What is a China Sourcing agent? A China sourcing or Foreign direct selling agent is someone who acts as an intermediary between the manufacturers in China and the distributors in the US. They are usually full-time professionals or freelancers who can offer some additional service with little sums, such as packaging, design, ODM, full-production production, customization, dropshipping and even fast delivery. China Sourcing agents need to have strong interpersonal skills as well as great technical know-how to deal with the Chinese customs and trade requirements.
What does this kind of sourcing do for you? This kind of business allows you to save a substantial amount of capital. You will only need to pay for the services of a China Sourcing agent which will be used to inspect your products, check for quality control standards, provide you with detailed information about the suppliers you want to work with, perform quality control tests, provide support in case of questions and make recommendations. In addition, your Chinese supplier will take care of the technicalities such as quality control testing, quality assurance, quality control monitoring, product data accuracy, and data integrity verification.
Does this kind of business have a lot of disadvantages? There are mainly two disadvantages - timing and quality - when sourcing agent you. In the first instance, you should be aware that most Chinese wholesalers and distributors do not have a long term relationship with their clients, and instead they rely on volume orders. This means that they will mostly be available to work with you only during peak seasons (which typically correspond to Christmas, New Year and Valentine's Day).
In the second instance, timing is very important. Most Chinese suppliers do not import directly from exporters in the United States and so they may have a hard time getting hold of raw materials, machinery and resources in time to complete your order. It is also highly unlikely that the quality of your finished goods will be the same as what you had paid for. Some unscrupulous suppliers even try to take advantage of timing by faking the quantity of raw materials shipped and then paying you much less than the actual cost. Be sure to work with a reliable China sourcing agent to ensure that you get only authentic Chinese goods china sourcing agent.
Is there a way to eliminate these disadvantages? The answer is, yes, you can import your goods without hiring a China sourcing agent. You can do this through an intermediary - i.e. a company or individual who will act as a Chinese trade adviser between you and the Chinese supplier. However, doing this is not easy and it comes with a significant amount of risk, as Chinese exporters do not like to entrust their valuable exportable resources to just anyone.
This brings us to another important point about sourcing from China. One of the best ways to ensure that your goods come out the same quality as they went in the factory is to only hire quality control companies. Quality control companies are able to check all components, quality and process. If there are any defects, you can be assured of their authenticity. This helps avoid costly rework and possible fines and penalties. This means that you will always get your money's worth when you make a purchase from China.
