What a China sourcing agent actually does
Most sellers assume the job is finding a factory. That is maybe a fifth of it. The rest is turning your product idea into a Chinese-language spec sheet a factory will actually follow, confirming the supplier is a real factory with the capacity you need, watching production so the bulk run matches your approved sample, and moving the goods out with paperwork that clears customs the first time.
A useful agent also says no. If your target landed cost is $3.20 and the cheapest workable factory quotes $4.60, you want to hear that in week one, not after you have paid for tooling.
Why Amazon sellers need a different kind of help
A traditional importer ships pallets to a distribution warehouse. An Amazon seller ships to FBA and sells one unit at a time. That changes the checklist:
- Unit labeling that scans (FNSKU, GS1 barcode, expiry dates where relevant)
- Poly bag and suffocation warnings, hang tabs, blister packs, 'sold as set' markings
- Carton weight and size limits, plus carton labels that match your shipment plan exactly
- Compliance files: CPC for children's goods, FCC for electronics, Prop 65, UN38.3 and MSDS for batteries, CE or UKCA for Europe
- Restock math. A 40-day sea leg plus a 25-day production run means your Q4 order is placed in July.
Many Chinese factories know how to build your product but have no idea how Amazon wants it packed. That gap is where first shipments get rejected, stranded, or billed a prep fee of $0.55 to $1.50 per unit at the fulfillment center.
Four ways to get a product made in China
| Route | What you get | Fits when | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alibaba direct | You message suppliers and manage everything | One simple, low-risk, well-specified product | You are often talking to a trader, not the factory, and nobody is on the floor |
| Trading company | One landed price, they manage factories | You want one invoice and little involvement | Pricing is opaque, 15-30% markup, factories can change without notice |
| Freelance agent or buying office | Commission-based sourcing and coordination | You already import and just need eyes and a phone number in China | One-person operations overload or disappear |
| Full-service sourcing and delivery partner | Sourcing, audit, inspection, prep, freight, delivery | Multiple SKUs, custom packaging, compliance, a tight restock calendar | Higher per-service cost, and you should confirm who performs the inspections |
Five things a good agent answers clearly
- Is the supplier a factory or a trader? Real answer: business license check, license address matched to the production address, production video, and whether they can issue a 13% VAT invoice. Weak answer: we have a large database.
- How is the quote built? You want unit price, tooling, packaging, inspection, freight, and commission listed separately. A single all-in number hides margin.
- How are samples handled? Sample fees, courier cost, revisions, and who keeps the golden sample. If nobody keeps one, you cannot prove the bulk run drifted.
- What does an inspection report contain? Checklist tied to your spec, carton and unit counts, measurement data, photos with timestamps, and a pass or fail call.
- How often do you hear from them? Weekly written updates beat constant 'we are checking' messages on WhatsApp.
What to keep in your own hands
Even with a strong agent, three things should stay with you:
- The spec sheet. Write it yourself in plain language, then have it translated. Never let the factory define the standard.
- The golden sample. Pay for it, keep one, and know where the second copy lives.
- Brand assets. Trademark filings, UPC codes, and packaging artwork should never sit with your supplier.
Typical costs
| Service | Common range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sourcing and supplier vetting | 3-10% of order value or a flat retainer | Sometimes waived above a volume threshold |
| Factory audit | $300-$800 per man-day | Social and technical audits cost more |
| Pre-shipment inspection | $100-$350 per man-day | One day covers most orders under 10,000 units |
| FBA prep | $0.30-$1.00 per unit | Labeling, poly bagging, bundling, carton labels |
| Consolidation and storage | $20-$60 per CBM per month | Short free windows are common |
| Freight | Moves weekly | Sea LCL, sea FCL, air, express |
One thing to check: cheap agents often earn on the freight line rather than the commission. Ask what markup applies to freight and whether you can bring your own forwarder.
Payment terms you will see
Most orders run on 30% deposit and 70% before shipment, with the balance released after a passed inspection. Alibaba Trade Assurance adds a layer of dispute protection for orders placed on-platform. Tooling is usually a separate payment, so ask who owns the mold. If the answer is not you, that is a conversation worth having before you pay.
Where deals actually go wrong
- Unit conversion and tolerance gaps. A drawing that says 10 inches can ship anywhere from 250mm to 260mm. Put numbers and tolerances side by side in both units.
- Sample-to-bulk drift. Color, plastic grade, stitch count, battery cell supplier. Approve a golden sample and inspect against it.
- Factory convenience creep. If the factory only quotes what is easy for them, your packaging wishlist quietly disappears.
- Calendar blind spots. Chinese New Year stops production for two to four weeks and the restart is slow. Golden Week, typhoon season in Guangdong and Zhejiang, and the 11.11 and 618 e-commerce peaks all stretch lead times.
- Late compliance discovery. An FCC ID or a UN38.3 report takes weeks, not days.
- IP trouble. Selling a lookalike of a patented product or using artwork you did not license can kill a listing and your inventory with it.
A realistic timeline, first order
- Weeks 1-2: spec sheet, target landed cost, compliance list
- Weeks 2-4: supplier shortlist, quotes, sample orders
- Weeks 4-6: sample review, revisions, golden sample approval
- Weeks 6-7: purchase order, 30% deposit, production schedule
- Weeks 8-11: production run, mid-run check on larger orders
- Weeks 11-12: pre-shipment inspection, carton and label verification
- Weeks 12-13: FBA prep, consolidation, booking
- Weeks 13-16: sea freight, customs clearance, delivery to the FBA warehouse
Plan on three and a half to four and a half months the first time. Reorders compress to six to nine weeks when the factory still holds tooling and materials.
Red flags worth walking away from
- No business license or company details shared
- Refuses a live video call from the production floor
- Asks for payment to a personal account
- Quotes far below everyone else with no explanation of material differences
- Never raises compliance documents until you ask
- Reports only that everything is good, with no photos or measurements
Score the relationship after 90 days
Track four numbers: quote turnaround, defect rate at inspection, on-time shipment rate, and landed cost against the original estimate. If landed cost drifts more than 8-10% above the estimate and nobody can explain the change, the process is loose, not the market.
So do you need an agent?
If you buy one simple SKU in small quantities from a supplier you already validated, probably not. The math shifts once you have three or more SKUs, custom packaging, compliance requirements, or a restock date you cannot miss.
Globesino is a China-based team that handles supplier sourcing, factory audits, inspections, FBA prep, freight and delivery for overseas sellers, working in English with you and in Chinese with your factory. If you want a second opinion on a quote or a supplier, send over the details.