Why Use a Chinese Sourcing Agent?
Working with Chinese manufacturers is a major hassle. Challenges such as communicating effectively, not being present in China, and not being familiar with business practices there.
All of these have the potential to severely affect the quality of your imported items and, by extension, the success of your company.
The need for a sourcing agent in the dropshipping industry is a direct result of this. In China, most drop shippers work via a sourcing agent.
Furthermore, suggestions for selecting the most effective sourcing agent are offered. We will summarize the information you should be aware of when communicating with a China agent into ten questions. Have to know!
Questions You Should Ask Your China Agent
What sort of fees can we expect to pay for your assistance?
Would you be able to specify what kinds of questions will be asked in this survey?
Do you operate as an independent contractor?
Agent, how long have you been sourcing for?
What are some references from former clients that you may share?
What makes you such an expert at locating products?
Please include the address of the manufacturing facility.
A factory inspection checklist would be helpful.
Warehouse productivity?
Have you ever accepted commissions from a manufacturer or a referral fee?
How will you charge your services? Is it a one-time flat fee or percentage based on order value?
There is no clear superiority of one charging process over another. Even so, familiarity with the distinctions is essential.
The majority of Chinese sourcing agents earn their living through commissions, with the average rate ranging from 15% and up.
Companies that specialize in professional sourcing are upfront about their fees and the services they provide.
In addition to the standard professional fees, Chinese sourcing firms will also perform quality assurance checks on all of the manufactured goods.
Make a Financial Plan
There are other Chinese sourcing agents that offer a flat rate. That they don’t operate on a commission system or add any fees for working with the manufacturer or supplier.
Management fees for products stored in the plant are charged by sourcing agents and firms, as are the costs of quality control.
All orders or shipping containers are subject to this fixed rate.
Your safety is compromised if you make a payment like this. Finding an agent that takes a cut of your earnings is the best option if you want to build a sustainable enterprise.
Could you define the survey’s scope based on the fee charged in detail? Tell me more about your payment structure.
A variety of revenue streams are utilized by the Chinese sourcing agencies, including service fees, monthly fees, and a percentage of the final sale price.
It’s best to deal with organizations who are transparent about their pricing structures, but there are legitimate reasons why some companies might try to hide some expenses from you.
You should know exactly what your costs will be and how they will be calculated. Whenever possible, you want there to be no unanticipated costs associated with the final bill.
Don’t worry, most businesses are honest about their pricing.
Are you an individual agent? Or an agent company with a team?
A full-time sourcing agent might be hired in China. The cost is reasonable when compared to similar services provided by other sourcing companies.
In China, you can hire a sourcing agent from among the thousands of independent professionals in the field.
If you’re lucky enough to locate an agent who focuses on the specific field in which you’re interested, you can take advantage of their connections to get substantial discounts.
Not all sourcing agents are honest, as some take kickbacks from factories. This will cause people to defend the manufacturer instead of your company when problems arise.
Take this into account before making your decision. and name that quality as a sourcing agent.
Chinese sourcing firms and agencies, on the other hand, have their own dedicated teams to help them out.
How long have you been doing sourcing agent？
The next logical inquiry is how long they have been in the profession.
This is a very important question because the answer will reveal how resourceful they are generally.
As a sourcing agent, having access to this resource is paramount. Meaning they have built relationships with far more manufacturers and suppliers than their three-month counterparts.
Your dropshipping operation will run more smoothly and efficiently the more capable your supplier is. We guarantee timely responses, excellent goods, and fair deals for both parties.
Could you provide some of your previous customer references?
A successful sourcing agent can’t wait to brag about the deals they’ve closed in the past.
Review
Allow them to provide you with comments from satisfied customers and recommendations from people who have used their services.
When doing business in China, it’s important to have connections. Consequently, the easiest way to identify a sourcing agent is through recommendations from other professionals.
To find the best vendors, look for ones that are flexible and willing to work with you. You can learn the pros and cons of using this agent by reading reviews written by previous customers. Whether or not they are effective communicators, knowledgeable product scouts, or efficient workers.
What is your expertise in sourcing products?
Depending on their expertise, some sourcing agencies only deal in particular goods. These sourcing agents usually have some sort of working relationship with the manufacturer and may even operate as the factory’s only point of distribution.
This allowed them to make a more competitive offer. However, their resources for finding a reliable agent who is an expert in getting your desired goods may be restricted.
Your next inquiry to the sourcing agency ought to be more of a request. To give them access to the factory records you’ve chosen to use in your project.
Producing Goods in China
When three people work together, things tend to go more smoothly and efficiently.
Establishing rapport with manufacturing facilities is crucial to the success of your organization, and may often set the tone for future collaboration.
What’s your factory inspection checklist?
Your sourcing agent should be asked this crucial question. You must be familiar with their inspection procedure, their checklist for determining whether or not the factory is suitable.
When selecting a manufacturer, you should make sure they will maintain constant communication. How reliable is a factory in terms of on-time deliveries and total production time?
Finding reputable Chinese sourcing companies requires you to put transparency first. No two people are the same, and that’s why it’s important to communicate clearly from the start of any new professional relationship. Whether the issue is price, output, or another factor.
A good sourcing agency won’t hide anything from their customers. A person who deliberately avoids interaction may not be as trustworthy as they initially appear.
The efficiency of the warehouse?
An essential part of producing high-quality goods is conducting quality inspections. Most procurement agents will partner with a storage facility to conduct such an audit. That’s why checking the warehouse’s productivity is essential.
Warehouse
You can tell if the agent and the warehouse are working well together by checking their efficiency with one another.
As an illustration,
First, you should give the agent permission to take a photo of your product’s package. Since the warehouse is usually quite busy during the day with shipping, a response time of a day is perfectly common.
The warehouse may be an outsourcing service if the agent makes up lame reasons for not taking images or doesn’t bother to respond to your questions.
If that’s the case, be sure to inquire further. You should be informed right away.
Do you take factory kickbacks or referral fees?
Obviously, this is a tough inquiry for the agents to face, but it is also of paramount importance. Some of the Chinese middlemen might be taking bribes or kickbacks.
Let’s assume the buyer and sourcing expert have already reached an agreement on the item price. However, the operator needs the supplier in exchange for a commission. This behavior would be illegal and unreliable.
If the order is for tens of thousands of dollars or more, the supplier may offer a kickback to the buyer. Most agents will not become engaged with orders of less than a certain threshold value.
To be honest, there are more pressing concerns than this that you should be aware of at the moment. As a result of the proliferation of online marketplaces, consumers may now locate vendors with ease. They have the ability to independently consider their alternatives.
Alternatively, importers can do their own price research. What kind of product price and service commission the sourcing agent offers, and if they are fair. If your agent is competent, you shouldn’t have to worry about problems like these occurring.
Last Words
It’s just as difficult to discover a reliable sourcing agency as it is to find a good product to sell. It’s important to consider many factors.
It is not a simple process to investigate all of the possibilities. You’ll be on more solid ground with your company once you’ve established a helpful hand.
