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Questions to ask a sourcing agent in China before you sign

Sources checked

An agent stands between you and a factory you may never visit. The questions below are meant to be asked in writing, so that the answers become part of what you agreed. They do not assume any answer is the right one; they make the arrangement visible.

Fees

  • Which structure do you charge under: a percentage of the goods value, a rate per day, a fixed fee for the project, or a mix?
  • If it is a percentage, which amount is it taken on, and is there a minimum fee?
  • If it is a daily rate, what counts as a day, and are travel time and expenses extra?
  • If it is a project fee, what is in scope and what is charged when the scope changes?
  • Are there charges besides your fee — warehouse handling, repacking, payment handling?

Put the answers into the cost estimator to see the total for your order under each structure.

Who pays whom

  • Are you paid only by me, or do you also receive anything from the supplier?
  • Do I pay the supplier directly or through you? If through you, when is the money passed on?
  • Will I see the supplier's own invoice or quotation?

Supplier relationship

  • Will I know the supplier's name and address?
  • If we stop working together, can I deal with the supplier directly?
  • Do you place orders on a marketplace such as 1688 or Alibaba.com, or with the factory directly?

Scope of work

  • What exactly do you do at each stage: finding suppliers, getting samples, negotiating, following production, arranging inspection, arranging shipping?
  • What do I receive from you and how often — photos, reports, test results?
  • Who decides when something is ready to ship?

Quality checks

  • Who inspects the goods: you, or a separate inspection company?
  • Against what — an agreed specification, an approved sample, a sampling plan?
  • What happens when goods fail: rework, replacement, refund, and who bears the cost of a second inspection?

When things go wrong

  • What is your responsibility if the supplier delivers late or delivers the wrong goods?
  • How are refunds from a supplier passed back to me?
  • Which document sets out our arrangement, and under which law?

Reading the answers

Vague answers on who pays whom and on the supplier's identity matter more than a fee that looks high or low. A fee can be compared with arithmetic; an unclear relationship cannot.

Questions

Should I ask these before or after getting a quote?

Ask the fee questions with the request for a quote, because the answers decide what the quote means. The rest can follow before you sign.

What if an agent will not name the supplier?

Some agents keep supplier details to protect their business. That is a term to weigh, not something this list can settle; ask what you would hold if the arrangement ended.

Sources: this is a list of questions and cites no external data.