Fiona · Field notes
Sourcing insights
Notes I publish when a product line, or a rule on export, inspection, and freight, is worth writing down. If your product is not here yet, send it with the quote.
20 notes
Hiring a buyer
3 min read
Alibaba or a China Buyer: What Each One Is For
Alibaba is a directory. A buyer is the person who stands in the factory. Here is when I tell a client to stay on the platform, and when the order needs someone in the cluster.
Hiring a buyer
3 min read
Factory or Trading Company: How I Tell Them Apart
A factory owns the process. A trading company sells the goods. Both can be honest. Here is what I check before your deposit goes to the wrong kind of company.
Hiring a buyer
3 min read
Logo, Color, and Packaging: What “Low MOQ” Actually Covers
A logo or a color on an existing product can start small. A new mold or a new packing print often cannot. Here is how I separate those two before you plan a private label.
Hiring a buyer
3 min read
Samples, the Deposit, and When the Balance Moves
The sample you approve is the standard. On a first order I want about 30% to start production and the rest only after inspection. Here is the sequence I use.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Phone Cases and Cables from Dongguan
Cases and cables are a Dongguan and Shenzhen accessory trade, not a phone factory. Material, print, and what the cable actually does are the three things I lock before a logo run.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Sneakers from Jinjiang, Not Leather Shoes from Wenzhou
Athletic and casual sneakers are a Jinjiang product. Leather dress shoes are Wenzhou. Here is the spec I write so a bonded sole and a size run survive the bulk.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Jeans from Xintang: Weight, Wash, and Shrinkage
Xintang in Guangzhou is the denim garment town. The fabric can come from elsewhere. Here is what I specify so the wash you approved is the wash in the carton.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Bedding and Towels from Nantong
Cotton sheets, duvet covers, and towels are a Nantong order. Thread count is a weak spec. GSM, size in centimetres, and color fastness are the ones I write down.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Office Chairs from Anji: Mesh, Gas Lifts, and Casters
Anji makes the office chair. The shell is rarely the return. The gas lift, the mesh, and the caster are. Here is what I put on the quotation.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Where China’s Decorative Wall Art Is Actually Made
Hand-painted oils still come from Dafen in Shenzhen. Printed canvas, framed prints, and volume wall decor are a Yiwu business. Here is how I separate the two before asking for a price.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Sourcing Wigs from Xuchang, the Hair-Products Cluster
Xuchang in Henan is the wig cluster: thousands of hair-product workshops, imported hair, and local weaving. Here is what I check before a beauty order is allowed to ship.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Plastic Toys, Wooden Toys, and the Tests That Matter
Chenghai makes plastic and RC toys. Yunhe makes wooden toys. Yiwu sells the small novelty. Here is how I place a toy order and which test report I will accept.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Ballpoint Pens and Gel Pens: Tonglu, Ningbo, and Yiwu
Fenshui in Tonglu builds ballpoints from local tips, refills, and barrels. Ningbo finishes pens and wider stationery. Yiwu is the showroom, not the machine shop.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Vacuum Flasks from Yongkang: Steel, Lids, and Leak Tests
Yongkang makes the stainless vacuum flasks. The price gap is usually the steel grade, the lid, and whether anyone tested the vacuum. Here is the check I run before shipment.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Socks from Zhuji: Fiber, Size, and Color That Holds
Datang in Zhuji is the sock town. Yarn, knitting, linking, and packing sit in one district. Here is what I specify so a cotton sock stays the size you approved.
Product sourcing
3 min read
Frames and Sunglasses from Danyang
Danyang is the eyewear cluster for optical frames, sunglasses, and lenses. A fashion sunglass and a protective sunglass are not the same file. Here is how I quote them.
Product sourcing
3 min read
LED Lighting from Zhongshan: Drivers, Lumens, and Marks
Guzhen in Zhongshan makes the lamps. The housing is rarely what fails. The driver, the real lumen output, and the test report are. Here is what I ask before a lighting order.
Export and customs
3 min read
China Export Documents a Buyer Should Actually Read
The commercial invoice, packing list, and Chinese export declaration have to describe the same goods. Here is what I check so your broker is not guessing at the port.
Freight
3 min read
FOB, EXW, and CIF: How I Split Freight on a China Order
FOB at a named Chinese port is the split I use most. EXW dumps export clearance on you. CIF hides the ocean rate. Here is how I choose before the deposit.
Quality control
3 min read
What a Pre-Shipment Inspection Covers on Standard Goods
A pre-shipment inspection looks at packed goods against the signed sample. Here is the defect split I use, and the extra checks for flasks, socks, toys, and lamps.