Sourcing in China, from finding the factory to the delivery.
China holds an industrial density few countries match. The work is to find the right factory there, obtain the right price, and check what comes off the line before the goods leave.
We support brands, founders and professionals who manufacture in China. Finding manufacturers, developing the product, verifying suppliers, negotiating, following production and handling logistics.
Why China remains the pillar
It is not only a matter of price. It is a matter of industrial density.
Depth of supply
For a single product, dozens of factories compete. The question is not who can make it, but who can make what you want, at the volume you are aiming for.
Complete subcontracting networks
Moulds, components, printing, packaging. Everything sits within a short radius, which shortens the back and forth during development.
Low entry thresholds
Many factories accept modest first runs. That is what lets a brand launch without tying up a large budget.
Export habits
Factories already working for Europe know the standards, the documents and the packaging expected. That avoids part of the bad surprises.
What sourcing in China actually takes
Finding a factory is easy. Finding the right one, and getting from it what was agreed, is far less so.
Telling the factory from the middleman
Many sellers present themselves as manufacturers when they resell. The price rises, and the room to shape the product disappears.
Getting to a no
A factory rarely says it cannot do something. You have to ask the questions that force precision, and read what goes unanswered.
Freezing the product before producing
An approved sample, a written specification, recorded tolerances. Without those, the run does not match the prototype.
Checking before shipping
Once the goods have left, there is no useful recourse. The check happens on site, before loading.
Working with the calendar
Chinese New Year halts production for several weeks. Orders not placed in time slip by a month or two.
How we work
One method, applied in the same order on every project.
Frame
We start from the product, the target volume, the budget and the launch date. That framing decides what kind of factory to look for.
Search
We identify the manufacturers able to produce what you describe, then we rule out the middlemen.
Verify
Legal existence, real capacity, export references, certifications when the product requires them.
Develop
Samples, adjustments, materials, finishes, packaging. The product is settled here, not in production.
Follow
We track progress and have the goods inspected before loading.
Deliver
We coordinate the factory and the carrier, by sea, air, rail or road.
What we check before ordering
A factory is judged on facts, not on a brochure.
- Its business licence and its right to export
- The gap between what it makes and what it resells
- Its actual lines and monthly capacity
- Its export references to Europe
- Its certifications, when the product requires them
- Its consistency between sample and run
- The way it handles a reported defect
The most common traps
The price that is too low
A price well below the market is paid for elsewhere. Thinner material, a skipped check, reduced packaging.
The perfect sample
A sample made by hand says nothing about the run. What counts is the one that comes off the line.
Paying in full at the order
Payment is split. A balance stays due after inspection, otherwise no leverage remains.
The mould with no written ownership
A mould you paid for is not a mould you own. That is written down beforehand, not when changing factory.
Standards discovered too late
Marking, documents, composition. Non compliant goods stay blocked at customs.
Costs and lead times
The factory price is only part of the landed cost.
The unit price
It depends on volume, material and level of finish. It is negotiable, but on precise terms.
Development costs
Moulds, tooling, samples. These are entry costs, not recurring ones.
Transport
Sea, air, rail or road. It is quoted separately.
Duties and taxes
They depend on the product and its customs classification. They are anticipated at costing, not on arrival.
Comparing two factory quotes
Two prices only compare once brought to the same basis. Without that, the cheaper one almost never is.
- The same incoterm, otherwise you compare goods at the factory with goods at the port
- The same quantity, since price brackets shift with volume
- The same material and weight, recorded in writing
- The same packaging, both retail and transport
- Tooling costs stated separately from the unit price
- The payment terms, which move risk as much as price does
The vocabulary you will meet
Six terms come up in almost every exchange. Knowing them keeps you from agreeing to something you did not follow.
- MOQ
- The minimum order quantity. It is the first figure a factory quotes, and it is negotiable more often than people think, usually against a higher unit price.
- Ex works
- The price covers the goods only, sitting at the factory. Inland transport, formalities and freight remain yours.
- FOB
- The goods are loaded at the port of departure, Chinese charges included. It is the most common basis for comparing two quotes.
- Pre production sample
- The last sample approved before the run starts, made with the final materials and tooling. That is the reference, not the prototype.
- Pre shipment inspection
- The check carried out once production is finished, before loading. It is the last moment a rejection still has any effect.
- Mould and tooling
- The upfront investment for a product that does not exist yet. It is paid once, and its ownership is put in writing beforehand, not when changing factory.
China is not the only option
We work mainly with manufacturers based in China. When the project calls for it, we look elsewhere.
- The nature of the product and the skill it demands
- The standards specific to the target market
- The delivery time you are after
- Proximity, when it matters more than price
- Spreading risk across several countries
Common questions about sourcing in China
No. Factories that export work in English, and technical exchanges go through written documents: specifications, drawings, tolerances, annotated photographs. It is the precision of the document that prevents mistakes, not the spoken language.
It depends on the product and the factory. Some accept a few hundred pieces, others require several thousand. The minimum is negotiable, often against a higher unit price.
It depends on the product. Customising an existing article is faster than creating one from scratch, which requires moulds and prototypes. Chinese New Year also shifts schedules by several weeks.
Through a sample approved in writing, then an inspection before loading. Once the goods have left, there is no useful recourse.
Yes. We also step in to improve an existing relationship, renegotiate terms or have an ongoing production inspected.
No. China is our pillar, but we search in other countries when the project requires it.
A manufacturing project in China?