china sourcing

Sourcing products from China is beneficial for your dropshipping or e-commerce business, but this does not mean that it’s easy. You will want a steady supply chain of high-quality products. To get the best value out of sourcing high-quality products from China, you will need a robust business strategy before you engage in business deals. Continue reading to discover 8 insightful tips to source high-quality products from China.

Do Research

To source high-quality products, doing research is very crucial for success in your business. Not doing the necessary research is asking for failure. The research retailers need in hand should be well-rounded. These include store data, consumer demand, trends, etc. This information allows you to make more informed decisions when it comes time to initiate contact with suppliers. The more you know about the product you want, the better the result will be.

Look For The Right Supplier

Many people seeking to import high-quality products from China use the internet search buttons as their default option for suggestions of suppliers in China. You can also do that as well. It is advisable to identify a manufacturer and directly source from them since this will help you to reduce costs. When looking for the right supplier, consider factors like background information, location, supplier certification, and export experience. All of these boil down to help you source the products you want.

Write An Effective Inquiry

After you have collected a list of suppliers, you want to contact them to negotiate transactions or custom requirements. You need to write effective, clear, and detailed inquiries to ensure that you get the kinds of products you want. About the source you want, you can include information like product description, specifications, package, quantity, etc.

Negotiate With Your Supplier

Negotiating is an important stage when sourcing high-quality products from China. The purpose of negotiation is not to get the decided prices to reduce further, but there is more to add to it. This comes with quality, material, quantity, and delivery time, so you need to know the real value of negotiation.

Partner With A Manufacturer

Manufacturing products are ideal for businesses with a unique idea or a variation of an existing one. If you’ve already validated the market for a product and are confident it’ll sell, this is a good way to source high-quality products. Market evaluation is important here because manufacturing requires the most upfront investment. Know that you can source both private-label and white-label products from manufacturers. Both these categories ensure you can source high-quality products.

Request For A Sample

As a dropshipper or e-commerce business owner, you should not put a product in your store without sampling it. When contacting suppliers, part of the ask should be for samples so you can get feedback from team members, view the product up close and personal, and see how the supplier handles this first transaction before you decide on whether to include it in your product mix or not. Asking for samples is an important part of your sourcing strategy and a good way to test the quality and credibility of products.

Do Inspection

A technical audit can be done before an inventory is shipped. Technical audits are specific to production alone and done by third-party inspection companies. They’ll inspect for flaws in the organizational structure of the factory, its production capacity, and its quality management system. Be proactive with product inspections. It’s better to find defects early enough so that you can troubleshoot. The frequency of inspections should depend on the type of product and order size. Assess the quality, regulatory compliance, measurements, and packaging of the order. These are things to source high-quality products from China.

Evaluate Supplier

Whether or not you choose to move forward with a supplier and form a more long-term relationship depends heavily on how the supplier performs during a trial run. Having the parameters mentioned above will help you better evaluate suppliers when the trial run ends. Did the product meet the expected goals? Was it received well? Did the shipments arrive timely and with the proper counts? Were the products intact when they arrived at the store? All of these questions will help you to be able to source high-quality products because you can know if it is worthwhile working with a particular supplier or not.

Summary

China is known for having the best suppliers and manufacturers of goods. But this doesn’t mean that there are no counterfeit products or individuals who will try to hoodwink customers. Ensure you call the factory directly to confirm with them. Also, work with trusted agents during the importing process. Luckily for you, these 8 tips have given you an insight into how to source high-quality products from China.

Turn to Fulfillman for Your China Sourcing

Contact us today at Fulfillman to know more about our services. We provide a wide range of services including Global Fulfillment, China Sourcing, Drop Shipping, Third Party Logistics, and lots more. Our trusted experts will be happy to speak with you and provide suitable answers to your questions and concerns. A fantastic experience awaits you.

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China’s product sourcing has grown immensely over the years, and dropshipping businesses, either well-grown or starters, select China as their sourcing agent. The leverage in China over other countries is that you get high-quality products at affordable rates. If you’re a business owner or purchasing manager looking to get variety, quality, and budget-friendly options all in one, then sourcing from China is a viable option for you. However, sourcing from China is cool and amazing, but trading thousands of dollars with some non-native suppliers you met online is risky. Continue reading to know 8 tips and tricks to master China product sourcing.

Conduct a Comprehensive Market Research

Doing market research is crucial before sourcing products. The overall impression of importing is enticing. However, you must be careful as the market is full of fraudsters. The way to conduct your market research is by looking out for suppliers through online business directories. Then, look out for your niche products and shortlist your concerned sellers. Check out their business website for verification and visit the seller’s social media account, like LinkedIn, to see reviews. These stepwise strategies will help you to conduct market research efficiently.

Learn About Your Supplier

Once you have shortlisted a few suppliers for sourcing your products from China, verifying their credentials is very important. You may find some basic information about them online. Apart from that, you should know if they are indeed a manufacturer and not a middleman, and if they have the technical expertise, product manufacturing abilities, processes, and resources to live up to their claims of quality and delivery. You can verify this in several ways by asking the supplier for their audited accounts, checking out their Value Added Tax invoice, etc. You can also verify the supplier’s name, location, and the local government office.

Ask for Samples

Before the organization places its order, it must first ask for a sample of products. The samples that you will check will enable you to decide if you will order or not. The samples will tell you if it suits the quality and requirement that you expect.

Stay on Top of Communication

A lot of clients tend to forget that when sourcing products from China, language may prove to be a barrier to communication. While the more established suppliers do have English-speaking customer support, a lot of the problems between clients and suppliers are rooted in misunderstandings in the communication process. This is why it’s important to have all the specifications and instructions put in writing when doing your dropshipping business.

Understand the Chinese Business Culture

For a truly successful partnership with your Chinese supplier, you’ll need to understand the way business is done in the country. Doing so will be in your best interest as your competitors may have already developed their network of connections while going beyond the terms and conditions of the contract. Their contract will merely reflect what they agreed upon over a game of chess or even a meal.

Monitor Quality Inspection

There is no doubt that China offers quality and affordable prices simultaneously. However, keep a check during the manufacturing phase. The reason is to avoid a crisis. Diligent sourcing agents don’t like to break bad news to dropshippers. Therefore monitoring quality inspection during the work-in-process can help you prevent unseen losses. To do this, you can hire quality inspectors to keep you updated, check out the packaging standards to avoid damage during shipment, stay in touch with your supplier, and provide him with the objective criteria to avoid conflicts and ensure the correct documents are in hand to avoid the problem at customs.

Prepare for Unexpected Situations

Another tip you should keep in mind is to prepare yourself for unexpected situations. This is very common in sourcing products from China to face an unseen crisis, and dropshipping businesses can only suffer a lot if it has no backup plans. Meanwhile, if you weigh the opposite view of whatever decisions you make while sourcing your products, it’ll give you an insight into what to do to tackle the situation if any problem arises.

Calculate Your Profit Margins

Even if China is the most viable option for sourcing your dropshipping products, you should consider calculating your profit margins asides from manufacturing costs. Dropshippers make mistakes by underestimating the shipping cost and other fees that eat their gross profit. That’s why calculating the profit margin is vital before making an order.

Parting Words

There you go with the insightful tips and tricks to master China product sourcing. From sourcing an efficient supplier and doing due diligence to fulfilling professional obligations to establishing positive interpersonal relationships, you will have to look into all these crucial aspects to be successful in your dropshipping business.

Turn to Fulfillman for Your China Product Sourcing

Contact us today at Fulfillman to know more about our services. We provide a wide range of services including Global Fulfillment, China Sourcing, Drop Shipping, Third Party Logistics, and lots more. Our trusted experts will be happy to speak with you and provide suitable answers to your questions and concerns. A fantastic experience awaits you.

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If you’re into dropshipping or ecommerce business, there is no other place better than sourcing your products from China. However, some of you might find it difficult to source from China because it may be confusing and hectic most of the time. You might as well ask “Do I need to go there?” Of course not! China sourcing can be super easy and stress-free if you just follow the steps that’ll be discussed here. Continue reading to discover the best 7 steps to source products from China in 2023.

Do Market Researching

You should research about China sourcing before setting up your business. As you know, there is a lot of competition in the market. And if you jump into the crowded marketplace, it’ll be challenging for you to reach your business at the top.

Furthermore, you have to struggle to reach your goals. So it’s vital before applying for any business. Your first step must be complete, compelling research. If you want to earn more profit, it’s impossible to skip this step. It’ll be nearly impossible for you to compete with the market and replace the old sellers.

Get In Touch With Chinese Manufacturers

Some people prefer not to contact manufacturers when China sourcing for different reasons. It doesnt mean that they dont know this, but they’re confused about where to start or how to do it. The process of this is relatively straightforward. All you need to do is go to online wholesale websites to find the products you want to buy.

Then, send messages to at least 12-15 suppliers. Have a brief chat with them, talk about different criteria, and take advantage of their experiences. After that, select the manufacturer that you think fits best to comply with all your needs and then start working with them and source products from China.

Negotiate With Your China Sourcing Suppliers

Every day, Chinese companies receive so many emails about samples. Sometimes, those people are asking for samples because they dont have enough money to invest even in the first shipment. If you place orders for large volumes of products, factories will earn more money as they usually offer low prices. So the more the project, the more they’ll earn.

Therefore, you have to show the idea that you’re planning something big from the start. Once you have finished finding your reliable companies, you can send them the following messages to play with them and get better pricing. It’ll be best to place orders for around 50 or more units for the first time. Ordering only one to two products will give them the impression that you dont have enough cash to invest and in this way, they cannot make more money.

Start to Order Samples

After receiving the manufacturer’s quotes when China sourcing, you can now pick the best price among everything and order your first round. Then you need to select the location. It could be a warehouse or your home, send them a message asking for payment methods and also about the delivery date. Now sit back and relax, wait for your ordered product to arrive.

Meanwhile, you can work on your site, your marketing strategies, your pitch, and all other aspects as well. When you get your initial t, inspect at least five to ten units to check the quality level and defects. If you’re not feeling satisfied, contact the factory and ask them for replacements or simply go through other factories.

Order a Bulk Amount

Once you’ve followed all the steps correctly, you’re set to order a bulk amount from China. But pay attention to the payment in case face a scam. Many China sourcing suppliers require a deposit of around 30%, and the remaining amount would be paid before shipment. This means that you’re risking your deposits, but you have full control over the remaining balance, which needs to be paid after quality control and lab testing.

Re-Order or Pivot

When you’re making more than you spend, you’re good to go. When you’re losing money on each product, you have a hard decision to make. You could risk a few more months and order more inventory but you might lose more cash. If you’re in doubt, always pivot. Sell the rest of your inventory and use the leftover money to buy a different product from China. Fortunately for you, the next one could be your lucky break.

Arrange Ocean Freight Or Air Freight

This stage requires that you familiarize yourself with shipping incoterms involved with China sourcing. Incoterms are business trade terms that are used internationally for determining where and when the cargo will be transferred.

Endnote

During China sourcing or when sourcing products from China, there are a lot of moving pieces. Knowing what to do will help you move swiftly with confidence and precision. However, if you fail any of the steps above, you’ll lose money. Ensure you have an excellent product, relationships, happy customers, and tons of profit by implementing each step wisely. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself as the sales roll in and your bank account grows.

Turn to Fulfillman for Your China Sourcing

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A reliable China sourcing agent takes care of the entire product sourcing process efficiently. While many dropshippers engage in product sourcing on their own, others simply can’t. Typically, businesses that are small or medium-sized can’t afford to devote resources to sourcing products from low-cost countries.

In such a case, they turn to a product-sourcing agent based in China. But what does a China sourcing agent do? And how can a reliable China sourcing agent help your business grow? Continue reading to discover how a reliable china sourcing agent can help you grow your dropshipping business.

A Middleman Who Will Work For The Interests Of Your Business

Dealing with middlemen is the biggest challenge that you’ll have to face if you reach out to manufacturers and/or suppliers, through platforms such as Alibaba. These middlemen will look out for their interests only and will try to make as much money for themselves without sparing much thought for your business’ interests.

However, this is not the case with sourcing agents. While technically sourcing agents are middlemen, they aren’t like the ones who only think about their interests. Of course, they will charge you money. But once you engage them, everything they do will be for the greater interests and growth of your business.

China Sourcing Agent will Have Access To High-Quality Manufacturers And Suppliers

When you conduct your research into the best manufacturers and/or suppliers based in China, you may end up being confused. This is because there’re so many manufacturers and suppliers to choose from, with all of them claiming to be reliable. But, a sourcing agent in China already has a network of top-notch manufacturers.

Once you engage the sourcing agent and give him your product specifications, he will know the right people to get in touch with. This gives your business access to reputable manufacturers and suppliers to grow your business. There is no waste of time. The time taken to secure good deals is only a fraction of what it would take if you do the work all by yourself.

China Sourcing Agent can Help with Contract Negotiations On Your Terms

If you negotiate with random China-based manufacturers directly, there’s a high chance that the negotiations will go their way. However, what you want is to negotiate on your terms, isn’t it? After all, what is the point of sourcing products from a low-cost country if it isn’t low-cost? This is where a China sourcing agent steps in and makes contract negotiations easy for you.

Throughout the entire course of the negotiations, they will represent your interests and negotiate with manufacturers to ensure that you get the best deal. This is possible only due to the expertise of China sourcing agents, who have learned the art of negotiating after spending years and decades securing deals on behalf of businesses just like yours.

Bridging The Cultural Gap

The cultural division between businesses in the east and west is quite big. When it comes to business, you may think that the cultural divide won’t make much of a difference. But it does. This divide will be evident to manufacturers and suppliers if you do the negotiations by yourself. However, when you entrust the responsibilities of negotiating to a reputable China sourcing agent, you can expect that cultural gap to be bridged. The best thing is that a sourcing agent in China can speak Mandarin, which will make them more trusted by manufacturers and suppliers based in China. This bridging of the cultural gap is what sourcing agents do so well, and it’s of immense value in the long run.

Timely Product Deliveries and Avoiding Inventory Crises

Lack of coordination could arise when you choose to coordinate with manufacturers and suppliers in China by yourself. This is because you’ll have to pay attention to several other areas of your business as well. Meanwhile, if you engage a China sourcing agent to handle the coordination, you can expect product deliveries to be timely. Most importantly, sourcing agents will assess your business’ supply needs and ensure that you are never supplied less than what you need. As you move on, this will help your business steer clear of potential inventory crises such as product shortages.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know all about a sourcing agent’s work and how they can help your dropshipping business grow, you should choose a reliable option for your business. Remember, sourcing agents, don’t just present an opportunity for you to delegate your business’ product sourcing responsibilities. They are also trusted in their native countries.

This is the reason why they ensure that contract negotiations go your way. They are very skilled when dealing with manufacturers and suppliers. And that is why they are some of the most prized assets for dropshipping or e-commerce businesses these days.

Do You Need A Reliable China Sourcing Agent? Contact Us Today

Contact us today at Fulfillman to know more about our services. We provide a wide range of services including Global Fulfillment, China Sourcing, Drop Shipping, Third Party Logistics, and lots more. Our trusted experts will be happy to speak with you and provide suitable answers to your questions and concerns. A fantastic experience awaits you.

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As a business owner, you have to be good at what you do for your business to be successful. Operations such as getting a good manufacturer, quality product design, prototype, product quality control, could be tasking and time-consuming. Know that hiring a sourcing agent is the viable asset your business needs to get such tasks done in time. It’s the most efficient way to scale up your business. Continue reading to discover some reasons why your business needs a sourcing agent.

Getting Efficient Manufacturers

Getting a good manufacturer is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s often difficult to ascertain whether the manufacturers you have found on sites are efficient and reliable. But a good sourcing agent will know exactly which province specializes in the product you are looking to manufacture. To verify whether the manufacturer is genuine, a factory visit is needed.

Alternatively, a good sourcing agent will have a list of reliable suppliers you can approach. Even if they don’t know a factory that can manufacture the product you want to be made; it won’t take them much time to find someone reliable and suitable. This is because they are present on the ground and have networks they can tap into.

Using an Agent Saves You Time

A sourcing agent does all the legwork for you. The fact that an agent is your local representative means that; you don’t have to travel to that country to look for manufacturers or suppliers. You probably don’t have enough time to keep traveling to source your products. To give you time to concentrate on other essential business operations, hiring a sourcing agent is highly recommended.

Product Quality Control

Insufficient quality control can ruin your entire business. This is because, the moment the consumers realize that your products are sub-standard, they will shift to your competitors. Also, your competitors might be offering high-quality products. Moreover, high-quality products always fetch a reasonable price in the market.

This is because buyers are always willing to pay for the best-in-class products. In most cases, you probably might not have enough time and resources to pull a thorough quality check yourself. Therefore, you need the help of a sourcing agent who is experienced and puts quality as a priority.

Using a Sourcing Agent is Cost-Effective

If you’re sourcing products abroad, hiring a sourcing agent can be your local representative. They will negotiate prices with local suppliers, do quality assessment and control; inspect the products before shipping and do market research without you going there.

This will save you lots of money on travel and accommodation expenses. If you’re looking for mass production, sourcing agents will connect you with a manufacturer. The manufacturer will do that for you at a low price. Hiring a sourcing agent reduces your total expenditure thereby increasing your earnings.

Safety Assurance

Sourcing agents also act as a trusted medium between you and the supplier. They can spot scammers when they come across one. This will save you the trouble of dealing with incompetent suppliers. A sourcing agent will diligently dedicate all the time he has got to get you a legitimate supplier for both your sakes.

Also, they go the extra mile to do thorough background checks on potential suppliers; root out any history of the suppliers, and interview them personally to be sure of their choice. As a business owner looking to source a product, it’s nearly impossible for you to do all this to perfection. This is also one of the reasons why your business needs an agent.

Communication Bridge

In scenarios where there’s a communication barrier between you and your supplier or manufacturer; the sourcing agent you’ve hired steps in and do the translations. Communication is extremely important since you’re able to relay your expectations and specifications to your supply chain effectively. This will ensure that the quality and timely delivery of your goods is not compromised.

Using a Sourcing Agent Helps with Risk Reduction

Hiring a sourcing agent will ensure that your decision to outsource meets with success. If you have a sourcing agent, you won’t even know if you’re dealing with the supplier because the agent handles everything. They ensure that you don’t have to make time-consuming and expensive trips to the factory to monitor production. An experienced sourcing agent will ensure everything goes well, reducing risk at every step of the way.

Conclusion

There you go with the 8 reasons why your business needs a sourcing agent. These are people who work as your representatives overseas and look after your interests. If you want to make sure that the products you have maintain quality standards; hiring a sourcing agent makes the most sense. They will know who is trustworthy in terms of manufacturing and distribution.

Also, they will save you money without sacrificing the quality of the end product. Finally, they will help you find a reliable supplier; that will see to it that your products are shipped to you within the promised lead time. Do the needful!

Need a Reliable China Sourcing Agent for Your Business? Contact Us Today!

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If you’re new at sourcing products from abroad, you must be wondering if sourcing from china is a viable option for you. You also may be wondering if it’s worth the risks. Meanwhile, when sourcing from China is done right, the benefits far outweigh the risks. To achieve these benefits, you should institute a well-thought-out strategy to ensure you get the best quality products with minimal risks. Continue reading to unveil 7 important tips to get China sourcing right.

Hire a Professional Sourcing Agent

To transact with Chinese suppliers successfully, one has to be skilled and experienced. It might be challenging to secure a favorable agreement if you’re new to the industry. This is where a professional sourcing agent comes into play. These experts can liaise with a retailer. They most times possess a range of supplier contacts that their customers may use to avail the best deals. You can make this happen with the help of experienced sourcing agents.

Verify your Agent Credentials

As important as it is to hire the right agent for your ecommerce or dropshipping business, it’s equally important to verify their credentials. Take time to research the agent and verify their credentials and track record. Research about where they’re located, how long they’ve been in operation, and so on. This is a crucial step to successfully getting China’s sourcing right. Asking the right questions to ensure that you partner with the right agent will help you grow your business.

Be Clear About What You Want

Failing to provide detailed specifications may lead to confusion and make you end up with something different from what you ordered. To avoid this, and for your sourcing process to be successful, be clear about what you want. You must provide your agent or manufacturers with a detailed specification of the materials or items that you want, ranging from size, color, etc. If possible, send photographs.

Request Product Samples From the Factory

Requesting product samples is a simple, no-commitment option for narrowing down your list of potential suppliers. An important step when sourcing from China is asking for product samples. It helps you gauge whether or not the supplier can provide what you’re looking for. Most reputable suppliers are willing to send product samples to interested parties for a relatively small fee. Obtaining a sample lets you analyze every aspect of the product, from the parts and materials used, to product dimensions and the supplier’s attention to fine details.

Do Quality Control Checks

The safest way to get China sourcing right is to do quality control checks. Once you’ve changed, you may visit the factory personally to check the products’ quality. And if that’s not possible, hiring an independent quality inspector is also a good idea. The inspector must give an independent report on the quality of the products. What you need is just to establish a well-structured quality control plan.

Communicate In A Mutual And Understandable Manner

Keep in mind the language and cultural gap when sourcing products from China. Many of the issues between buyers and suppliers can be traced back to a lack of proper communication. It creates misunderstandings and ultimately affects their relationship. Note this down to protect yourself from expensive mistakes and delays. Convey all your business requirements in a clear and detailed way. Ensure that you don’t leave any space for the vendor to make any assumptions. Also, encourage them to ask you questions and clear whatever doubts they have.

Be Reasonable About Pricing

Affordability is one major charm of sourcing from China. Indeed, low rates that you can get in China can’t be found domestically. However, remember that you’ll get what you pay for. When it comes to the cheapest goods, it is best to avoid them. Manufacturers may cut corners to give you cheap products. The quality of such products may be far from desirable. If you want your business to grow and the number of loyal customers to increase, you have to deliver high-quality products. You must partner only with those suppliers that provide competitive products without compromising on quality. Yes, they may cost extra cash, but it’s worth it.

Conclusion

Advantageous as sourcing from China may be, it requires a great deal of care. If done wrong, it can prove very costly for your business. But, if done right, it’ll do wonders for your business. Luckily for you to have read it down here. 7 important tips to get China sourcing right has been discussed above. Utilizing these tips will increase the cost-effectiveness of your business by a great deal.

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As a dropshipper or e-commerce business owner, if you’re thinking of hiring a sourcing agent, then it’s only logical and smart if you know the common China sourcing agent fees. Meanwhile, as you may already know, there are thousands of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and sourcing agents in China. That’s why it’s difficult to find any industry standards for China sourcing agent fees.

While many sourcing agents will try to attract customers with free service for trial orders or the cheapest rates, low-cost offers often translate into low-quality products. To make sure you’re paying the right amount, you need to understand how pricing works. Continue reading to discover some China sourcing agent fees and how much they cost.

Fixed or Flat-rate Fee

This is one of the most common pricing methods used by China sourcing agents. Just as the name implies, most agents will charge you a fixed monthly or weekly, or hourly fee for a specific product or project. In this type of arrangement, the agent will connect you with a supplier and you can directly build the business relationship.

Naturally, this is the cheapest route to hire a sourcing agent in China. However, it’s the riskiest as low-cost agents are often not qualified and have little or no genuine work experience. So, you’ll most likely end up with a poor-quality supplier.

Another way is to hire a full-time sourcing agent or company for the duration of your project for a fixed monthly fee. Although this strategy can cost you a little more, you’re more likely to find qualified and experienced individuals or agents. Additionally, they will help you to oversee your project and supplier communication.

One-time Finder’s Fee

There are sourcing agents that are only involved in the early stages of vetting manufacturers. These professionals find and identify potential suppliers, verify their credentials by checking if they are located where they claim to be, if they supply the required product, if they are a manufacturer or a trading company, and communicate the retailer’s requirements to the prospects.

When the candidates get shortlisted to just one, the role of these sourcing agents ends, and communicating with suppliers is given to the retailer. Retailers must pay the finder’s fee after a contract gets signed between the buyer and the supplier.

Manufacturing Management Fee

Partnering with a sourcing agent that offers services beyond funding a supplier is ideal for new and old dropshippers or ecommerce players. This type of sourcing liaison takes care of inspecting suppliers and managing inventory as they get manufactured. This process includes tooling, sampling, negotiating the prices, prototyping products, and arranging high-quality check control.

Commission or Percentage Service Fee

Many sourcing agents also charge buyers a percentage service fee or commission on the total value of the purchased inventory. This amount may be anywhere from 5% to 10% of the order cost as sourcing fees.

However, the percentage will depend and vary based on the product sourced and the order size. If your order is bigger, some sourcing agents may work on as low as 3% commission. Again, make sure you double-check the costs and the agent profile though, as lower costs often translate into poor product quality.

How Much Does It Cost?

If you are new to dropshipping or e-commerce business, understanding how China sourcing fees work might be confusing. Number one is that there are no industry standards. Secondly, the charges will surely vary according to the scope of services (as discussed earlier), the product size and quantity, the dollar value of the purchase order, and the complexity of the part required, among other factors.

Parting Words

Hopefully, this article has done justice to you knowing about some China sourcing agent fees and how they charge. However, when it comes to partnering with sourcing agents, going for the candidate that offers their services for the lowest prices isn’t always the best strategy. It’s crucial to vet and deliberate on each sourcing agent thoroughly.

China sourcing agents serve as a retailer’s representative abroad. They must be able to communicate a business’ demands and expectations with ease. From there, it can be deduced that finding the right sourcing agent in China, and being well-informed of their fees and how much they cost is very critical for successfully outsourcing your manufacturing needs.

Dropshipping is one of the biggest trends in modern business because it makes local and international trade a lot easier for the parties involved. With China being the world’s biggest hubs for manufacturing, dropshipping or sourcing products from China is very common. However, there are a lot of barriers: language, logistics, and the sourcing, packaging, and shipment of products. Thankfully a reputable sourcing agent – such as Fulfillman and Yiwu Market Guide Company – can help you navigate all these barriers. In this article, we will take a look at Fulfillman vs. Yiwu Market Guide Company to determine the best sourcing agent in China.

Fulfillman

Fulfillman is arguably one of China’s most prominent players on the global dropshipping scene.It offers a wide range of services that are designed to make dropshipping easier than walking in the park. Although it was only established several years back, it is fast becoming one of China’s leading sourcing agents. And it is easy to see why:

Great Dropshipping Software

Fulfillman’s dropshipping software simplifies the dropshipping process and makes it so easy that dropshipping newbies can manage their businesses. It is optimized for both mobile and desktop platforms, so you can stay abreast of your transactions and do all the dropshipping you want from the comfort of your device.

Customized Product Sourcing

Each business concern/individual has a set of products that needs. Fulfillman offers customized product sourcing that meets your particular business needs. They have a team of seasoned sourcing agents that can help you get the best products for your business.

Third-Party Logistics

With Fulfillman, you get access to third-party logistics services that you can count on. This access is mainly because of the 3PL warehouse management system designed to cater to the prompt fulfillment of customers’ orders.

Product Branding

Few buyers are attracted to a drab-looking product that says nothing about what customers can relate with. With Fulfillman, you can count on free yet top-notch product branding services that help make your products unique in the marketplace.

Prompt Shipping of Products

Speed is crucial to the success of a dropshipping. You could lose clients if your products are never on time. That is why the Fulfillman sourcing company ensures that you get your products ASAP.

No Hidden Prices/Charges

Fulfillman is one of the best at providing transparent prices. So if you choose to work with them, what you see is what you get. So you needn’t worry about paying any hidden charges that were not quoted initially.

Affordable Services

Fulfillman has some of the most affordable product sourcing services in the global dropshipping industry. You can get to 5-10% cheaper than the average industry rates offer.

Great Customer Support

A big part of the Fulfillman brand is excellent customer support. They are believed to have the best customer service team in the global drop shipping space. That is going by the reviews of satisfied customers. The best part is that they continue to offer exceptional customer support over the years.

Yiwu Market Guide Company

Sometime in May 2009, a young man decided to relocate to Yiwu after losing his job at Alibaba.com.He soon started guiding visitors around the Yiwu market, and not long after that, he became a buying agent to many visitors who needed help with their purchases at the Yiwu market

By 2014, the company had grown to more visitors, more return customers, and more teammates, and so by 2020, they had helped more than 500 visitors/buyers globally. Here are some of the services that they offer:

Bottom of Form

Easy and Safe Buys

When dealing with this sourcing agent, you get the services of an expert who helps you source the products you’re interested in before reporting to you(no sourcing fee is charged). This service eliminates any fruitless journeys that you may take.

Miscellaneous Needs Are Met

This sourcing agent can handle hotel bookings, buying train tickets, and chauffeur services from the airport. Other things that they can help you with include:

Confirm the final quantity of products
Send proforma invoice to you
Receive deposits
Place orders
Monitor production
Arrange to warehouse
Collect products
Quality control
Down payments of suppliers balance
Inspect container loading(when FCL)
Ship container to your desired destination
Prepare the paperwork for China customs declaration
Release / telex-release customs papers for clearance
Sort aftersales issues

Tailored Sourcing Services

With the Yiwu Market Guide Company, you get sourcing services that include:

Translations
Evaluation of suppliers,
Product detail confirmation
Negotiations
Picture taking
Creation of product lists.

Endnote

Fulfillman and Yiwu Market Guide Company are two amazing China sourcing agent company that make things easy for drophsippers and online entrepreneurs. Going by the services we just described, we recommend choosing Fulfillman for your China sourcing needs. The company offers a wide selection of services that your drophshipping or ecommerce business could benefit from.

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Are you a prospective exporter looking to exploit the products available in China? The thing with getting goods from China is that you need a reputable sourcing agent company to help you avoid some of the pitfalls that occur when you trade in unfamiliar terrain. The right sourcing agent – Fulfillman and Yiwu HOPEFUL Agent – will do most of the work for you, and you can get your goods delivered to you wherever you are in the world without having to set foot in China.

That said, there are a million and one sourcing agent companies in China, so picking the right one might be challenging. That’s why we will be reviewing two of the leading sourcing agent companies in China – Fulfillman and Yiwu HOPEFUL Agent – so that you don’t have to go through too much hassle in getting a good sourcing agent.

Fulfillman

Fulfillman has earned itself a reputation for providing a comprehensive array of professional, high-quality, reliable, and customized sourcing services for exporters and dropshippers interested in importing products from China. They have been able to adjust to the ever-changing industry, and they have kept this possible thanks to their state-of-the-art technology and a range of services we will be looking at in a bit.

Proficient Hands

The Fulfillman company boasts of a “band” of sourcing experts who understand the business inside out. They have the know-how and experience to handle every aspect of the sourcing process (production, shipment, and fulfillment) regardless of the industry or field. This way, it becomes easy for you to work with reputable suppliers in China.

Simplified Process

Fulfillman has a dropshipping app that can be accessed on both desktop and mobile devices. This intuitive,user-centric app provides information on sales, sold items, pending orders, and updated inventory. With the Fulfillman app, you can easily carry out your import/dropshipping business with little or no problems.

Quality Control

Fulfillman has a reputation to protect; they take strict quality control measures to ensure that they are involved with only the best products. Their agents vet the entire order during the production process. They also double-check before shipment to ensure you get quality goods.

They Keep You Up To Speed

Fulfillman provides continuous updates about their client’s purchases and fulfillment so that they are kept up to speed. All the information is kept in an Excel file sent to you at the beginning of the process. Any updates are sent to the file.

Branding

Brand visibility is key to staying ahead of the competition in the dropshipping space. The Fulfillman company understands this. They also offer premium branding services like quality logos, printing packages, flyers, business cards, and custom boxes.

Round-the-Clock Support

The Fulfillman company provides round-the-clock support so that clients can always get answers and directions whenever they need them.

Competitive Rates

Fulfillman helps you source premium products without having to burn a hole in your pockets. In some instances, they offer as much as 5-10% off the prices that are obtainable on most other e-commerce platforms.

Great Logistics Services

Fulfillman offers efficient and reliable logistics services. They also use a 3PL warehouse management system that facilitates the prompt fulfillment of orders to any location want.

Yiwu HOPEFUL

Yiwu HOPEFUL is a sourcing agent company based in the biggest wholesale market in China, the Yiwu Market. They have over 20 years experience of exporting goods to international clients and have earned a reputation for providing honest and fair service over the years. Here are some of the services they offer

Market Surveys

The Yiwu HOPEFUL team will go to the market to liaise with the wholesalers one after the other. They negotiate the best possible prices based on the suppliers’ directory. They note all the details of this survey: pricing, item number, and packing details.

Great Advice

The agents then offer advice that should help you arrive at the best price for you based on their findings during the market survey.

They Handle The Rest of the Process

Once you pay the T/T 30% deposit to the company’s account, the suppliers are asked to supply. The goods are then collected at their warehouse, where quality control checks are done. Once that is done, they prepare the documents and get the goods shipped to you wherever you are.

Some of the other services that they offer include

Free warehouse
Export declaration
Marketing guide/translator
Purchase & forwarding
Free car
Airport pickup
Affordable hotel bookings
Quality inspection
International freight
Handling of documents

Endnote

From the two leading China sourcing agents compared above, we recommend that you choose Fulfillman because they have held their own in the global dropshipping space in recent times. The company is a force to reckon with where sourcing products from China is involved.

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Assume you have a fantastic idea for a new ecommerce business. Or perhaps you’ve discovered a new product that would be a great addition to your brands. One of the first decisions you’ll have to make is how you’ll get the products you’ll need to put your concept to market. In this blog, we’ll look at nine product sourcing tactics for ecommerce firms, as well as several sorts of product sourcing.

What is Product Sourcing?

Product sourcing involves choosing credible suppliers from whom you can purchase high-quality goods. You may need supplies for the manufacture of your product or intend to resell them. The primary objective is to acquire the top-quality product at the lowest cost. That margin will facilitate your brand’s success.

What To Consider Before Sourcing A Product

Before sourcing a product, here are some things to consider:

DIY Products or Services

The internet has made it easy to sell handmade goods like knitted blankets, handmade jewelry, and hand-drawn paintings. However, you’ll need materials. You may find these in craft stores, large stores, and other outlets. Then you’ll have to figure out how you’ll deliver orders to customers.

Collaboration with Wholesalers or Manufacturers

While your business expands, you will discover you don’t have enough capacity or personnel to create your products; you could decide it’s essential to engage a manufacturer or wholesaler to help you build your product, or at the very minimum, enhance your DIY efforts during peak seasons.

Engaging the Services of a Fulfillment Center

A fulfillment center is a third-party logistics firm or a dropshipper that allows you to buy things from a vendor and sell them on your website. Basically, you’re unloading goods, packaging, and fulfilling orders.

9 Product Sourcing Strategies for Ecommerce Startups

Below are some product sourcing strategies for ecommerce startups:

Do Research

You may believe you have a fantastic product concept. However, the market may not agree. As a result, you’ll need to perform some market research to identify what products interest your customers. Furthermore, don’t just start selling a product because of the huge profit margins; because margins will be meaningless when no one buys.

Be Constantly Sourcing

Although sales may be high and you might believe you have chosen the best product source, it is vital to keep sourcing and searching for opportunities continuously. Being complacent can be disastrous for any business. You can stay relevant to customers while also maintaining profitability when you keep checking out new products and trends in the industry.

Emulate the Successful Vendors

Once it concerns product sourcing, there’s no big deal in emulating the business tactics of other established vendors to be successful yourself. You can place an order with one of your competitors. By inspecting the packaging, you should be able to determine who supplied the product. If you are impressed with the services, including packaging and delivery, the company could probably be ideal for product sourcing.

Go Offline

Why would an online business branch out into the physical world? To perform some research! By attending business conferences, you might be able to identify a good product source. You can also engage product manufacturers, and creators face to face at these events, potentially forming a long-term partnership.

Prepare a Backup Strategy

Having a secondary supplier is understandable, and it doesn’t always imply you don’t appreciate the other supplier. If your primary supplier suffers a disaster, such as a cyberattack, a severe storm, or a defective product, it can drastically disrupt your supply chain. With a backup plan, you can run your business smoothly without any disruption.

Consider the Local Business Environment

Many ecommerce vendors will go to China for production solutions in order to enhance profit margins. However, keeping product sourcing and production local to home may be to your benefit sometimes. Besides, you will have the assurance that the US government regulates the product, and you will also be able to avoid language hurdles and other difficulties. Plus, a “Made in the US label” can also be a significant selling point and product identifier, depending on your target audience.

Remove the Intermediaries

The more the number of entities in your supply line, the higher the product price. If possible, get your products directly from the source or as close to the source as you can; this will help to reduce costs while boosting profits.

Get Acquainted With Your Supplier

You should maintain your relationship with your suppliers such that they easily remember you when they have a new product or quickly attend to you when you’re stocked with a defective product. Furthermore, a good supplier will offer you all of the information about the product, including descriptions, FAQs, and buying tips. Most of this information is incredibly useful to customers, and it might be the difference between generating a sale and losing a customer to a competitor.

Establish Your Own Trend

On the other side, if a market is saturated, hopping on board may not be in your best interests, especially if you don’t want to end up with a lot of unsold goods. After performing some research and consulting with vendors, it may be preferable to venture out on your own and establish your own trends.

Choosing a Reliable Product Sourcing Partner

The importance of finding a trustworthy partner cannot be overemphasized. There are crooks out there attempting to prey on new ecommerce businesses. They usually pose as manufacturers or distributors, buy from someone else and then resell to you at exorbitant prices; this can reduce your profits. So, it’s vital that you do your research to avoid working with the wrong partner.

Contact us today at Fulfillman to know more about our services. We specialize in providing excellent Drop Shipping services, Warehouse fulfillment, China sourcing, Third Party Logistics, and so forth. Our dedicated experts will be available to speak with you and discuss the options available to you. We guarantee you get quality and excellent services that gives 100% client satisfaction.

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