China sourcing · how the arrangement works
A China sourcing agent finds suppliers on your behalf and is usually paid a commission, while you buy from the factory and carry the order. A trading company buys and resells, and a supplier does the same under its own commercial terms. Sourcing Lab USA buys and supplies the products: the company named in your quotation contracts with you and invoices the goods.
U.S. companies searching for a China sourcing agent are usually trying to solve one problem: getting a product made properly without managing suppliers themselves. The arrangements on offer differ in who contracts with the factory, who carries the order, and who is accountable if the goods are wrong.
Share your project briefDESIGNED AROUND THE PRODUCT
The distinction matters before anything is ordered. Under an agency arrangement you contract with the factory directly and the agent is paid for the introduction and coordination. Where a company buys and resells, it contracts with the supplier and then sells the goods to you, so your commercial relationship and your recourse sit with that company. Sourcing Lab USA works the second way. Clothing, textiles and packaging are the core specialties; other products are reviewed for feasibility before anything is quoted.
Under an agency arrangement you do, and the agent coordinates. Where a company buys and resells, it holds that contract and supplies you. Sourcing Lab USA buys and supplies, so your agreement is with the company identified in your quotation.
An agent is typically paid a commission on order value or a retainer. A supply arrangement is priced as a product price for the goods supplied. Ask which applies before comparing two proposals, because the numbers are not equivalent.
If goods arrive wrong, recourse follows the contract. With an agency arrangement it generally sits between you and the factory. Where the goods are bought and resold to you, it sits with the company that supplied them.
Specification, sample approval, quantities, quality checkpoints, shipping terms and import responsibilities are confirmed per order. None of these should be assumed from a product description or a reference sample alone.
Material, construction, print method, and branding are confirmed against your brief before anything goes into production.
Packaging
Packaging
Packaging
Textile
Textile
Textile
A DOCUMENTED PROCESS
Describe the product, quantity, references and destination. We identify what is missing and confirm whether it can be quoted and sampled through our independent China sourcing partnership.
Supplier options, a quotation basis, sample scope and production timing are put to you for review. Nothing is ordered at this stage and no minimum quantity or deadline is assumed.
The company in France or China identified in your quotation purchases and supplies the products. Specification, pricing, samples, quality checkpoints and delivery responsibilities are agreed for that order.
Indicative planning figures, not commitments. The quantity, sampling scope and production timing for your project are confirmed in your quotation.
Review the product specifications, sample requirements, quantities, product pricing and payment terms before approving your order. Delivery and import responsibilities are agreed for each project. See how product supply and order terms work. Use the supplier evidence matrix and quality checkpoint worksheet to prepare the questions for your order.
RELATED RESOURCES
How a product moves from a brief to a delivered order.
The deepest specialty: fabrics, construction and branding.
Materials, print finishes and retail packaging to specification.
A practical checklist for the information a quotation needs.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
A sourcing agent looks for suppliers on your behalf, requests quotations, coordinates samples and follows production. In a typical agency arrangement you contract with and pay the factory directly, and the agent is paid a commission or a fee for that coordination.
An agent acts on your behalf and is paid for the service, while you buy from the factory. A trading company buys the goods and resells them to you, so it holds the supplier contract and you buy from it. The practical difference is who carries the order and where your recourse sits if something is wrong.
No. Sourcing Lab USA sources, purchases and supplies the products. The company identified in your quotation contracts with you and invoices the goods, rather than introducing you to a factory for a commission.
Where goods are bought and supplied, you are quoted a product price for the specification and quantity agreed, rather than a separate commission. What drives that price is the product itself: material, construction, finish, decoration, quantity, packaging and shipping terms. Ask for the basis of any quotation before comparing two of them.
As an indication, samples take one to two weeks once the specification is agreed, and production runs about 45 to 60 days after sample approval, before shipping. A new mould or tooling, a custom material, a revised sample or factory loading at the time of order all extend it. The timing for your project is confirmed in your quotation.
Minimum order quantities commonly start around 500 units. The real minimum follows the product, material, construction, decoration and the split across sizes or colours, so send the quantity you are considering and it can be reviewed against what the product actually requires.
We coordinate them rather than act as a licensed broker ourselves. Shipping terms and import responsibilities are confirmed in the commercial terms for each order. Freight is booked and the customs entry is filed by the licensed specialists appointed for that purpose, and we coordinate them alongside your order.
Yes. Projects and invoicing are available now through France or China, with the contracting company identified in your quotation. You do not need to wait for the planned U.S. expansion in Miami in 2027. Submitting a brief does not place an order.
Start with your brief
Send the product, quantity, references, destination and timing. We confirm what can be quoted and sampled, and reply by email. No order is placed by submitting this form.
We confirm what can be quoted and sampled for your product.
With the missing information we need, or the next step for the project.
Supplier options, pricing, sampling, and production timing for your review.
Or contact us directly