Key Points
Jay Chen, who works in global electronics sourcing, said in a September 29 Instagram post that Indian customers push hard on price, ask for free samples, and that some sellers view Indian buyers with suspicion over scam concerns.
Chen also said his first-ever overseas client was Indian and credited that relationship with launching his export business, a detail that got less attention than his critical comments.
Some commenters agreed price-consciousness reflects broader trust dynamics, while others pointed out that Chinese sellers have also been accused of shipping substandard goods, and that sample requests and negotiation are standard international business practice, not a sign of bad faith.
THERE ARE SEVERAL PERCEPTIONS that exist around Indians — ranging from their culinary habits to their not-so-appropriate public and social conduct. While many of these have emerged from stereotypes, some opinions may be drawn from people’s personal interactions as well. Recently, a China-based trader has weighed in the business culture within Indians and what it's like engaging in business dealing with them. His verdict? Indians are hard to work with. In a reel posted on his official Instagram account @cccallmejay on September 28, 2026, Jay Chen, a Chinese trader working in global sourcing and electronic components sales, talked about his views on what it’s like working with Indian customers.
In the Instagram reel, Chen shared why working Indian customers is hard. “Why is it very hard to work with the India client? So many people think that Indian clients don't have high quality. I think there are two answers,” Chen said. The Chinese trader shared that Indian customers are more focused on lower prices and often tell him that his quoted prices are too high. He continued that they ask for free product samples before confirming an order.
Making a controversial claim that grabbed the most attention with desi netizens, Chen said that many sellers are cautious while dealing with Indian buyers as they are thought to be scammers and fraudulent in nature.
However, Chen maintained he had a pleasant experience while working with Indian clients. Recalling the time when he worked with his first international customer who was from India, the Chinese trader remarked that that experience marked the beginning of his overseas business.
“But I think it's maybe because my first client was from India, and I appreciate it. He gave me an order, and this is my overseas sale beginning,” Chen remarked.
The internet has quite a lot to say about Chen’s take on working with Indian customers. Netizens flooded the trader-cum-content-creator’s comments section, vehemently arguing against his views. The general consensus amongst them was regarding the quality and Chinese products and the nature of an average Indian customer.
Users shared different views on why price bargaining can be especially intense in the Indian market. They say that Indians’ nature plays a big role in how they conduct business.
“We are a low trust society, one of the Big reasons. Yes, there are trustful people as well but stereotypes hold true most of the time as well,” one Instagram user commented. “Indian clients are harder because they are smarter,” a second one remarked.
One Instagram user commented how customers are very likely to be scammed by Chinese trades, as they sometimes supply sub-standard products even though they advertised something else. “Many Chinese sellers provide good samples themselves , but later send low quality substandard products and take advantage of innocent buyers,” the user noticed.
Some users noted that India has a large and highly competitive marketplace, where buyers tend to be more price-conscious and often compare offers from several suppliers before purchasing.
Others said that requesting samples and negotiating prices are standard practices while conducting business internationally, and doesn't necessarily mean that a buyer is difficult to deal with. “It makes me feel so weird knowing that Chinese people say the same for India while scamming the world, and then Indian people do the same with others, but you should understand that both these markets compete to provide the cheapest prices to the world and the world has a perception of getting everything cheap from us. It’s an inevitable situation but at the end both the countries have been working tirelessly to make a living. But good luck from India. We are competitors but we wish you all the best,” one social media user commented.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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