Top 30 China Sourcing Agent Help Your Sourcing from China

Chapter 31: FAQs about sourcing agent in China

1. Sourcing From China: How China Sourcing Agents and companies Work?

Many clients ask what the Procurement Officer does, and others may ask about the services provided by the Procurement Officer, although each company’s vision differs, the goal is one and the services are the same.

Well, it’s time to provide our readers with a full answer on what a sourcing company does in China and the benefits of dealing with a sourcing agency when buying from China also 5 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When You Sourcing From China

2. What Does a Sourcing Agent in China Do?

A lot of sourcing agents in china assists buyer with the process of locating sources for products and supplies at the best prices so you can save money also time.

Importing goods from China could be so frustrating and tedious challenging, you may have been thinking you need to hire a trustful China sourcing agent company that should do it for you so you can free up your time and save costs.

But before you hire a sourcing agency, these are the top ten questions you must ask And we are here to explain to you.

Every sourcing agent in china provides a one-stop sourcing service for customers who come for a business trip to China.

This means that the company will be responsible for finding good quality products of your choice and requirements in the market and then negotiate the price to get the cheapest and the best.

Also sign contracts to make a deal with manufacturers due to the fulfillment for you, the agent will act as customer support on your part.

Any agency in china will improve your product quality control and inspection to avoid major risks.

The goods from their warehouse and factories will be tested for the quality, quantity, and specifications according to your requirements, combination packing, take photos/videos, and also care on the shipping management.

• Market guide

As much professional China sourcing agent company, the companies know every corner in China’s markets, they will guide you to the right suppliers and find what you are looking for easily.

After you come to china, they will be your guide/translator, they will escort you around all districts and be your eyes in the market.

• Sourcing products and control quality

This is a very important process of any one-stop sourcing services, if you hire an agency, you will have to make sure that customers will get the right quality as they expect by using their professional quality control procedures and tools.

When clients provide all necessary information such as the quality, ownership and other product information need.

The agency’s professional team will start the inspection process to find and match the product that customers are looking for to meet their needs.

To do the right quality control, the company will check everything about products, from exterior to the interior as well as product performance, it needs to be careful about each description about products.

Not everyone can be your sourcing agent in China, but the best ones have to be your guider in the market when you start sourcing in china.

You will check and compare a group of suppliers and selecting more easily the most suitable which’s save your valuable time and costs.

After fund your suitable supplier, you have to conclude the research process with a purchasing order that is printed the name of your company to place the order and make sure the product’s quality, packaging and delivery time, and so on.

• Designing, Branding, and Repacking

Nowadays the competition between companies has become somewhat intense and for your business to stand out amongst others.

Your business must be unique and easily recognizable by customers and the brand is perfectly designed.

Your brand is not just a symbol that identifies your business or company but is a concept that reflects what your business is aiming for and what your business can reach, It’s not just a random image but it’s the very symbol that reminds people who you are, what you do.

any agent will design your brand, change your packaging, and customizing the product labels that will serve as your marketing tool, reflect the consistency and professionalism of your business and differentiate you from competitors in your industry.

A strong brand is what is behind every successful product, the Nielsen Global Innovation Survey revealed that nearly 59% of people prefer to buy new products from well-known brands, and 21% say they are willing to buy a product if the source of this product is a brand they like.

• Guide And Translation

Since most of the visitors cannot speak Chinese and most of the Chinese do not speak English or other languages, this obstacle poses many problems when starting to search for sources or buying from China.

Many sourcing companies provide this service to guide buyers in the market and help them to communicate with suppliers and translate everything to make the sourcing and buying process done in the right way.

a. FREE invitation of letter

Many people ask if they need an invitation letter for China’s business visas and the answer is Yes, They are among many countries that require an invitation letter for a business visa to get their visa and come to china.

Your China sourcing agent company will arrange everything for you and help you with that by providing all the required documents such as the invitation to the letter and other documents you may need.

b. Airport pick up

When you are coming to China, you have 3main flight routes That you can choose to arrive at any market you want to source from if you choose the Yiwu market as an example:

Fly to Guangzhou international airport for a few hours and then it will take you 2 hours flight directly to Yiwu airport.

Fly to Hangzhou international airport, then it will take you 2 hours by car to Yiwu or

You can fly from Shanghai PVG airport, then it will take you around 3 hours by car to Yiwu.

They will arrange a car to pick up customers at Yiwuairport, Hangzhou international airport, and Shanghai PVG airport.

After you keep us informed of the details of your schedule before you come by email or phone such as your arrival date, arrival time as well as the flight number.

The company also will provide you the best services to make sure that customers will arrive at Yiwu in the easiest and fastest way.

c. Book Hotel For You For Free

Thousands of hotels in china are available for you with cheaper prices comparing with other hotel prices before you come your agent company will choose the best hotel near the market you want to source from and you don’t need to worry about the recommendation.

• Shipping and cargo

Shipping methods using ocean freight airfreight and courier service three shipping time from China to other counties and for shipping cost.

The factors determining the cost of freight forwarding services as these are all part of the processes of shipping from China to customers country.

Any agent has a complete service system in storage, shipping, and courier which will save customers at least 20% to 30%cost comparing to other logistics systems.

• warehousing

Whether you need a maximum level of storage security for precious goods or need refrigerated storage services, the company offers full warehouse services monitored by their skilled staff, ensuring successful business operations for your company.

a. Collect Products from different suppliers

In business, customers’ containers always have more than a dozen suppliers.

For example, the cargo in one container usually comes from over 5 different sellers.

So, with the agent’s warehouses, not only able to do the above procedures but also can collect all products in advance after quality control and before shipping.

b. Storage in EJET warehouse

The company is ready to provide convenient services and solutions with a multitude of storage options suited to the needs of our customers.

c. Take care of the products

The integrity of its quality and aesthetic appearance is also important for any agency as a warehousing agent in china.

Making all products in your agent warehouses will be without a doubt a way more helpful and easier for u to proceed with container loading and shipping and also to check and control everything before loading and shipping to your country.

Chapter 32: Top 10 Questions You Must Ask When Hiring a China Sourcing Agent

The operation of hiring and choosing a reliable and trusted sourcing agent is more complicated than others think, but if you know which questions you have to ask before, you will for sure ensure that you choose the best and the right one for you as a buyer from China.

1. Will the Sourcing Agent in China Take Me to Visit The Factory?

If the China sourcing agent company is not willing to take you to see the factory then you have zero control when they switch out as a factory and you have very little chance to develop any real relationship with the factory in the future.

2. Are You a Sourcing Agent in China or a Sourcing Company?

The reason why every buyer and importer needs to check and ask this question is that everything starts and ends quickly, especially in the world of e-commerce.

Many sourcing agents have emerged, and many of them are individual sourcing agents and not sourcing companies, these individuals work hard to satisfy the customer because they are trying to earn a living.

The problem is that these individuals can start very quickly but they may disappear very quickly as well so if you are working with one service provider you need to be extra careful.

3. How long you have been working as a sourcing agent in China or a sourcing company?

Every buyer and importer could be working with a sourcing agent one individual or sourcing company team workers, but if this individual or team has been working for the past ten years.

This person or team would be more and more resourceful because of the experience they have and more dependable than any other sourcing agent or company who that maybe only established for three months.

That why it’s very important to ask how long has been working and how much are resourceful these agents and companies for you and your own business at the present and future both.

4. Are You Specialized in Sourcing Certain Products or Specialized in Sourcing Everything?

Asking whether your future agent or company specializes in providing specific commodities and industry or specializes in everything will make you have a clear global vision for that agent or company.

An agent or a good sourcing company is the one who knows how to obtain and specialize specific products because he will make it know fully about this product and has sufficient experience in dealing with this type of product, unlike agents or companies that can do everything.

5. Are You Able to Give Me a Satisfied Customer Referral?

Check out the background for clients and customers from a good sourcing agent and company can provide the value of this agent and company.

If they have a lot of happy customers so they will be happy to provide you with a good customer contact so you can check out and make sure that its a reliable and trusted company.

Ask if they are good at finding the best price-quality control and inspection, are they very good with the communication, fast shipping.

If they cannot provide you a client referral means they have a bad background and it’s better to avoid this kind of agent and companies otherwise you will get into trouble and problems that we don’t want you to get in.

6. How Does China Sourcing agent Qualify the Factory and On-Time Delivery?

Asking about the manufacturer and how to make sure that their product’s production and delivery on time will respect the exact date is a good question.

Good and reliable sourcing agents or companies are the ones who can do the factory inspection, so they must have a factory inspection checklist and they must have a checklist to inspect the product during the prop production process.

They must keep updated by communicating to ensure that the production will be on schedule.

The delivery can be fulfilled on time and they must link this information with you as the sourcing agent or the company to show you how they qualify the factory and how they choose the best for you to meet your needs.

7. Do You Perform the Quality Inspection or Hire a Third-Party?

When the product is finished, the reason why you need to ask does the China sourcing agent company perform the quality inspection.

Or you’ll hire a third party to do the quality control and inspection this is because some sourcing agents and companies only compensate for their failure to perform any control and inspection.

The buyer and the importer must hire a third party to go abroad to conduct the inspection and it is an additional amount and additional work for that.

if the China sourcing agent company does not Perform the scan, you need to know it in advance before starting any step or you will pay more charges that you don’t need to pay.

8. How Do You Want It to Charge for Your Service?

When arriving at the fees and costs, the cost of your service is a one-time fixed fee or percentage based on the value of the order.

The difference between the two remains depending on the type of service you want and also the type of relationship you want with the sourcing agent or company.

If this sourcing agent or company is very capable, You may want to develop a long-term partnership, you may want to consider a percentage based on the value of your order.

If this is just a one-time deal that you just want to find someone to find a product for you, you may want to consider fixed fees, so it depends on what You need, and you can decide which method is best for you.

9. Do You Accept a Discount or Referral Fees from the Factory?

Asking the China sourcing agent company if they accept a discount or referral fee from the factory, and if the good agent and company will be more transparent about this topic, this is a sensitive topic even if you ask the question.

You may not get honest answers again but I would suggest you ask the question In any case, because a good China sourcing agent company should not, and will not accept as commission or deduction from the factory at the same time they charge you a commission.

10. Could the Sourcing Agent Company Define the Surveys Scope Based On the Fee They Charge?

Do they do sourcing do they do factory quality control and inspection do they do product inspection do they do shipping do they do consolidation define it as detailed as possible.

There won’t be a last-minute surprise in the sourcing agents and companies saying you have to pay an extra inspection fee when the product is done and ready to be shipped.

Chapter 33: Six Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Sourcing from China

Many companies want to start importing small or big quantities of products from China, but most of them have no experience in sourcing.

Sourcing products directly from China is not easy and can be fraught with potential problems.

A simple mistake can lead to a large amount of losing money, time, and effort, instead of directing you to import from China step by step, it would be useful to share with you some common mistakes as a reminder that you can avoid when you import from China.

In this article, we will explain the 6 common mistakes to avoid when sourcing from China.

1.Common mistakes when selecting products

2.Common faults when choosing a Chinese supplier

3.Common mistakes when visiting suppliers in China

4.Common mistakes before mass production

5.Common mistakes when communicating with Chinese suppliers

6.Common mistakes When Shipping from china

1. Common mistakes when selecting products

Before selecting a product to source and import, you should consider these common elements:

Choosing large products: Choosing large products means you are losing time and money, large products always cost when you want to ship will and also the possibility of damage the goods time you load and unload.

Choosing products that do not meet the following criteria:

– Quality:

Quality is an essential matrix to satisfy your customers and maintain their loyalty so that they continue to buy from you in the future.

Quality products make an important contribution and have a long term revenue and profitability, they also allow you to maintain higher prices continue to buy from you in the future.

– Unique:

Having a unique product means you are different from others and better than the product of the competitors before you think about how to increase your profits and begin to sell your products to your customers, think about how to make your products unique.

– Excellent profit margin:

If you are planning to start importing goods from China, it is necessary to know the most profitable goods when importing them or in other words, products that can achieve a good profit margin when it sold in your local market or When re-exporting it to other markets.

You must also get acquainted with the most lost products or in other words the products that are difficult to achieve profit from, when selling them in the local markets or when re-exporting them to other markets to get away from them.

Choose a product that you do not have experience with: You must choose a product that you are familiar with and have good experience with to easily sell it and know how to market it properly.

Not doing good research before importing the products:

You must do a quick search before importing any product, for example, if you want to import a sea mask for swimming, would it be beneficial to import the mask while you are in an area where there is no sea?

Or does it benefit if importing the mask from China that costs you $10 a piece and you can get the same mask at $8 from a local supplier in your country? for sure it will not work if you don’t have any data collected before importing.

Stay away from the products decline fast: if you are a beginner and you don’t know which products you want to import, stay away from products that support shirt term business, and the spinner as an example.

It became famous with insane speed and during a short period the popularity of the product declined to zero.

As far as possible, stay away from this kind of product if your capital is simple, and instead focus on the products that will support the long-term business.

2. Common faults when choosing a Chinese supplier

Thinking that dealing with the factory is the best solution:

Those who import from China prefer to buy directly from the factories, in their opinion that the factories will provide them cheaper and better prices than the supplier’s prices, which allows them to obtain better profits.

We cannot say that they are wrong, but we must not forget that factories require large quantities to obtain good prices, in addition to being less flexible than suppliers, so if you are a person with little capital then you should deal with suppliers as a start.

Choosing the cheapest suppliers:

Lower prices make importers feel great success, and we dare not tell you that you are not dealing with the supplier based on the lowest price, but you should at least be aware that if the prices are lower and cheaper sometimes means more problems and issues.

Some suppliers in some cases will attract you at lower rates. But once you have transferred the total amount or a down payment.

Some providers will raise the prices using various excuses. What will you do? Refund request? Not possible, you will waste a lot of time arguing with these suppliers and you will end up feeling tired.

Choosing a supplier who is not a specialist:

the supplier that specializes in a specific area means experience and means saving a lot of time and effort for you.

so if you are looking for a supplier of mobile accessories on the Alibaba website, then entered the supplier’s website and find who sells mobile accessories, not selling something else (sportswear and Home tools).

If he sells things that not what you are looking for then this is a sign for you to remove this resource from your list.

You must choose a specialist supplier because if he is not a specialist, the probability of encountering problems with him is high.

3. Common mistakes when visiting suppliers in China

Lack of research on factories and companies before going to China:

Many merchants still have some misunderstanding about China, when they talk about China they will first think of Yiwu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, or Hong Kong, of course.

There are huge wholesale markets in these cities, but they cater to the needs of the locals, in other words, buyers from other countries will get a very high price from them, so doing good research before going to China will save you time, money, effort and pilot tickets.

Choosing the right city to travel and source from in China:

In China, there are industrial cities, commercial cities, and every city, region, or province in China that specializes in almost a specific area, for example.

Shenzhen is an electronics city, Zhongshan is the well-known lighting capital, Yiwu city has one of the biggest wholesale market in China( Yiwu international trade city market), Guangzhou city has also the fair number one in china(canton fair).

So choosing the right city for the products you want to import is very important to start a business in china also to save time and money.

To help you, we suggest you check our blogs about Yiwu and Guangzhou cities as the best cities to source from in china.

4. Common mistakes before mass production

The sample provided by the supplier is of poor quality:

As we know, before the manufacturing process and mass production of a particular product, there is a step called the sample, which means that the factory must provide a sample to the buyers to check and get their approval about the quality before starting manufacturing.

So if the sample provided by the supplier is not the same as the sample you want, but the supplier promises that when he begins mass production.

He will address the problem of the sample, and he says to you, “It is just a small problem in the sample, and I will tackle the problem when mass production started.”

this is a common excuse and doesn’t accept his words.

Unfortunately, many poorly experienced importers still believe in these unreliable words. So when there is a problem with the sample, you should ask the supplier for another sample to get exactly what you want.

If this supplier rejects your request, it is best to switch to a new supplier. Keep in mind: A reliable resource that will work well with you from start to finish.

The belief that your supplier knows everything:

Frankly, many Chinese suppliers do not know much about the quality certificates required by customs and special permits to enter the goods to your country.

You should consult with the customs broker to obtain information and know the certificates and The proper papers for entering the goods to your country.

Before placing an order with your suppliers, make sure that the suppliers understand you as well as your requirements concerning your products.

Most Chinese factories do not speak English and the language barrier can be a big problem in explaining your product requirements and making sure the supplier understands you and understand the product specifications.

It is better to hire a Chinese-speaking translator to assume that the supplier understands your request, every detail, and every specification relates to the product.

5.  Common mistakes when communicating with Chinese suppliers

Delayed Response from a Chinese Supplier: It always causes you discomfort, especially in case of urgent problems, and it is generally important to use e-mail for business transactions with Europeans and Americans.

Email is more official and easier to keep in case of a dispute, but as far as Chinese providers are concerned, many instant messaging tools will be very useful, including WeChat, QQ, Skype, and WhatsApp.

Your best time is not their best time: Many buyers may think that china suppliers have 7D/7D and 24-hour customer service. But they are wrong. Many Chinese suppliers will not check emails after work.

Therefore, it is best to be aware of the time difference between China and your country. I want you to know that many suppliers usually work very efficiently from 10 in the morning until 4 in the evening.

Although they can still receive messages from you after this period, many will wait until the next day to respond. In other words, it would be better to contact them during this time if you have something urgent.

6. Common mistakes when shipping from china

The process of shipping goods from China to other countries is one of the daily operations carried out by Chinese companies, for example, and because it is an ongoing daily trading process, it depends entirely on small details and how to deal with them.

These small details which can be omitted due to the large shipping process or the speed of work can cost any shipping company and also importers more money and lost time, so we decided to present most of the mistakes that many importers have made and should new importers avoid.

a. Choose the optimal shipping method for the import process.

The choice of methods for shipping goods from China depends on the quality, nature, and size of the goods you want to ship, also, the types of freight shipping are multiple, there is an express shipping method, air shipping method, and the sea shipping method.

Because sea freight operations accommodate many and many goods, sea freight is always the method used by many importers in cases of huge volumes and quantities even it takes long but no choice and sea freight are also characterized by high safety and speed of delivery of shipments compared to sea freight,

It is worth noting that reliance on sea freight in Transporting shipped goods reduces shipping costs, as sea freight is distinguished for its low costs.

b. Choose The Lowest Shipping Rate

Many buyers in china think that choosing the lowest shipping way is gain, but actually, it is not, and it can be a very dangerous mistake made because you may choose a cheater and you will lose your goods, better you make sure if the shipping rate is super lower compared with most forwarders, if yes, then don’t use.

c. Provide the wrong address to deliver the shipment

It is possible to fall into this error unintentionally with frequent work and multiple shipments. If you do not take your time and review the address of the shipment that will be delivered to it, you will find that the shipment has been sent to another place completely and sometimes another country.

One wrong number in the postal number of your shipping address will It costs you time and double effort to review the shipment route and return it to be shipped to the right place.

d. Bag Packaging

Failure to take the appropriate time to complete the shipment may be a small error, but it will cause major problems later.

Improper packaging will increase the possibility that your shipment will be destroyed while it is being shipped. Also, many companies refuse to unload shipments due to poor packaging and are more likely to be destroyed so as not to endure.

The risk that they will be held responsible from the start, take your time and invest in the means of packing goods and shipments because of course they will save your time and effort and will also build you a good reputation for the safe arrival of intact goods without damage.

Conclusion

As we know and understand, Chinese sourcing agents specialize in finding quality products and suitable suppliers for their clients.

If you are a retailer, for example, you may want to work with a factory in China to produce low-cost, high-quality products that fit your customers’ requirements to generate profits for you and help you develop your business.

Dealing with sourcing agents in China is still among the options that every buyer makes before any step of sourcing or purchasing.

If you are a beginner, it is not easy to source or buy from China due to the many challenges and problems that newbies have faced before such as fraud, Untrusted suppliers, poor quality products, and slow shipping.

The best solution remains to find a reliable sourcing agent to handle all the purchases on your behalf and avoid any scams or any other challenges that could affect your startup and business.

To learn more about buying and importing products from China, please contact us, with more than 13 years in the field we have enough experience to answer your questions and resolve your requests.