Maybe many people in the forum raise that question, so I would present some points here.

Firstly, import commodities from China is easier than export to China due to the following:

(1) Costs：as you know, China is the NO.1 commodities manufactory center of the world due to it's cost effective labour resources and raw materials. What China imports from developed country are mainly hi-tech equipments, luxury goods, medicine and cosmetics etc.

(2) Government policies: Chinese government encourages export but place quota and high tariff on import. That is the so-called trade barriers. On the contrary, the UK/ EU governments are willing to make use of the advantages of China to ensure a continuable economic development, there is no quota for goods like commodities, crafts & gifts import to US.

Secondly, Know your business scope and poistion in the supply chain :

(1) In the market, there are Manufacturers, Importers, Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers, Agents, Traders, Buyers, End users...they all place different roles. If you are a retailer selling various goods, you may work with more than one wholesaler, the same for wholesalers with manufactures.
Eg. US Wholesalers buying directly from Chinese manufacturers or through agents/traders and then selling back to US retailers, retailers doing business face to face with end users. In this case:

a) Wholesalers buying directly from manufacturers, some of them set up their Chinese representative office to inspect factories,follow up orders and assure quality. This is very safe but with high operation costs. Question is "what is your budget for that?"

While some of the wholesalers do not use this way, they do sourcing by attending business shows or go to the Chinese wholesale market or get factories through the web. Question is " How much time you can put on this? Due to the unfamilar with Chinese market and info. asymmetry, are you confident that you can locate what you want?"

b) Buying through agent. Some cooperate with the local chinese trading companies who will be responsible for the products and delivery, make sure quality is conform to pre-approved samples. This way is cost effective with good service. But the question is "how to get a reliable trading company at lowest costs?"

Thirdly, other elements to be considered when do import/export with China:

(1) Transportation cost, sometimes shipping costs is higher than the goods value.
(2) Custom clearance issues.
(3) Communication.