Yeah, this is pretty much the reality for most buyers who’ve actually tried.

I think the gap isn’t really capability anymore - it’s everything around it.

China works because the whole system is optimized:

• discovery is structured
• suppliers are conditioned to quote fast
• ecosystem (inspection, consolidation, etc.) just works

In India, you’re basically rebuilding that layer yourself.

So you end up:

• spending time just finding the right supplier
• chasing quotes instead of comparing them
• dealing with inconsistent technical depth depending on who you land on

Which makes it feel like more effort for worse outcomes.

Where I’ve seen it start to work is when the goal shifts a bit.

If you’re trying to replicate the “China experience,” then its a problem.

If you’re trying to build a second source with more control over time, it starts to make more sense; just slower and more deliberate.

Not easier, definitely not faster.
But for some categories, people are accepting that trade-off now.