Complete List: 50 Best Sourcing Agent in China - Supplyia (2024)

Are you a start-up business looking to import only small quantities to begin with? Are you too small for most of the major China sourcing agents, you’ve found advertising on Google?

There isa ‘Dictionary’ of the best sourcing agent in China you can make inquiries from. Remember, each sourcing agent is good at different areas, you only need to pick out the ones that can provide good service for your products.

Sourcing Agent in China 2.0

It’s time to Sourcing Agent 2.0. Sourcing agents 2.0 are ideal for small, medium, and other E-commerce businesses like eBay, Shopify, and Amazon FBA Sellers. And also, some buyers need some extra service for e-commerce products sourcing. This is where a China sourcing agent 2.0 comes into play.

What Does a China Sourcing Agent?

A China sourcing agent is a company’s full-time specialist or freelancer who helps foreign people in business import goods from China. Modern China sourcing agent/company is not just about helping you find cheap products, but also helping you ensure the legality and stability of your supply chain.

Here’s what, the best sourcing agent in China can do for your business:

• A typical role of a sourcing agent is to help client companies find the suppliers and products they need.

• Sourcing agents bring value to client companies through their network of manufacturers and contacts in China.

• They use these contacts to connect buyers and sellers.

• A sourcing agent can work with one client or multiple clients.

• Most sourcing agents will specialize in a specific industry or sector.

How Much Do Sourcing Agents Charge in China?

As there is no exact standard for how much for China sourcing agent fee, usually you will pay the sourcing commission rate between 5%-10% of the order cost.

However, the percentage will depend on the amount of the order and also the type of product.

• If your order is bigger, You can negotiate with the sourcing agent about the sourcing fee.
• If you think their rate expensive, you can negotiate to choose only one of their services list, which is totally feasible.
• Traditionally sourcing agents work on a commission-only basis.
• However, international and established sourcing firms may also charge a monthly fee according to their services.
• It would help if you enquired what additional services a sourcing agent will offer to provide guarantee.
• More and more sourcing agent brings in a range of extra China supply chain services such as purchase contracts, export licenses, market research, and logistics.

What Require from Sourcing Agent in China?

A good China sourcing agent may need you to provide a product specification sheet, which is a detailed, concise document that clearly describes all your product specifications.

Basic include:

• Product name, MOQ, target price,
• description, reference pictures or link,

Product Range of China Sourcing Agent

By the way, a China sourcing agent can only help source common products. If you need to import industry products, most China sourcing agents cannot provide help. You have to find suppliers by yourself or travel to China to visit desirable suppliers.

8 Types of China Sourcing Agents

Some companies claim to help you find any product, how is this possible？ Each company buys a different product line, so don’t limit yourself to working with just one company.

China sourcing agents come in various types, each catering to different aspects of the sourcing and procurement process. Here are some common types of China sourcing agents:

1. General Sourcing Agents: These agents help you source a wide range of products from various suppliers in China. They can handle everything from finding suppliers to negotiating prices and managing quality control, like Yiwu market sourcing agent.
2. Product-Specific Agents: Some agents specialize in specific product categories, such as electronics, textiles, or machinery. They have expertise in their chosen field and can provide valuable insights and connections.
3. Quality Control Agents: Quality control agents focus on ensuring that the products you source from China meet your quality standards. They perform inspections, factory audits, and quality control checks. like 1688 sourcing agent.
4. Shipping and Logistics Agents: These agents assist with shipping, customs clearance, and logistics. They help you navigate the complexities of importing goods from China to your destination.
5. Trade Show Agents: If you plan to attend trade shows or exhibitions in China to find suppliers, trade show agents can help you with logistics, translation, and introductions to potential suppliers.
6. Manufacturing Sourcing Agents: For businesses looking to manufacture industrialization and a series of uncommon mechanical products custom products in China, manufacturing agents can help with factory selection, production oversight, and quality control.
7. Dropshipping Sourcing Agents: If you run a dropshipping business, dropshipping agents can help you find products, manage inventory, and handle order fulfillment.
8. E-commerce Sourcing Agents: These agents specialize in sourcing products for e-commerce businesses, including those selling on platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Shopify.

Engage in deeper conversations with company leaders, and you’ll gain a deeper understanding of each company’s philosophy. Some companies focus on cheap goods, while others focus on services. It’s really hard to strike a balance between the two.

50 Best Sourcing Agent in China

I have sorted out some legal Chinese sourcing agents, some of them are also called Chinese export agents, trade agents, Yiwu agent.,

It is difficult to judge whether a sourcing agent is good or not, but I can tell you what a sourcing agent with basic financial strength should have:

• An Alibaba store: This is used to collect payments.
• A Hong Kong company(option): This is used to legally handle US dollars.
• A commercial office address: This is a sign of professionalism and stability.

The list of the best Chinese sourcing agents is as follows for reference:

*Please contact us if you are a professional China sourcing agent. I will add you to this form list.

Benefits of Working with China Sourcing Agents

Whether you look for a China sourcing agent or do it yourself, it’s up to you. If you already have your own experience in managing labor-intensive tasks that carry certain risks, thendo not hesitate– save money and do it yourself.

A good sourcing agent will do some combination of the following for you based on your own priorities:

• Find you a manufacturer who can produce your product, or tell you that is not possible.

• Find you a manufacturer who can produce your product to the quality standards you need, or tell you that’s not possible.

• Find you a manufacturer who can produce your product at the price you need, or tell you it’s impossible.

• Not cause you to lose vulnerable IP at any stage of the process. This means that your sourcing agent should not disclose your IP or turn you over to legal counsel to protect it.

• Continue to work with your manufacturer after it has been selected to ensure high quality and even ensure that your product evolves to meet changing technology or needs, etc.

The Standard China Sourcing Agent Work Process:

• Approval of specifications and certificate requirements

• Supplier search

• Initial price request, order samples, and selection of qualified suppliers

• Price negotiations

• Audit of qualified suppliers

• Final supplier selection

• Conclusion of a sales contract

• Product manufacturing and quality control

• Arrange shipping

There are many things a good sourcing agent can do in addition to those mentioned above, but this list should be a start. I wish I could give some sort of definitive answer on whether or not to use a sourcing agent, but I can’t. The decision really has to be made on its own merits.

When Do You Need a Sourcing Agent?

If you are new to importing from China and have many various products to import, you need a China sourcing agent to help you reach so many works like sourcing different suppliers, factory audit, cut-price,product inspection, and shipping, etc.

If you only have a few products, you can buy directly from the factory, no need to hire a China sourcing agent to increase your cost.

4 Options for Sourcing Your Products from China

Let us further analyze which cooperation model is suitable for you when you find a way to source from China.

Buy Directly from the Factory

• Advantages: Cost-effective, customization, direct communication
• Disadvantages: Minimum order quantities, language barrier, quality control

Use a China Sourcing Agent

• Advantages: Expertise, language and cultural knowledge, quality control
• Disadvantages: Cost, less control, finding the right agent

Buy from a Trading Company

• Advantages: Convenience, lower minimum order quantities, guaranteed quality
• Disadvantages: Higher prices, limited customization, finding the right product

Use a Service Company

• Advantages: Logistics expertise, warehousing and distribution, financial services
• Disadvantages: Additional costs, less control, finding the right service provider

How to Find a Sourcing Agent in China?

However, one must understand that the “best sourcing agent in China” is a very vague name for the profession, and almost anyone can “proclaim” himself the best sourcing agent in China.

I often describe Chinese sourcing agents as “90 percent are crooks or incompetent, and most are a combination of both. But ten percent are worth more than their weight in gold.”

So how do you find a “value for money” sourcing agent? Unfortunately, the best method I know of is word of mouth. I say “unfortunately” because that means you already need someone who knows enough about working with international manufacturing to be able to give you a good referral.

The good news in this regard is that good sourcing agents will not source products they are not familiar with. So if we have a client who needs help sourcing an unusual product and we don’t know a sourcing experience associated with that product, we will go to a good sourcing agent we know and ask them for a recommendation.

So, when choosing this specialist, you need to make informed decisions. Otherwise, you may lose much more than the amount of his commission. Here 7 steps to find sourcing agent in China. You can use this points to identify a suitable and reliable best sourcing agent in China:

1. Collect Potential China Sourcing Agents List

The first step in finding a sourcing agent in China is to compile a list of potential candidates. Then, through further communication, you can eliminate those candidates who are not very capable of providing services. Below some ways you can use to find the China sourcing agent:

• Google
• Social Media
• Referrals
• Trade Fair

2. Ask them Professional Product Knowledge and Market Trends:

The import process from China can be completely different, depending on the product. Certain types of goods are very complex, like electronics and auto motives, and many other bulky goods.

It is essential to involve a sourcing agent with the necessary knowledge of the product because this can play a decisive role in whether the delivery turns out to be profitable or failed.

3. Have Good Communication Ability

The best sourcing agent in China must have a strong command of English in writing and language and should be able to communicate easily with you by phone and email.

Also, they must be highly efficient and quick to respond to emails or WeChatbecause of the time difference between China and other countries.

4. Have a Transparent and Legal Process

Finding a sourcing agent is easy. But to find a qualified best sourcing agent in China, you need an effective and competently implemented strategy.

A right purchasing agent acts transparently and methodically and puts customer requirements for the product and the availability of the necessary certificates in the first place, rather than established relationships with suppliers and the possibility of getting a kickback.

5. Have Professional Import & Export Knowledge and Experience

Any best sourcing agent in China must have a good knowledge of the legality and paperwork related to import and export. This includes the import and export process, the requirements for certificates and documents, licenses, etc.

5.1 Questions ask for a Sourcing Agent:

In addition to having a predefined procurement procedure, the best sourcing agent in China should be able to give a clear answer to the following questions:

• Based on what factors do they classify the supplier as qualified/unskilled?

• Is a purchasing agent expected to pay for the product or directly to the supplier?

• What is his strategy to prevent and combat fraud? (e.g., payment fraud)

• Will he control the procurement process entirely on his own or partially outsource it, and if so, in which part?

• Is the agent ready to deal with potential disputes regarding the quality of the goods during production and upon completion?

• How long has the agent been operating?

• Does he plan to request a product from an “already verified” supplier or to look for new ones?

• Does the agent have customer reviews from your country?

• Willing to sign NNN Agreement?

6. Have a Legally Registered Company

At a minimum, a qualified sourcing agent must be a registered company and have an office in at least one Chinese city, including Hong Kong. A more qualified buying agent is likely to have an office not only in China but also in your country.

Of course, this does not affect the success of your transaction, but this is undoubtedly an indicator of how strong the agent’s position is and confirms its reliability.

7. Do Supply Chain Management without Any Kickbacks

Many China sourcing companies resist rebates in order to preserve their reputation, but their underlying procurement employees are “quietly” doing it. This requires constant audits by the company to prevent this from happening.

The Risks of Working with Sourcing Agent

Be wary of Cooperating with SoHo Sourcing Agents in China.

I’m not saying that you can’t cooperate with the Soho China sourcing agent because they also have many advantages.

For example, they respond promptly, have an enthusiastic attitude, and help you deal with many other things.But you also have to know that they have a lot of potential risks,

1. They may change jobs or careers at any time. This is so common, we have answered countless calls saying that their sourcing agent in China is not doing this job anymore, and then they need to cooperate with us.
2. They do not have the funds to deal with unexpected situations such as lost goods or quality problems.
3. After winning your trust, they may collect the last sum of money from you and then disappear.

So, What are the Problems with Using a Sourcing Agent?

Using a commission-only sourcing agent can become very expensive and risky for many purchasers.

• Buyers usually end up paying a higher price – for example, does the buying agent want 10% commission on a $100,000 order or 10% commission on a $90,000 order?
• Sourcing agents will only get paid when your order ships. However, they may often apply pressure to ship the goods out. This can result in low quality products.
• The sourcing agent is not responsible for any problems that may arise.
• Sourcing agents focus on generating sales to earn commissions, not on providing services to protect you and your company.

The Million Questions: Using a China Sourcing Agent is Worth it?

Whether to use a sourcing agent in China or figure it out for you is up to you. The main question you must ask yourself is whether you can afford to sacrifice your time for money. Finding your own suppliers generally takes more time and effort
that you could be spending on other parts of your business.

If you already have your own experience in managing labor-intensive tasks that carry certain risks, then do not hesitate – save money and do it yourself.

However, you should hire a China sourcing agent only after you made an attempt to find your own factories. Services like Alibaba and global sources have made it extremely easy to find reliable suppliers online.

If you have the means, attending trade shows like the canton fair or global sources are invaluable for meeting suppliers face to face.

Conclusion

What you don’t want is a sourcing agent who writes things down on envelopes and constantly misses the mark. Global sourcing is not easy. There are many moving parts and the unexpected is the only thing you can expect.

Years of experience and the right systems in place can effectively represent your interest in suppliers. If they spend more time trying to flatter or please you than talking about the project management process, then they don’t have the capabilities you need.

My thought: I don’t think we can ever find a perfect best China sourcing agent, we just need to find a capable and trusted sourcing agent. To me, the owners’ personal characters matter the most. At last, if you are looking for a China sourcing agent, just submit a form and we will reply in 24 hours, and Supplyia was there to help us every step of the way.