Service 01 · Stage 1 · Source & develop

Find a verified factory in China before you pay a cent.

We find, screen and verify Chinese manufacturers for your product and budget. You get a shortlist of 3–5 factories, each with business licence, export record and track record checked, plus confirmed MOQ, lead time and a real factory quote, in 5–7 business days.

Get a quote for this Chat on WhatsApp
  • 3–5verified factories per shortlist
  • 5–7 daysto a shortlist
  • 1,000+factories in our vetted network
  • 0hidden mark-ups on your goods
At a glance
Turnaround5–7 business days for the shortlist
Required from youProduct reference, target quantity, destination, customisation level
Ideal clientFirst-time importers or buyers entering a new category
Typical feeFlat fee per project or 5–10% of order value, agreed up front

Paid work starts only after you approve the scope and fee. Factory quotes are shown to you unmarked.

What's included

What our supplier sourcing & verification service covers.

Licence and export checks

Business licence, registered capital, export licence and legal representative verified against the official registry, not the supplier’s PDF.

Factory vs trading company

We confirm whether the supplier owns the production line or resells. Both can be right; you should know which you are paying for.

Market research beyond our network

Our 1,000+ vetted factories plus fresh research on 1688, industry clusters and trade fairs when your product needs a specialist.

Confirmed MOQ and lead time

Every shortlisted factory confirms minimum order, unit price at your quantity and production time in writing.

Track-record review

Export history, main markets, existing clients in your category, and the red flags we see on the ground in Guangdong.

Real quotes, shown to you

You see the factory’s own quotation. Our fee is separate and disclosed, never built into the unit price.

How it works

Four steps, no surprises.

  1. 01

    Brief

    Send a product reference, target quantity, destination market and how custom it needs to be. A photo and a target price is enough to start.

  2. 02

    Search and screen

    We pull candidates from our network and fresh research, then run licence, export and track-record checks on each.

  3. 03

    Shortlist

    Within 5–7 business days you get 3–5 verified factories with confirmed MOQ, lead time and unit price side by side.

  4. 04

    Choose and proceed

    Pick one, or ask us to negotiate, sample and inspect. Each next step is quoted separately.

Pricing

What it costs.

Supplier sourcing is quoted as a flat project fee or as a percentage of the order, typically 5–10% depending on order size and complexity, and we tell you which before any work starts. A standalone verification of a supplier you already found is a smaller flat fee. Either way you see the actual factory quote; we never hide our margin inside the unit price. For a full breakdown of what sourcing agents charge, read our guide to China sourcing agent costs in 2026.

Get a quote for this
Who it's for

When you need this.

When it fits

Placing a first order over $5,000

Below that, a platform plus a paid sample is often enough. Above it, a verification before the deposit costs less than 1% of the order.

When it fits

Entering a new product category

You know your market but not the factory clusters. We know which town makes what, and who is reliable.

When it fits

Burned once already

If a supplier switched materials or vanished after a deposit, start again with checked factories and milestone payments.

From the blog

Guides that go with this service.

All sourcing guides →
GuideHow to find a manufacturer in China: 4 routes comparedRead the guide GuideVerify Chinese suppliers before you send paymentRead the guide GuideAlibaba vs 1688 vs Made-in-China vs Global SourcesRead the guide GuideChina sourcing agent cost in 2026: $300–2,000 or 5–10%Read the guide
Questions

Common questions.

Anything else, ask on WhatsApp. A human answers, in English, in Guangzhou time.

We check the business licence and registered scope against the official registry, confirm the export licence, verify the factory address matches the licence, review export history and existing clients, and where the order justifies it, visit in person. Anything the supplier sends us is a starting point, not proof.
Yes. Standalone verification of a supplier you found yourself is one of our most common jobs. You get a written report on licence, factory-or-trader status, capability and red flags before you pay a deposit.
We help businesses from a first test order of a few hundred units up to monthly container loads. For very small runs we point you to low-MOQ factories and tell you honestly when an agent is not worth the fee.
No. Our fee comes from you and is disclosed up front. We show you the factory’s real quotation so you can see there is nothing added.
More from one team
Price negotiationSampling, OEM & ODMQC inspectionFactory auditsFreight & logisticsWarehousing & FBA prepPrivate labelProduct photographyDropshippingGuangzhou sourcing agent
Free assessment

Tell us what you're sourcing.

Send the product, target quantity and destination country. Within one business day we'll confirm feasibility, recommend the right service scope and quote the fee and timeline.

Get a project assessment Chat on WhatsApp

Paid sourcing work starts only after you approve the scope and fee.