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When I was a research and development worker, reagents were purchased without regard for costs; after all, the procurement budget wasn’t fixed, and it was sufficient to submit a budget request to the company based on the requirements of the experiments. Imported reagents were generally used, even though sometimes such strict specifications weren’t necessary. But after setting up my own laboratory, I found that that approach didn’t work; aside from wasting money, it was also often impossible to guarantee delivery times, as many imported reagents require a certain amount of time to be delivered. So I developed my own methods, paid a lot of money in the process, but still managed to gain some valuable experience, which I’d like to share with everyone here: 1. Purchase imported reagents directly. Although they are expensive, their quality is indeed excellent, to be honest (in fact, many of these reagents are manufactured by Chinese companies, it’s just that they have high standards). Based on my experience, TCI offers the highest quality guarantees (http://tciamerica.com/, with the Chinese website at http://www.tcishanghai.com.cn/). So, if cost is not a concern, this is definitely the best choice. Others like Sigma work too ； 2. Contact domestic reagent companies: With the development of China’s chemical industry, many domestic reagent companies have emerged; the most prominent one is JK Chemical (http://www.jkchemical.com/). Although their product quality is not as good as that of foreign brands, their prices are relatively low, meaning they offer good value for money. I have made purchases several times and there have been no issues; unless one has very strict requirements regarding specifications, it’s still better to support domestic brands ； 3. Contact the factory directly. To be honest, a large portion of the products produced by reagent companies are also manufactured by factories in China; therefore, it’s certainly more cost-effective to reach out to the direct producers in China. Although you may not necessarily know which company produces the reagent you want to buy, obtaining a COA, spectra, and other such documents will certainly provide you with some guidance in assessing the quality of the product. The only downside of this method is that, since the amount required for experiments is generally not large, the factories don’t pay much attention to us; it depends on everyone’s own ability to coordinate things. 4. The part related to contacting international laboratories – these companies are generally engaged in research and development; sometimes they also provide certain products to reagent manufacturers. In other words, they are the source of most of these products. However, such companies are generally not domestic firms; although some have a small office in China or something similar, most of them are not registered there, and they ignore buyers from China as well. The most common scenario is that they call you to tell you that it’s not available, or that it can’t be found for the time being; in fact, they just don’t want to go to the trouble of dealing with such a small amount. As an example of this type, there is Watson International Ltd (http://www.watson-int.com), a British company with a relatively decentralized management structure, but strong research and development capabilities. In China, it’s called Watson Nock (http://www.watson-int.com.cn), but it depends on whether you’re an existing customer or not; generally, calls from within China aren’t given much attention. I had previously checked them on Scifinder (they are members of the International Chemical Society in the UK), and after talking to that salesperson for a long time, they finally admitted that they had them and then sold them to me. 5. When it comes to universities, those in China are renowned for their low costs and ample resources. It can be said that many university teachers and professors make full use of students’ spare time and the school’s facilities to carry out a great deal of research work. The products offered by colleges are inexpensive yet of fairly good quality; if you can find the right ones, it will save you a lot of money. But university teachers also come in all shapes and sizes, so this is a way that really tests your discernment. If you think you can identify them clearly, then this method is arguably the best for those of us who conduct experiments. On the one hand, it offers good value for money; on the other hand, since everyone is involved in research and development, communication is relatively easy. The above are some of my personal insights gained from working in the laboratory; I hope they can be helpful to friends in the same situation as me.