Here’s how we did it. I set up a bank account here in China and gave them my wiring instructions and they pay me every time a shipment invoice has cleared. It’s pretty simple. The first time after getting paid, I was blown away. All of a sudden, I had 10K of RMB in my account. To spend. On anything.





Some people may feel I’m still being dishonest because I’m siphoning money that should be going to my company. That is not exactly true. Had I not discovered this supplier, I would be stuck with my other suppliers who quote much higher. Then all that extra cost per unit is going to the vendor, not our company. But the factory that gives me this deal quotes low enough, I’m able to add just a smidgeon extra that goes to me, and not the factory. So even with my added amount from this vendor, the quotes I am turning in from this factory are still less than what I’m getting without a bonus from the other vendors. It is this that allows me to sleep restful at night.





I’m not being greedy either. I could technically be setting up this incentive program with all of our suppliers, but I do not. (I just dread what whirlwind that would get me into). What about when it’s slow and everyone is pecking for orders? I don’t want to deal with that.





It’s crazy that in the beginning, I just wanted a vendor simply to do their job—delivering said goods on said date, with a less than 1 percent defect rate. But the funny thing is, I wasn’t getting that kind of service until after I started receiving my bonus. Now, the goods come in on-time and rarely with defects. It’s amazing. They help expedite orders when needed. And when there are defects, they resolve the issue quickly. Somehow this arrangement has solidified our relationship. They’re following our orders very closely now, and because they’re doing such a good job, I feel justified issuing them more purchase orders.





I get the double satisfaction of having a more or less ‘worry-free’ vendor to deal with, and by increasing my disposable income. I should remind you, I have been a happy employee. Well, now I’m gleaming! This added bonus really helps my life. It gives me a better sense of self-worth. I can go on vacations and stay at nice hotels; I can buy better quality products; I can buy gifts for my girlfriend.





If taking this bribe has helped our relations so much, perhaps one could argue I should be doing this with all my vendors? Or at least try adding them one by one, to see if anything changes? Nonetheless, the question is, if it did help with overall vendor performance, perhaps one could say that taking a bribe is necessary to do successful business in China. And maybe I found a loophole that allows me to do it, and have a clear conscience.



