Guides to sourcing from China

Written from the work we do rather than from a keyword list. Each one answers a question buyers actually ask us, including the parts where the answer is inconvenient.

• How to tell a Chinese factory from a trading company

  Trading companies present themselves as manufacturers constantly. Here is what actually distinguishes them, and the checks that settle it in ten minutes.

  6 min read

• MOQ: what a Chinese factory means by it, and when it moves

  Minimum order quantity is usually a negotiating position rather than a production constraint. Knowing which one you are facing changes the conversation.

  5 min read

• EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP: which term to buy on when importing from China

  The Incoterm decides who arranges transport, who carries the risk, and where your cost visibility ends. Most first-time buyers pick the wrong one.

  7 min read

• Pre-shipment inspection: what it catches and what it cannot

  An inspection report is a sampling decision, not a quality guarantee. Here is what AQL actually measures, when to book the visit, and why the timing of your balance payment matters more than the report itself.

  6 min read

• Paying a Chinese supplier: terms, and how money actually goes missing

  The usual 30/70 split is fair. Nearly every loss we hear about comes not from bad terms but from a payment sent to the wrong bank account — and that fraud has a recognisable shape.

  7 min read

• CE, FCC, RoHS: what a supplier's certificate is actually worth

  Most CE marking is self-declared, which makes the certificate a factory emails you a weaker document than it appears. What matters is who carries the legal obligation — and if you import, that is you.

  7 min read