

Research library

Library

68 research cards in 6 categories

Categories

Sourcing agents · manufacturing platforms · customs and import advice · freight and inspection · buyer pain · search language

Each card

Source, audience, language, meaning for the company

Buyer problems

Supplier reliability · unclear RFQs · MOQ · lead time · payment terms · quality defects · customs assumptions · landed-cost surprises

Decision

Read the market before writing

Why

Buyer problems should come from sources, not guesses

Result

Eight buyer problems that set the article topics

Next: Two series ↓

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Step 02 / 05

Two series

Guide

14 parts, start to finish

Topics

Why China · finding suppliers · factory or trading company · RFQ · reading the quote · payment terms · samples and audits · inspection · Incoterms · freight · customs and postponed VAT · post-arrival QC · EU carbon evidence

Briefings

UK trade-remedy notices and tariff changes, such as the C79 import VAT certificate and anti-dumping duty on Chinese tin mill

Every article

Source list, source-checked date, next-review date

Decision

Date every source

Why

Tariffs and trade remedies change

Result

Each article shows when it was last checked

Next: Web and brand ↓

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02 Website

Designed as a reference, not a shop window.

A bilingual site built to be read.

Step 03 / 05

Web and brand

Type

IBM Plex Sans, light headings

Colour

Near-black #161616, one blue accent #0F62FE, white grid

Articles

Summary panel, contents list, source list

Languages

English and Chinese, one shared structure

My part

I built and run the website

Decision

Keep the look plain and technical

Why

Buyers are reading for facts

Result

A quiet layout that puts the content first

Next: RFQs and quotes ↓

03 Practice

The checks, applied.

How the research is used on enquiries.

Step 04 / 05

RFQs and quotes

RFQs

Drawings and supplier quotes turned into clearer requests

Checks

Company records, Incoterms, freight, duty and VAT, before a buyer commits

Duty check

Product, material, commodity code and origin → tariff line and any trade-remedy measure, before quoting

Decision

Check the landed cost, not the unit price

Why

A cheap FOB price can hide duty, freight and VAT

Result

Quotes compared on the same terms

Next: The company ↓

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04 Brief

A company and a research question.

What does a UK trade buyer need to know before ordering industrial goods from China?

Step 05 / 05

The company

Business

Sells to UK trade and project buyers, sources from Chinese factories

Research input

Every RFQ, quote and shipment raises a check a first-time importer would miss

Decision

Treat the business as a research case

Why

The questions come from real trade steps

Result

Research that can be tested on live enquiries

Next project · 01B11 // Teen Bedroom→