In brief
A China sourcing agent works for the buyer: it finds and checks suppliers, negotiates, follows production, arranges inspection and hands the goods over to freight. Agents are paid by a commission on the order, a fixed fee per task, by the hour or month, or through a margin built into the unit price; published prices in November 2026 include 5% of product value at one Yiwu agent (JingSourcing) and 268 to 298 USD per inspection man-day (V-Trust). Choose an agent that names the factory, can be verified on China's official company register (gsxt.gov.cn) and states in the contract that it takes no undisclosed commission from suppliers.
What a China sourcing agent does, and what it does not
A sourcing agent, or China sourcing company, is a firm (sometimes an individual) that handles product sourcing in China for an overseas buyer and represents it in front of manufacturers. You send a specification (drawings or a sample, quantity, target price, destination market); the agent turns it into a shortlist of factories and follows the order until the goods leave the port. The usual scope:
- Supplier research: shortlisting factories that make your product at your volume.
- Verification: business licence checks, factory visits or audits.
- Negotiation: price, minimum order quantity (MOQ), lead time and payment terms.
- Samples: collecting, comparing and forwarding them, then approving one reference sample.
- Production follow-up: checking progress against the schedule and reporting deviations early.
- Inspection: checking goods against your specification before the balance is paid.
- Consolidation and freight: grouping goods from several suppliers and handing them to a forwarder.
China sourcing services range from a single step, such as an audit, to the whole chain, as described on our page about working with a China sourcing agent based in Guangzhou.
What a sourcing agent does not do
Sourcing from China through an agent does not transfer your obligations at home. In the European Union, the importer answers for the compliance of what it places on the market, and since 13 December 2024 the General Product Safety Regulation requires a responsible economic operator established in the EU for products made outside it. An agent does not certify products either: testing and certification are the job of laboratories and certification bodies. Nor can it guarantee that a factory will not copy your design; that comes from registrations and contracts, covered below.
Sourcing agent vs trading company vs platform vs inspection firm
All four can lead to the same factory. The difference is who they work for and how much of the chain you see.
- Sourcing agent
- Works forYou, under a service contract
- What you getSupplier search, negotiation, follow-up, inspection, shipping
- Main limitOnly as independent as its fee model
- Trading company
- Works forItself: it buys from factories and resells
- What you getOne invoice for products from several factories
- Main limitThe factory's identity and price usually stay hidden
- Platform: Alibaba.com, 1688, Made-in-China.com
- Works forConnects buyers and sellers
- What you getLarge catalogues to compare; Trade Assurance on orders paid on Alibaba.com
- Main limitA listing can be a factory or a trader; 1688 is in Chinese and built for buyers in China
- Third-party inspection: SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, QIMA
- Works forYou, for a defined check
- What you getA report on a sample of the goods on a given day
- Main limitDoes not find suppliers, negotiate or follow the order
Alibaba.com's Trade Assurance covers orders placed and paid on the platform, with refunds if products do not match the agreed terms and mediation by Alibaba if a dispute is not settled; protection is tied to paying through Alibaba.com. An Alibaba sourcing agent adds what the platform does not: checking the supplier behind the listing and following the order. 1688.com, Alibaba's site for China's domestic wholesale trade, is in Chinese, which is why 1688 sourcing agents exist: they order on your behalf and receive the goods in China before export. In Yiwu, whose International Trade Market houses nearly 80,000 booths, Yiwu sourcing agents offer to place small orders across many booths and consolidate them into one shipment.
How much does a sourcing agent cost?
There is no official rate for sourcing agent fees. Agents use one of the models below, sometimes combined, and inspection firms bill by the man-day: one inspector on site for one day, report included.
- Commission
- How it worksA percentage of each order, often with a minimum
- When it fitsRepeat orders with production and shipping follow-up
- RiskThe agent earns more when you pay more; fix the base (ex-works or FOB) in the contract
- Fixed fee per task
- How it worksA set price per supplier search, audit or sample round
- When it fitsOne-off needs: a shortlist, an audit
- RiskVague deliverables; define the number of suppliers and the report
- Hourly rate or monthly retainer
- How it worksTime billed, or a monthly fee
- When it fitsProduct development, many SKUs, ongoing supplier management
- RiskYou pay for time, not results; ask for time logs
- Margin in the unit price
- How it works"Free" service: the agent or trader resells above the factory price
- When it fitsSmall orders where convenience beats transparency
- RiskYou see neither the factory price nor its name
- Inspection by man-day
- How it worksFlat price per inspector day on site
- When it fitsPre-shipment checks, factory audits
- RiskCovers only the goods sampled, on that date
Published examples, read on 3 November 2026: JingSourcing, an agent in Yiwu, charges 5% of product value with a 100 USD minimum when you bring your own suppliers; buying from its suppliers, the fee is 0 USD, costs are included in the unit price and supplier details are not disclosed in most cases. For inspections, V-Trust charges 268 USD per man-day in China's major manufacturing regions and 298 USD elsewhere, all-inclusive; QCadvisor starts at 280 USD, all-inclusive in mainland China; QIMA quotes on request.
Hidden commissions from factories
Always ask who else pays the agent: a factory that pays it secretly buys its loyalty. China's Anti-Unfair Competition Law, revised with effect from 15 October 2025, prohibits bribing a person or entity entrusted by the other party to a transaction, and bars them from accepting; commissions to intermediaries are allowed only if paid openly and recorded in both parties' accounts. Whether a given arrangement crosses that line is for a lawyer to say, but your contract can settle it: the agent declares any payment from suppliers, or states there is none.
How to find and verify a sourcing agent in China
Agents are found through referrals, trade fairs such as the Canton Fair, freelance platforms and search engines. You can also search suppliers yourself on CINA, Vyrion's directory of more than 41,000 Chinese suppliers, and use an agent only to verify and follow them. Knowing which Chinese cities make your product also tells you whether an agent's shortlist makes sense. Before signing, run five checks:
- Ask for the agent's business licence (营业执照) and check that the company name is the same on the contract, the invoices and the bank account you will pay.
- Look up its unified social credit code on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn): status, date of establishment, registered capital, business scope, annual reports and any listing among abnormal operations (经营异常名录).
- Ask for an anonymised report from a previous factory audit or inspection, with photos, dates and quantities checked.
- Confirm in writing that you will receive each factory's name and address, and that you or an auditor can visit.
- Start with a paid, bounded task, such as one audit or one sample round, before handing over a production order.
The unified social credit code has 18 characters: a registration authority, an entity type, a six-digit region code, a nine-character entity identifier and a check character. Enterprises registered with the market regulator normally start with 91; 92 marks an individual business (个体工商户), a sole trader rather than a company. The register is in Chinese; search by the company's Chinese name or its code. It may not load from outside mainland China: if your agent runs the check for you, ask for the code so you can repeat it.
How to check a Chinese supplier: licence, audit, samples, payment
The same licence check applies to every factory the agent proposes, with two extra points. The business scope (经营范围) should cover production of your product: a scope limited to sales or trade points to a trading company. And the registered address should match the factory you visit, or the difference should be explained, for example a separate production site.
- Factory audit: an on-site review of facility, equipment, capacity and quality system; QCadvisor publishes audits from 280 USD per man-day.
- Samples: approve one reference sample, signed and kept by both sides, so inspections compare goods against something physical.
- Pre-shipment inspection: done when at least 80% of the order is complete (QIMA's definition), on a sample drawn under ISO 2859-1, the AQL standard whose third edition came out in January 2026.
- Payment: a 30% deposit before production and 70% before shipment is the term Chinese suppliers most often request, according to Global Sources. Paying the balance only after the inspection passes, or against a copy of the bill of lading, keeps leverage on your side.
The 80% threshold comes from QIMA's definition of a pre-shipment inspection, and the 30% deposit and 70% balance from Global Sources' guide to paying Chinese suppliers.
Protecting your design with an NNN agreement
China works on a first-to-file basis, and the European Commission's China IP SME Helpdesk advises setting an IP strategy at least a year ahead, even if you only manufacture there. Before sending drawings, sign an NNN agreement: non-disclosure (your information stays confidential), non-use (the factory may not make your product or similar ones for anyone else) and non-circumvention (it may not bypass the protections built into your product). The UK government advises making such contracts enforceable in mainland China, under Chinese law and courts where most appropriate. A partner that refuses an NDA should, in the Helpdesk's words, be treated with caution.
Red flags when choosing a sourcing agent
- It will not name the factory, or will not let you visit or audit it.
- The service is "free" and the agent cannot explain how it is paid.
- It asks you to pay a personal account, or an account held in a different name from the company on the contract.
- Bank details change by email just before a payment: Global Sources reports buyers scammed by hackers sending invoices with their own account. Confirm by phone.
- The licence cannot be found on gsxt.gov.cn, the code does not match, or the company is listed among abnormal operations.
- It refuses to sign an NDA or NNN agreement.
- It pushes for 100% payment upfront, or for skipping the pre-shipment inspection, on a first order.
Working with a sourcing agent in Guangzhou
Vyrion is a China sourcing agent based in Guangzhou. We act as the buyer's representative, agree our commercial terms with you before a project starts, and coordinate supplier search, verification, production follow-up, quality control and freight. Quality-control findings are reported to you for decision; we do not certify products on behalf of regulators. To check a supplier you found yourself or to source a new product, contact us with your specification, volumes and destination.