Service
Product sourcing from China.
The work between "I want to sell this product" and "the container is at my door." We do all of it — and we charge a transparent service fee, not a commission on what you spend.
What sourcing actually involves
People say "I'll just source it from China" like it's a single step. It isn't. Real sourcing is roughly twelve different jobs, and each one is where projects go sideways.
We do all twelve. Translating your spec into something a Chinese factory will actually quote. Pulling RFQs from at least three vetted suppliers (not the first three on Alibaba — vetted ones we've worked with). Benchmarking pricing so you know what's realistic. Negotiating MOQs. Pulling samples and running QC against your spec. Coordinating sample shipments to your office. Negotiating payment terms. Managing the deposit and balance. Inline production QC. Pre-shipment AQL inspection. Container loading. Shipping. Customs.
You can do this yourself. Most people do, the first time. Then they hit one of the five common failure modes — wrong factory, wrong spec, undisclosed quality issue, IP leak, freight surprise — and they call us.
How we charge
Flat fee per sourcing project, or a fixed retainer for ongoing programs. We don't take supplier kickbacks. The factory's invoice price and our fee are itemised separately on every quote we send. That's the whole pitch — there's no hidden margin in your unit price.
Most agents in this industry don't work this way. They take 5–15% from the supplier, which the supplier prices into your unit cost. You never see it. We do this differently because every client we've had who eventually figured out the math switched, and we'd rather not have that conversation again.
Who we work with
Mid-to-large importers. Brands doing $500k+/year of imports. E-commerce sellers scaling past their first private-label SKU. We're probably not the right fit for someone ordering 50 units of dropship inventory — but if that's you, our guides will help.
FAQs
How is your fee structured?
We charge a transparent service fee — either flat per project or a fixed retainer for ongoing programs. We don't take supplier kickbacks. You see the factory's invoice price, and you see our fee. No commission stacking, no markups hidden in the unit price.
How many suppliers do you benchmark?
Minimum three for any RFQ over 5,000 units. For larger programs we'll often quote five to seven and present the trade-offs side-by-side. We won't hide the cheap option from you, and we won't push a supplier just because we know them.
Do you handle samples?
Yes. We pull samples from the shortlisted factories, run them through internal QC against your spec, and ship the ones worth seeing to your office. You don't have to coordinate with each factory separately.
Can you protect my IP?
We've done this for over a decade. NNN agreements, custom moulds we hold, dispersed component sourcing, and a vetting process that filters out factories with a track record of leaks. No process is bulletproof — but our approach is significantly stronger than going direct on Alibaba.
What if I already have a supplier?
We can verify them, audit them, run QC on their production, or take over the relationship entirely — whatever you need. Many of our clients started with us doing supplier verification before expanding into full sourcing.