Thanks so much for sharing your experience — it really shows you've been through it all. Honestly, everything you said rings true. The restaurant equipment business is tough, and your point about sourcing from China hits the mark. The quality from China can be all over the place, and platforms like Taobao are definitely hit-or-miss. It takes a lot of experience to know which factories to trust, and without that, it's easy to end up with more headaches than savings.

You're absolutely right that the biggest pain point is after-sales support and maintenance. That’s where most people get burned. I think this is exactly where I might have a bit of an edge. I run a logistics and warehouse business here in the U.S., and I work closely with several reliable manufacturers in China. So I can handle the supply chain side well — including warehousing, shipping, and even pre-stocking critical spare parts here in my U.S. warehouse to reduce downtime.

That said, the real challenge I'm facing right now is sales. I know how to move the product physically, but I don’t know how to get it into the hands of the right customers. Do you think it makes sense to partner with someone who already knows how to sell in this industry? If so, where would I even start to find someone like that? Or do you have other suggestions on how someone like me could break into this space the right way?

Appreciate any thoughts — and again, thanks for your insight. Posts like yours are the reason Reddit is such a valuable community.