FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about how we source, inspect, price, and ship your products from China. Can't find what you need? Ask us directly.
General
A sourcing agent works directly for you on the ground in China — finding factories, negotiating prices, and verifying quality — instead of you dealing with dozens of anonymous sellers on a marketplace. Unlike marketplaces that earn from sellers, our incentive is aligned with yours: we get paid when your order succeeds, not when a supplier pays for visibility.
No. Our bilingual team handles all factory communication, contracts, and site visits in Chinese while keeping you updated in English. Clients routinely run entire sourcing programs with us remotely, including factory audits and QC inspections they attend only through our photo and video reports.
There is no strict minimum. We help with sample runs of a few dozen units up to container-load production runs. Smaller orders may have fewer factory options since MOQs are set by manufacturers, but we will tell you honestly upfront if your order is too small for a given supplier and suggest alternatives.
A straightforward product with existing tooling usually takes 2–3 weeks from brief to vetted quotes, plus sample lead time of 1–2 weeks. Custom products requiring new molds or development typically run 6–10 weeks. Urgent projects can be fast-tracked — tell us your deadline and we will confirm what is realistic before you commit.
Yes. We can verify your existing supplier's business license, visit the factory, review their pricing against market rates, and inspect your goods before shipment. Many clients use us as an independent safety net on relationships they manage directly.
A product description, photos or drawings if you have them, your target unit price, order quantity, and delivery deadline. The more detail you give — materials, packaging, certifications required — the faster we can match you with the right factories. A free quote takes a few minutes through our contact form.
Product Sourcing
We use all available channels: Alibaba, 1688 (often 15–30% cheaper than Alibaba for the same factories), trade fairs like the Canton Fair, and our own network of audited manufacturers across Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Fujian. We deliberately compare multiple channels rather than locking you into one marketplace, because domestic platforms like 1688 frequently offer better pricing for the same production lines.
We check the business license against government registries, confirm the factory's physical address with an on-site visit, review their export history, and assess production capacity and quality systems. You receive a written audit report with photos — not a screenshot of a marketplace badge.
Absolutely — this is one of our most popular services. We handle the entire 1688 purchasing process: supplier vetting, price negotiation in CNY, payment through verified channels, domestic consolidation in China, and QC before international shipping. Since 1688 prices are domestic, clients typically save 10–25% versus buying the same goods on international marketplaces.
Yes. We manage mold and tooling development, packaging design coordination, OEM/ODM manufacturing, and branding application including logos, labels, and inserts. We track development milestones and costs so you know exactly where your project stands at every stage, and we retain production documentation for your reorders.
We quote against at least three comparable factories so every price is benchmarked, then negotiate MOQ, unit price, payment terms, and lead time simultaneously. Because we place repeat business with many suppliers, we often secure terms individual buyers can't get on their own — and you see the factory's original quote before our service fee is applied.
Yes — we strongly recommend sampling first. We coordinate sample production, check samples against your specifications with photos and measurements, and consolidate samples from multiple factories into one shipment to you. Sample costs and shipping are paid at cost; we never mark up sample fees.
Quality Control
Our inspectors pull a random sample according to AQL standards (typically AQL 2.5 for major defects, 4.0 for minor), then check workmanship, dimensions, functionality, labeling, and packaging against your approved specifications. You receive a detailed report with photos of any defects within 48 hours of the visit, plus a clear pass, conditional pass, or fail verdict.
We document every defect with photos, negotiate rework or replacement with the factory, and schedule a re-inspection — at no extra inspection charge for the first re-check. You do not pay the balance to the factory until the goods pass. Our job is to catch problems while they are still the factory's responsibility, not yours.
An audit evaluates the factory itself — business license, production capacity, quality management systems, and export experience — before you commit. An inspection evaluates your goods — checking a specific production run for defects before it ships. We recommend auditing before your first order with any supplier and inspecting every shipment.
Yes. Container loading supervision verifies the correct cartons and quantities are loaded, checks carton condition, and confirms the container is properly sealed and dry. This is especially valuable for FBA and retail shipments where a miscounted or damaged load is expensive to fix after the container is sealed.
Yes. For large or complex orders, we inspect during production — typically when 20–30% of the run is complete — to catch systemic issues early when rework is cheap. This pairs well with a pre-shipment inspection for orders where quality history with the factory is unknown or the product is technically demanding.
Most inspections can be scheduled within 2–3 working days in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions, where most of our inspectors are based. Other regions typically need 3–5 days' notice. Reports are delivered within 48 hours of the visit, often within 24.
Pricing & Payment
Product sourcing is free to start — we earn a transparent service fee (typically 3–8%, depending on order size and complexity) on placed orders, agreed in writing before production begins. Inspections are $189 per man-day, factory audits are $249 per audit, and logistics is quoted per shipment. There are no hidden charges or markups on factory quotes.
We recommend T/T (bank transfer) to the factory's verified corporate account, with a 30% deposit and 70% balance paid only after your goods pass inspection. For smaller orders we can arrange secure escrow-style handling. We verify the beneficiary account matches the licensed company before any payment is released, which eliminates the most common payment fraud.
You pay us in USD (or your local currency via bank transfer or card, depending on your region) and we handle currency conversion and CNY payments to suppliers through compliant channels. You never need a Chinese bank account or to deal with foreign exchange paperwork yourself.
No. You see the factory's original quotation before our service fee is applied, and the fee is stated separately in writing. This is a core part of how we earn trust: our margin is visible, negotiated once, and never hidden inside a marked-up unit price.
Sourcing service fees are due when you place your order with the factory. Inspections and audits are prepaid when booked. Logistics is invoiced when your shipment departs. Larger programs can move to monthly consolidated billing — just ask.
Because we hold the 70% balance until your goods pass inspection, you have real leverage: we negotiate rework, discounts, or remakes with the factory before final payment. Our written agreements with suppliers include quality and delivery commitments, and we document everything so disputes are resolved with evidence, not arguments.
Shipping & Logistics
Sea freight (FCL and LCL) for cost efficiency on larger volumes, air freight for urgent or high-value goods, and express courier for samples and small parcels. We also offer DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) service where we handle export customs, freight, destination customs, and door delivery as a single quoted price.
Yes — this is one of the biggest cost savers we offer. We collect goods from multiple factories at our consolidation warehouse, combine them into one shipment, and handle a single export declaration. This typically cuts shipping costs 20–40% compared to shipping each supplier's goods separately.
Yes. We prepare FBA-ready shipments including carton labeling, palletization, and appointment scheduling, and we ship directly to FBA fulfillment centers in the US, UK, EU, and other regions. We follow Amazon's current packaging and prep requirements so your shipment is received without issues.
Express courier: 3–7 days. Air freight: 7–12 days door to door. Sea freight: 25–40 days port to port depending on destination (US West Coast is fastest, East Coast and Europe take longer), plus 5–10 days for customs and final delivery. We quote realistic transit times for your route before you book.
For standard shipments, we handle China export customs and provide all commercial documents (invoice, packing list, bill of lading) your destination broker needs. With DDP service, we also handle destination customs clearance and pay duties on your behalf, so you receive one all-in price with nothing to arrange yourself.
Yes. Our warehouses in Shenzhen and Yiwu offer short-term storage while we wait for all suppliers' goods to arrive for consolidation, or while you finalize your shipping plan. Storage is billed per cubic meter per day at cost, and we can hold goods for inspections, repackaging, or FBA prep during that time.
Still have questions?
Email us or request a free quote — a sourcing specialist will reply within 24 hours.