China Sourcing Guide —
Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Order
New to importing from China? This guide walks you through every step — from finding your first supplier to receiving goods at your door. No jargon, no assumptions, just clear practical advice from the ground here.
How China Sourcing Works
Define
Start with clear specifications: materials, dimensions, tolerances, target price, order quantities, and timeline. The more detail you provide upfront, the better quotes you'll receive.
Verify
Don't use Alibaba blindly. Verify suppliers through China's government business registry (gsxt.gov.cn), check litigation history, and confirm whether you're dealing with the factory or a trading company — either can work, as long as they're honest about which.
Sample
Always get physical samples before committing to a production order. Negotiate pricing, MOQs, payment terms, and lead times. Never accept the first price offered.
Order
Issue a formal purchase order, pay the deposit (typically 30%), and monitor production milestones. Request progress photos and updates at key stages.
Inspect
Arrange a pre-shipment quality inspection, book freight (sea or air), handle customs documentation, and receive your goods. Never skip inspection to save money.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Ordering without physical samples
Photos and digital renders are not enough. Always hold the actual product in your hands before committing to a production run.
Skipping quality inspection to save money
An inspection costs a fraction of a rejected container, and it is the last point at which you still have leverage — once goods leave China, you are negotiating with a supplier who has already been paid.
Being lied to about who you're buying from
The real risk isn't a trading company — it's one that hides it, posing as the factory to bury a markup. Verify the business scope on gsxt.gov.cn so you know which you're dealing with. A transparent trading company can actually be the better buy — here's when and why.
Ignoring compliance and certification requirements
Products without the certification their destination market requires — CE for the EU, FCC or FDA for the US — can be seized at customs or recalled. Great Britain continues to accept CE marking indefinitely for most categories; UKCA is an optional route, with separate rules for sectors such as medical devices and construction products.
Paying 100% upfront before production
Standard terms are 30% deposit, 70% before shipment. Paying everything upfront removes your leverage if something goes wrong.
Not having a clear product specification document
Vague instructions produce vague results. A detailed spec sheet with materials, dimensions, colors, and tolerances is essential.
Key Terms Glossary
- MOQ
- Minimum Order Quantity — the smallest number of units a factory will produce per order.
- FOB
- Free On Board — price includes delivery to the port in China. You arrange and pay for shipping from there.
- CIF
- Cost, Insurance, Freight — price includes delivery to your destination port, including insurance.
- DDP
- Delivered Duty Paid — price includes everything to your door, including customs duties and taxes.
- AQL
- Acceptable Quality Level — a statistical sampling standard used in quality inspections to determine pass/fail.
- NNN Agreement
- Non-Disclosure, Non-Use, Non-Circumvention — the IP protection agreement designed specifically for China.
- Trading Company
- A company that sells goods it sources from factories rather than making them itself. Not inherently worse than buying direct — a transparent one adds QC, consolidation and seller-of-record accountability; the danger is one that hides behind a factory sales pitch.
- OEM / ODM
- Original Equipment Manufacturing (your design, their production) / Original Design Manufacturing (their design, your brand).
FAQ
It varies widely by product and volume. Factor in product cost, shipping, customs duties, and quality inspection.
Verify through China's government business registry (gsxt.gov.cn), request business licenses, and ideally have an on-the-ground team visit the factory. This is exactly what our Supplier Research service does.
How long it takes depends on the product, the factory and the freight mode. We confirm the timeline in writing when we quote.
Almost certainly yes. The EU requires CE marking for most products, the US has FCC/FDA requirements, and Great Britain continues to accept CE marking indefinitely for most categories (UKCA is an optional route, with separate rules for sectors such as medical devices and construction products). Our Standards & Compliance service handles this.
Yes. We can manage the entire process from supplier search through quality inspection to door-to-door delivery. Most first-time clients start with Supplier Research and Quality Inspection.
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