Sourcing from China, without hiring a China team.
I take the orders big trading houses turn away: small batches, mixed SKUs, first trial runs. Sourcing, sampling, inspection and shipping — from a desk one subway stop from the largest exhibition centre in the world.
First shortlist is free: three factories, their price ranges, MOQ and lead times.
The gap is always the same gap.
Big factories chase volume. Small buyers need someone actually in the room. Nothing in between works.
Real factories will not open a line for a test order. Trading companies will happily quote you 40% over factory price and call it service.
Most cheap sourcing help is a reposter. Twenty product links, no factory names, nobody who has stood on the production floor.
Flights, hotels, a week away — it can exceed the value of the trial run you were trying to place. So you do not go, and you buy blind.
What I take off your desk
One person, one thread of communication — from “I need this product” to “the goods arrived and the defect claim is settled”.
Supplier sourcing
Category, process, MOQ and factory size, screened against three years of fair-floor data. Factory names, not product links.
Trade fair scouting
Booth photos, catalogues, prices, the responsible person. Then a written debrief, not a photo dump.
Live booth walkthrough
I wear smart glasses and video-call you onto the fair floor. You point, I walk, we ask the factory together.
Catalogue digitisation
Paper catalogues, business cards and quote sheets colour-scanned to PDF, filed by category, ready to forward.
Quotes & sampling
Three or more parallel quotes. Sample cost and lead time agreed up front, samples consolidated into one parcel to cut freight.
Deal execution
Price negotiation, PI clause review, deposit arrangement and a trial order run — plus support on the contract terms that bite later.
Quality inspection
In-line checks while the order runs, then pre-shipment inspection to AQL. Photos, defect classification, a verdict you can act on.
Freight & after-sales
Booking, export documents, end-to-end tracking. And when something goes wrong, the claim is chased with the factory, not dropped.
You do not have to fly to Shenzhen to stand in the hall.
Smart glasses, a live video call and a walk through the aisles. You see the booth, the samples and the price sheet as I do — and you decide on the spot, not three weeks later from a PDF.
How a first order runs
Five steps, no retainer, no minimum spend. You approve each stage before the next one starts.
Send a brief
Product, target price, quantity, destination market. A reference photo is enough to start.
Shortlist
Three factories that can actually run your quantity, with price range, MOQ and lead time.
Samples
Parallel quotes, samples collected and shipped to you in one consolidated parcel.
Trial order
Price locked, PI reviewed, deposit placed, production followed up inside the factory.
Inspect & ship
AQL inspection, photo report, freight booked, tracking shared until delivery.
What the first shortlist includes — and what it does not
I would rather be precise up front than impress you with a promise I cannot staff.
Three factories, one product
- Three factory nameswith their main product lines and how they compare.
- FOB price rangeper factory at your quantity, plus MOQ and lead time.
- My readon which one to trust for a first run, and why.
- No charge, no obligation— if none of the three fits, we are both done without a bill.
What you add on top
- Landed cost is not free.It needs your destination port, Incoterm and volume — send those and I will add freight and duty on top of the FOB shortlist. Sending them is also the clearest sign you are serious.
- Samples, freight and inspectionare billed at cost plus the agreed service fee — you see the factory invoice, not a marked-up number.
- Nothing starts before you approvea written quote for that step. No retainer, no minimum order, no lock-in.
Where I can be, on short notice
This is the part that cannot be done by email. Being physically close to the halls is why a Shenzhen partner beats a cheaper one three provinces away.
| Venue | What is there | From my desk | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center Bao an — largest venue of its kind in the world |
Gift & houseware, electronics, components, packaging, industrial | 1 subway stop | Same-week booth visits, database refresh, sample pickup |
| Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center Futian — city centre |
Design, crafts, consumer shows | 60–90 min | Design-led and boutique supplier scouting |
| Canton Fair complex Guangzhou — Pazhou |
All consumer goods, twice a year | Same-day trip | Multi-category sweep in one visit |
| Dongguan — Houjie & Guangdong Modern Intl. | Furniture, home, hard goods, machinery | Same-day trip | Furniture and hard-goods sourcing |
| Elsewhere in China | Yiwu, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Qingdao | Planned trip | Category-specific fairs, quoted per trip |
Tell me the fair and the category — I will tell you which halls to prioritise and what a day of coverage costs before you commit.
Questions small buyers actually ask
How small is small?
From a few hundred pieces per SKU up to a few thousand. Mixed SKUs in one order are fine. If a factory MOQ blocks you, I negotiate a trial run instead — sometimes at a higher unit price, sometimes by splitting a colour or a size.
How do you charge?
Per unit of work, quoted and approved before it starts: a sourcing shortlist, a fair day, a sampling round, an inspection day, or a full trial-order service. No percentage of your order value — that model punishes you for buying more.
Who do I pay — you or the factory?
You pay the factory directly for goods. My service fee is invoiced separately. Deposits can be handled by me once terms are agreed in writing, with the receipt forwarded the same day.
Can you check a factory I already found?
Yes, and it is usually the cheapest useful thing I do. I visit, confirm the factory exists and owns its line rather than subcontracting, check licence and export record, and tell you what I would be uneasy about.
What if the goods arrive with problems?
That is what the inspection report is for — it gives you the evidence base. After that I run the claim with the factory: replacement, credit or rework. I charge for time, not a cut of the recovery.
Do you do big container programmes?
No. Seven-figure single projects, or categories needing full regulatory certification — medical, automotive compliance and similar — belong with a full-service firm, and those buyers usually already have one. I would rather do your small orders properly.
Send me one product.
Product, target price, quantity, destination. A photo or a link is enough to start. You get three factories, their price ranges and my recommendation — free the first time.
- Written reply within one business day
- No newsletter, no follow-up sequence
- NDA available on request
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