Rajesh Bhatia

Nexus Intl Buying House

I had joined FBA two years with the expectation that a forum like this would be useful as it provides a platform for buying agents to share ideas and discuss challenges. It can be a support group of like-minded people who can help each other based on their individual experiences. It would be a give-and-take platform where we can share and add value to each other’s business and lives. After two years, I can say that it has proven to be this and much more. With the guidance of the leadership and governing board, FBA has done a lot in these last two years. I’ve been associated with various business groups and this one is definitely the most active one. The governing board, under the guidance of President, Mr Lokesh Parashar, and Secy Mr Ajay Abrol, are super active and keep doing activities which have enrichened our business and personal lives. The last two years have been especially tough due to Covid and lockdowns. Despite these challenging times, the team kept going with the events be it vendor meetings, buyer meetings, inviting reputed consultants to speak and guide in their fields of expertise, and doing workshops to enhance our knowledge as well as personal well-being. A few which stand out for me were these BTS events (Better Together Series) where a new vendor comes and speaks about his/her company and displays their products. These were very useful in finding new products and factories. Then there was the SBS event (Smart Business Series) in which Dr Tamanna came once every month and gave presentations on her experience in selling to various countries. She customised her presentation based on inputs by some of us to include our products as per the HS codes so that was very valuable for analysing the opportunities of new markets that we want to explore. It was eye opening at how a new market is researched. The other very interesting events are the Hosted Buyer programs where the Federation invites a foreign buyer looking for an agent to come and interview various agents and then decide who he/she wants to work with. I hope to see more of them in the coming year. Then lots of factory visits were also conducted. Though I missed participating in them, yet the posts on Instagram and FB pages of the Federation were giving good information. There are a host of other services like money recovery, legal consultancy, etc. I haven’t had the need to use them so can’t say about it. I’m really happy to be a member of FBA and would recommend it to anyone. I have renewed my membership for the coming year without even thinking twice. The paid membership is what I would highly recommend as then the member gets access to all the events and activities of the Federation and it is definitely worth the cost. If you are a Sourcing agent and not a member of the FBA yet, you are really missing something.

Sunita Kaul

Director -Myon Fashion Trendz Pvt Ltd

It has been a wonderful one-year journey with FBA . Firstly want to congratulate the FBA leadership team for doing such an amazing job selflessly for buying agency community. Their vision to support and guide on way to create business opportunities during these tough and unprecedented times, for the country and community, is remarkable. Since the day I have been introduced to FBA, the team has stood by me and helped me to overcome all roadblocks faced, whether it was banking issues or any legal one. This platform has also helped and guided me to connect with the right business partners in India and also giving us access to new International markets to explore business. Joining hands with FBA has given me the confidence to do business fearlessly and this has resulted in doing business that is more profitable in spite of Covid hitting us for the last 15 months now. It's like a one-stop-shop for all issues faced by the Buying Houses and backed by their years of experience and selfless dedication and sincerity, it is a sure winner. My wonderful experience gives me the confidence to promote other buying houses to join the movement to give FBA further strength with our wider base and reach. Together we can surely make a difference and be a support group to each other. Best Wishes and Stay Safe!

Bhawna Singh

Ishant Grandeur Fashions Pvt Ltd.

It was in 2019 when I was approached by FBA representatives. I never knew that this one meeting with FBA team members will change the direction of my career which was on a decline due to multiple issues related to non-payments from an International Buyer. FBA opened up multiple opportunities to participate in international seminars related to Textile and Apparels. Last year, 2020, FBA got actively involved in conducting many webinars, vendor connects Programs, and also inviting professionals to give lectures on various valuable topics. The webinars organized by FBA were extremely informative where I could meet different people and learn new aspects of doing secured businesses with appropriate contracts. FBA supported me in my payment dispute case and acted as an intermediary to deal directly with Suppliers, Buyers, and banks, appointing a lawyer and guiding me at every step on actions to be taken. The support not just helped me in taking the right action but also to overcome my own depression of failure. FBA is a platform where one can meet product experts to help grow businesses. One of the main works FBA is involved in is generating new markets and creating new opportunities for manufacturers and exporters through vendor connect programs, inviting international buyers to visit India and to meet product professionals. Another initiative where FBA encouraged its members is to collaborate to expand your product base and business. This opportunity helped me in collaborating with a Buying Agent and mutually growing business multi-folds. International business has a lot of grievances like payment disputes, cancellations, and supply chain mismanagement. FBA offers unique features in their legal services in cases of payment disputes, Bankruptcies, cargo damage disputes, and many more. In the FBA platforms, I am actively involved in managing disputes and resolving matters amicably between buyers and suppliers. With the global presence of a payment recovery expert legal team, FBA has successfully helped many manufacturers and buyers to recover their payments. My own personal experience of betrayal by an overseas buyer, who did not pay after receiving the shipment, became the cause to help people in the industry to conduct business safely as well as in mitigating their risks and losses.