What does a sourcing agent in China do?
A sourcing agent in China represents the buyer in dealings with Chinese suppliers. The agent looks for manufacturers, compares prices, negotiates terms, orders samples and checks production before shipment. Some agents stop at the Chinese port; others also handle freight and customs clearance in Poland.
The agent works on the buyer's side. A trading company is a seller: it buys goods from factories and resells them with its own margin. A factory, meaning the manufacturer, makes the goods in its own plant.
How do you find a manufacturer in China and tell a factory from a trading company?
You can find manufacturers in China on B2B platforms, at trade fairs and through referrals, but every one needs checking. A business licence, the public company register and a site visit show whether you are facing a factory or a trading company. A trading company is not bad by definition; you just need to know who you negotiate with.
Every Chinese company has an 18-character unified social credit code (统一社会信用代码). The code is issued at registration, printed on the business licence (营业执照) and stays the same for the company's whole life. That is set out in State Council notice No. 33 of 2015.
Registration details, administrative penalties and annual reports of Chinese companies are public in the state enterprise information publicity system (企业信用信息公示系统). This is required by State Council Regulation No. 654, in force since 1 October 2014.
| Signal | Factory | Trading company |
|---|---|---|
| Business scope (经营范围) on the licence | includes production (生产, 制造) | trade, import and export |
| Address on the licence | matches the plant | an office address |
| Site visit | production line and raw material store | a meeting at the office or "at a partner's plant" |
| Product range | one or a few related groups | very wide, across many industries |
How does our team in China work?
Global Trade Group is a Polish company in Warsaw with its own team in China. The team researches manufacturers, compares suppliers, negotiates the price at the factory, orders samples and tracks quality right through production. Then we ship the goods, clear them through customs and deliver them to your door.
The usual import chain runs from the factory through a trading company, an export agent and an importer to you. Each link adds a margin. Ours runs factory, Global Trade Group, you: one price, one contact.
One sentence is enough to start: the product and a rough quantity. We work at any scale, from a single sample to a full 40HQ container. We come back with a price and a date within one working day.
We work in Polish, Turkish, English, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic and Romanian. Customs clearance is handled by the MEYİS group's customs team, and the goods sail from Yantian to Gdańsk in typically 30–38 days. We describe the whole process under import from China to Poland.
Quality control in China: which inspections exist, and what is AQL?
Quality control in China usually means three inspections: before production, during production and before shipment. The number of units to check is set according to the ISO 2859-1 standard. AQL (acceptance quality limit) is the worst average quality level a buyer is still willing to accept.
- Pre-production inspection checks raw materials, components and the approved sample before mass production starts.
- During production inspection (DUPRO) checks the first finished units, so a fault is fixed before the whole batch is made.
- Pre-shipment inspection (PSI) checks a random sample of finished, packed goods against the specification before loading.
ISO 2859-1 describes sampling plans in which the sample is drawn according to the AQL, lot by lot. The lot size and inspection level give the sample size, and the AQL gives how many defective units still allow acceptance. You set the AQL in the order, usually separately for different defect classes.
Our team tracks quality through production and checks the goods before they ship. That matters legally too: the importer is responsible for the safety of the product it places on the EU market (Article 11 GPSR).
Private label from China: what can you have made under your own brand?
Private label from China means goods made by a Chinese factory but sold under your brand, with your logo, packaging and label. The factory sets the minimum order quantity (MOQ), which depends on how much you change. Once you sell a product under your own brand, EU law treats you as its manufacturer.
Logo, packaging and private label production are part of our sourcing line, together with sampling and custom production management. An example from our catalogue: the bamboo matcha whisk (chasen) is also available under a client's brand.
Manufacturer status follows from Article 3(8) of the GPSR and Article R6 of Decision 768/2008/EC. The manufacturer is responsible for the technical documentation, labelling and the declaration of conformity. We cover the details on the PPWR, BDO and GPSR page.
How are Chinese suppliers usually paid?
International trade uses five basic payment methods that spread risk differently: cash in advance, letters of credit, documentary collections, open account and consignment. For the buyer, full prepayment is the least favourable and open account the most favourable. What follows is market practice, not our own payment terms.
That is how the International Trade Administration, a US government agency, describes payment methods. Consignment means payment only after the goods are sold to the end customer.
| Method | When you pay | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cash in advance (T/T, bank transfer) | all or a significant part before shipment | e.g. a deposit before production and the balance before loading |
| Letter of credit (L/C) | the bank pays when the seller presents documents that meet the terms | you pay the bank for this service |
| Documentary collection (D/P, D/A) | when you collect the documents at the bank, or on an agreed date | banks do not guarantee payment |
| Open account | after delivery, typically within 30, 60 or 90 days | the most favourable for the buyer |
Alibaba or 1688: what is the difference?
Alibaba.com is the Alibaba Group's international B2B platform, and 1688.com is the group's domestic Chinese wholesale marketplace. Alibaba.com targets buyers worldwide; 1688 targets businesses in China. Neither platform tells you whether a seller is a factory: you check that in the licence and the register.
According to Alibaba Group, Alibaba.com has operated since 1999. In fiscal year 2024 it served more than 48 million small and medium-sized enterprises from over 190 countries and regions.
The group describes 1688.com, also founded in 1999, as the "product source for Chinese e-commerce". AliExpress, by contrast, is a retail platform for consumers.
Examples from our wholesale catalogue include console tables and decorative wall panels. The quote form is on this page; the product and a rough quantity are enough to start.
Legal position checked: September 2026.