Got questions?
FAQ
Everything you need to know about sourcing from China with us. Click a topic to expand it, or dive into the guides.
What questions do buyers ask by topic?
The common questions grouped by stage. Click a topic to expand it — deeper answers live in the guides.
New to importing
No experience needed — we handle supplier verification, negotiation, quality control and shipping for you. Most first-time buyers start with a small trial order ($1,000–$5,000) to test the process before scaling.
A typical first cycle runs 3–4 months end to end: 3–4 weeks of sourcing and sampling, 3–6 weeks of production, then sea or air freight to your door — with photos and reports at every milestone.
Deep dives: the complete 2027 importing guide · the first-time importer playbook · the landed cost formula
About fees and payments
How agents charge, what a fair commission covers, and the hidden-margin tricks to avoid. Our own rates: published pricing.
Payments are structured 30% deposit / 70% after inspection passes — never 100% upfront on a first order.
About quality control
Every order passes a pre-shipment inspection against a written defect list: an audit checks the factory before your deposit, and an AQL-sampled inspection gates the final payment — with photo reports on every lot.
Failed lots are reworked at the factory’s cost and re-inspected before anything ships.
About shipping
We consolidate all your suppliers’ goods in Shenzhen and ship door-to-door: express, air, rail or sea with documents and DDP delivery.
More: shipping compared · the FBA shipping guide.
Free consultation
Ready to start?
Tell us what you want to make or buy. We’ll reply within one business day with a free consultation or a supplier verification plan, no commitment.
✓ Reply within one business day ✓ Free consultation or verification plan ✓ No commitment, no pressure
What you get
✓ A free consultation call
✓ A supplier verification plan
✓ Itemized quotes within 24 hours
No commitment — see our process before you decide anything.
What if your question is not answered here?
This page collects the questions we hear most about working with an agent: fees, payment safety, inspections, and timelines. The deep versions of those answers live in the guides: how deposits stay safe in the payment terms guide, how quality is verified in the inspection guide, and how the whole sequence fits together in the complete import guide.
Product-specific questions do not fit a FAQ, because the honest answer starts with what you are buying and at what volume. Send yours through the contact page; you will get a reply from the Shenzhen office within one business day, and if the question needs a call, the consultation is free.
Sourcing questions, answered directly
Straight answers with links to the deep guides. Fee detail lives on the commission page, quality method in the AQL guide, and the full sequence in the import guide.
How much does a sourcing agent charge?
Full service runs 5–8% of product value, billed separately from the factory price. One-off research starts from $149 per sourcing brief and inspections are quoted per visit. Every band is published on the commission page before you order anything.
How do my payments stay safe?
Factories invoice directly at factory prices on 30% deposit / 70% after a passed inspection — never 100% upfront on a first order — and service fees are invoiced separately. The leverage logic is explained in the payment terms guide.
How is quality verified before shipment?
Every order passes a pre-shipment inspection sampled to the AQL standard against a written defect list, with photo and video reports. Failed lots are reworked at the factory\u2019s cost and re-inspected; the balance moves only after a pass.
How long do sourcing and shipping take?
Supplier shortlists with quotes in 7–10 days, sampling two to four weeks for custom goods, production 20–35 days, then freight by mode. The dated skeleton is on how it works and mode choice in shipping compared.
Can you buy from 1688 for us?
Yes, as your local buyer of record — verified sellers, RMB payment, warehouse checks and consolidated export. 1688 lines typically run 30–50% below export listings for identical goods; the platform trade-off is in 1688 vs Alibaba.
How do we start working together?
Send your product idea through the contact page. You get a free consultation and a supplier verification plan within one business day — no commitment, and your product details are never shared with third parties.
Do you offer dropshipping fulfillment?
Yes — flexible MOQs, quality checks before dispatch and consolidated shipping suit changing catalogs without container-sized commitments. The small-lot workflow, branding options and pitfalls are covered in dropshipping from China.
Are there products you do not handle?
We decline counterfeit or IP-infringing goods, regulated items we cannot compliantly certify for your market, and orders whose timeline or budget cannot work — and we tell you so in the first consultation rather than after a deposit. Honest no-go advice is part of the free consultation.
What does the free consultation include?
A review of your product, quantity and deadline, a supplier verification plan or itemized factory shortlist, and a written fee quote on the same document. It carries no obligation and arrives within one business day of your message via the contact page.