On the buyer’s side, only
No supplier commissions, no rebates, no hidden markup folded into your unit price. My fees are flat and agreed before we start, so the number I negotiate is the number you see.
Independent agent · Yiwu, China
Your resident sourcing agent in Yiwu & China’s factory belt.
Skip the middlemen. I walk the five districts of Yiwu International Trade Mart for you — shortlisting verified suppliers, negotiating in Mandarin, checking the goods and packing everything into one shipment. Between factory visits, I answer you in English within one business day.
- No supplier commissions
- Flat rates agreed upfront
- Every visit photo-documented
01 — Why an independent agent
Big enough to buy. Small enough to answer you.
Sourcing companies are built to move volume, not to spend a morning in one stall for a 900-piece order. I am one person, on the ground, paid by you — so the only result that matters is the price and the quality you take home.
Fast, direct, accountable
One contact from the first quote to the bill of lading. No account managers, no handovers: WhatsApp me a photo and you get an answer from the person standing in the stall.
Proof, not promises
Every stall gets a photo of the shopfront, a business card, a written quote and a sample reference. You approve in writing before anything is ordered or paid.
One quote, all-in
Goods, domestic delivery, inspection, export packing, freight — quoted as one landed-cost sheet so you can compare suppliers on what actually reaches your warehouse.
02 — How it works
From a rough idea to a landed-cost spreadsheet in four steps.
Most first orders move from brief to shipped in three to five weeks. You approve every quote, sample and payment — nothing leaves my warehouse without your written go-ahead.
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01
Day 0
Send the brief
Product photos, target price, quantities, packaging needs and your deadline. If you only have a category, that is enough to start.
- Same-day reply with a flat quote
- Shortlist of districts and stall types
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02
Day 1–2
Pre-visit matching
I scout the relevant districts before you arrive or before the camera call, so the time is spent comparing real candidates, not wandering.
- 3–6 verified stall candidates per item
- MOQ and price ranges in advance
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03
Visit day
Source and negotiate
Stalls or factory floors — in person or on live video. I translate, push on price and MOQ, check materials and packing, and log everything as we go.
- Written quotes in English
- Samples marked and couriered
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04
Day 7+
Consolidate and ship
Goods from every supplier are received, checked, relabelled and packed together, then booked by sea or air with documents you can actually use.
- Inspection photos before dispatch
- One tracking link, one invoice
03 — Services
Four ways to work the market.
Pick the one that matches how far along you are — a first scouting trip, a remote product search, a multi-supplier order, or a factory you need to see before you commit.
On the ground
01 / Market sourcing run
Yiwu market, guided and negotiated
A full day inside the market with someone who knows which aisle answers your product list — and how to argue the price in Mandarin without losing the supplier.
- District-by-district route built from your list, walked before you arrive
- Live negotiation on unit price, MOQ, tooling and packing
- Business cards, shopfront photos and a written quote for every shortlisted stall
Typical output 20–40 stalls screened · 3–6 quotes per item · samples on the way
Remote
02 / Virtual sourcing
Cloud Yiwu — the market on a video call
Can’t fly out this quarter? Come anyway. I hold the camera, you hold the questions, and we walk the stalls together in real time.
- Live WhatsApp or Zoom session timed to your working day
- Close-ups of stitching, finishes, labels and packaging on request
- Session recording, translated quotes and a photo folder the same day
Typical output 2-hour session · 15–25 products reviewed · shortlist within 24 h
Export
03 / Consolidation
Many suppliers, one shipment
The stall with the best toys is not the stall with the best stationery. Buy from both and let me turn nine cartons here and four there into one clean export file.
- Receive, count and inspect goods from every supplier in one warehouse
- Relabel, re-pack, palletise and photograph before dispatch
- One LCL or FCL booking — sea or air — with packing list and invoice
Typical output 5–20 suppliers combined · 1–40 CBM · 7 days free storage
Beyond Yiwu
04 / Factory visits
See the factory before you trust the quote
Yiwu is the market, not the whole country. When the volume justifies it, we go to the source: Yongkang for hardware, Zhuji for socks, Cixi for small appliances.
- On-site audit of production line, capacity, materials and QC process
- Business licence, export rights and certification checks
- Video walkthrough plus a plain-English report with photos and red flags
Typical output 1-day visit · 60–90 min video · written audit within 48 h
04 — Know the ground
Five districts. One very large building.
Yiwu International Trade Mart runs to more than 5.5 million m² of selling space. Knowing which district holds your category — and which floor of it — is the difference between three productive days and three lost ones.
Toys, flowers & accessories
Plush and plastic toys, party goods, artificial flowers, hair accessories and jewellery findings.
Hardware, tools & luggage
Hand tools, locks, kitchen hardware, suitcases, backpacks and travel accessories.
Stationery, cosmetics & office
Pens, notebooks, office supplies, cosmetics packaging, mirrors and personal-care tools.
Textiles, socks & knitwear
Hosiery, gloves, scarves, underwear, fabrics and basic apparel — often straight from Zhuji mills.
Housewares, crafts & imports
Glassware, kitchenware, cleaning products, festive décor, candles and imported goods.
The factory belt
Yongkang hardware, Zhuji socks and knitwear, Cixi small appliances, Taizhou plastics, Wenzhou footwear — most within two hours by road.
Timing
Stalls open around 08:30 and the market is busiest before noon. Sundays are quiet; the week before Chinese New Year is chaos. Plan around both.
Language
Most quotes are given per unit in RMB, in Mandarin, with MOQ implied rather than written. I put both on paper before you decide.
Sampling
Sample fees are usually refunded against a bulk order. I mark, photograph and courier samples so you know exactly which stall each one came from.
05 — Proof of work
What a sourcing week actually looks like.
Photos from the floor, the warehouse and the loading dock. If you want to see a specific category, ask — I would rather send you today’s pictures than a polished brochure.
What buyers ask me most
“I have a supplier already. Can you just check the quality before it ships?”
“Will you take a commission from the factory?”
“Can you do this without me flying out?”
06 — The honest comparison
Three ways to buy. Only one is on your side.
Trading companies add a margin and keep the supplier relationship. Going alone keeps the margin but spends the time. An independent agent sits in between, paid only by you.
| What matters | You, alone | Trading company | With me |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays the agent | — | You do, via a hidden margin | You, at a flat agreed rate |
| Supplier relationship | Yours, if you find them | Held by the trader | Yours — introduced, not owned |
| Language & negotiation | You, in Mandarin | Handled for you | Handled with you, quotes in English |
| Response speed | Depends on the supplier | Account manager queue | Direct line, under 24 hours |
| Minimum order size | Whatever you can carry | Often a container | 1 carton is a valid start |
| Multi-supplier consolidation | Not practical | Yes, inside their margin | Yes, at cost plus a flat fee |
| Who you call when it goes wrong | The supplier, in Mandarin | The trader | Me, on the floor, that day |
07 — How pricing works
Every brief gets its own quote. No percentages on your order.
Rates depend on the categories, quantities, dates and how much legwork a brief needs — so each one is quoted individually rather than printed as a price list. Send the brief and you get a flat fee in writing before any work starts.
Market sourcing run
Per day
Quoted from your brief
One buyer, one day, full market access with translation and negotiation.
- Pre-visit stall scouting
- Up to 8 hours on the floor
- Written quotes & photo log
- Sample handling & courier
Virtual sourcing session
Per session
Quoted from your brief
A live walk through your product list, on camera, without leaving your desk.
- WhatsApp or Zoom video call
- 15–25 products reviewed
- Recording & translated quotes
- Follow-up shortlist in 24 h
Consolidation & export
Per shipment
Quoted on volume and scope
Multiple suppliers, one warehouse, one booking and one set of documents.
- Receiving & count check
- Photo inspection before packing
- Relabel, re-pack, palletise
- Sea or air booking
Factory audit & inspection
Per visit
Quoted on location and scope
A factory, a warehouse or a pre-shipment check — visited, filmed, reported.
- Licence & export-right check
- Capacity and QC walkthrough
- Photo & video evidence
- Written report in 48 h
What your fee covers
- My time, travel inside Yiwu and translation
- Supplier vetting, negotiation and follow-up
- Photo, video and written documentation
- Coordination with your forwarder or mine
What it never covers
- Goods, samples, tooling or supplier deposits
- Courier, freight, duties and destination charges
- Third-party lab tests or certification bodies
- Any commission — from you or the supplier
Prefer a success fee?
For repeat programmes I can work on a reduced day rate plus a small percentage of verified order value. Same rule applies: the percentage comes from you, never from the supplier.
Discuss a retainer
08 — About
One agent. Your name on the file.
I have spent the last decade buying, checking and shipping out of Yiwu — first for a trading company, then for myself. I started this practice because the buyers I kept meeting were paying for layers they never saw: a margin inside the unit price, a commission inside the freight, a “factory” that was really a stall with a WeChat account.
What I sell is not access. Anyone can walk into the market. What I sell is judgement: which stall actually owns the mould, which supplier will hold a price for ninety days, which carton will collapse in a container, and when a cheap quote is going to cost you a second production run.
- 10 yearssourcing in Zhejiang
- EN / 中文contracts and negotiation
- Yiwu & beyondfactory-belt visits
- Buyer-sideno supplier commissions
09 — Questions
The things buyers ask before they book.
Still unsure? Send the product photo and your target price on WhatsApp. A two-line answer is free.
Ask on WhatsAppDo I actually need an agent to buy from Yiwu?
No — and I will tell you when you don’t. If you are buying one product in volume from a supplier you already trust, you need a forwarder more than an agent. An agent earns the fee when you are comparing stalls, when the quote is in Mandarin, when MOQ is the real obstacle, or when several suppliers have to become one shipment.
Can you source for me if I never come to China?
Yes. Video sourcing covers the market live; I handle sampling, supplier verification, payment coordination, inspection and export consolidation. Plenty of my clients have never set foot in Yiwu — they see the stalls through my camera and approve samples by courier.
How much does a sourcing trip cost in total?
Budget for three lines: my fee (quoted flat for the days or sessions your brief needs), your own travel and hotel if you come in person, and the goods plus freight. I quote the third line as a landed-cost sheet so you can see the real cost per unit before you commit.
What is the minimum order quantity?
It depends on the stall and the item. Many booths start at one to five cartons per design; factories typically ask for 500–3,000 pieces. Smaller MOQs usually mean a higher unit price, and I will show you both numbers rather than pretend the cheap one is available.
How do I pay suppliers without getting burned?
Never pay a personal account you have not verified. I check the legal entity, business licence and bank details, and recommend terms such as a deposit against a verified contract with the balance released after inspection. For larger orders, an escrow platform or a letter of credit is worth the fee.
Can you combine goods from several suppliers?
Yes — that is the consolidation service. Goods from different stalls and factories are received at my warehouse in Yiwu, counted, photographed, relabelled, palletised if needed, and shipped as one LCL or FCL booking. One packing list, one invoice, one tracking link.
How long does shipping take, and can you arrange it?
Sea freight from Ningbo typically runs 30–40 days to European or US ports, air freight 5–10 days door to door. I work with your forwarder if you have one, or quote through vetted partners and show you the cost breakdown rather than a single mystery number.
Will you sign an NDA and keep my product private?
Yes. I sign an NDA before you share designs or packaging artwork, and I do not publish client products, prices or supplier names. Testimonials are only used with written permission.
10 — Start here
Tell me what you need. I will tell you what it takes.
Send your product list, a screenshot or even a rough idea. Within one business day you get a straight answer on price range, MOQ, lead time and the cheapest sensible way to ship — plus a flat quote for the work.
- +86 135 1692 6936
- arlinlee222@gmail.com
- +86 135 1692 6936
- Office hours
- Mon–Sat, 08:30–18:30 China time (UTC+8)
Your brief stays private. No newsletter, no list, no follow-up sequence — just an answer from me.