Answers.
Straight, specific answers to the questions importers actually ask about sourcing from China — supplier vetting, payment terms, Incoterms, quality control, lead times, tariffs. One question per page, answered the way someone who's stood on the factory floor would answer it.
How do you know if a Chinese factory can actually make your product?
Every factory says yes. The proof is what already runs on their line: a sibling product, a machine list that matches your spec, engineers who push back, and a paid sample off the real tooling.
What is a golden sample and why does it matter?
The single sealed unit both you and the factory sign off as the standard the run must match. What it is, how to make one that holds up, and what it controls at inspection.
How do you negotiate price with a Chinese factory?
The levers that actually move a factory quote: a realistic target price, committed volume, spec trade-offs, and timing. And the quality-fade trap that turns a hard squeeze into bad goods.
What documents do you need to import from China?
The four papers every shipment needs, the compliance and customs documents that clear the port, and who prepares each one before you wire the balance.
How do you private label a product from China?
The design is the factory's; the brand is yours. What you can customize and what it costs, when to register the trademark at home and in China, and why compliance lands on your label.
How do you get a sample from a Chinese supplier?
The sample fee is a filter, not a brush-off, and it usually comes back as a credit on your first order. What stock and custom samples cost, how long each takes, and what to check when the box lands.
What's the difference between OEM and ODM manufacturing?
OEM builds your design and gives you an exclusive product; ODM brands a design the factory already sells. What each costs, which fits your product, and who owns the tooling.
How do I find a manufacturer in China?
Four real channels: B2B marketplaces, the Canton Fair, referrals, and a sourcing agent. Which one is for whom, how to reach factories beyond Alibaba, and the check that matters more than the website.
What is China plus one sourcing and is it worth it?
Keep China as your main source and add a second country to spread risk. What it hedges, where the plus-one usually goes, the hidden costs, and how to tell if it is your move yet.
Should I use a sourcing agent in China?
Use one when the order is worth real money, you can't be there, or you've been burned. Skip it when the order is small and the factory is already trusted. The real question is which agent, because how they get paid decides whose side they are on.
Can a Chinese factory legally copy your product?
Usually yes, unless you protected it in China first. IP is territorial, so your home patent does nothing there, and China is first-to-file. What actually makes copying illegal, and the layers to put in place before you share a drawing.
What is the importer of record and why does it matter?
Almost every duty bill, customs penalty and recall on a China shipment lands on one name. Usually it is yours, even when you assumed the factory or forwarder was handling it. What the role means and why it decides who is on the hook.
What does FOB actually mean when importing from China?
Free On Board: your supplier loads the goods, export-cleared, onto the ship and then it's on you. What the price covers, where risk passes, and the freight and duty the FOB number leaves out.
What is CE marking and who is responsible for it?
It is not a quality badge, and no authority issues it. The maker self-certifies. If you import from China or put your brand on the product, the legal responsibility is yours, not the factory's.
How do I protect my product design when manufacturing in China?
You paid for the design, but in China ownership goes to whoever registers first and whoever holds the mold. The layers that protect a custom product, and the order to put them in before you share a drawing.
How do I communicate effectively with a Chinese factory?
Clear communication is the cheapest quality control you have. Send specs not adjectives, ask one question at a time, and learn why a polite yes often means I heard you, not I can do it.
Why does my Chinese supplier keep saying "next week"?
It's rarely a real date. Usually a polite way to push back bad news without saying no. What's actually behind the stall, and the questions that turn a soft promise into a date you can check.
How far ahead should I order around Chinese New Year?
Factories shut for two to four weeks and the work on either side gets sloppy. Why the holiday breaks your schedule, when factories really close, and the cutoff to get your order in on time.
Do you need a customs broker to import from China?
For commercial shipments, almost always yes. What a broker does, when you can self-file, what it costs, and why the liability still stays with you.
What is an HS code and how do you find the right one?
The number that classifies your product for customs and sets the duty rate. How the code is built, how to find the right one, and why the supplier's code is not your code.
Who actually pays the import duty when you import from China?
The buyer does. The importer of record in your country owes the duty and import VAT or GST, not the factory. Why it is you, and how the number is worked out.
What is a bill of lading and why does it matter when importing from China?
Whoever holds the original bill of lading controls your container. What the document is, the three forms you will meet, and what to check before the ship sails.
How long does shipping from China actually take?
Two clocks, not one: production lead time of about 15 to 45 days plus transit. Sea, air, express and rail timelines, and what quietly blows your schedule out.
What is the difference between FOB and DDP when buying from China?
FOB puts the goods on the ship in China and hands you the freight, duty and the bill of lading. DDP is one all-in price to your door. Which to use, and the DDP duty trap to watch for.
How much does it really cost to import from China?
The factory quote is usually only 50 to 70% of what the goods cost delivered. The full landed cost adds freight, duty, import VAT or GST, brokerage, and the hidden costs, with a worked example.
Why do quotes from different Chinese factories vary so much?
Send one drawing to five factories and the prices swing 40%. It is rarely cheating: spec gaps, material grades, factory vs trader, quantity, and Incoterms. How to make quotes comparable.
What is MOQ and how do I get a Chinese factory to lower it?
MOQ is the smallest run a factory will make, set to cover setup and bulk materials. The five levers that actually move it, what each one costs you, and when the floor is real.
What AQL inspection level should I use for my China order?
The level sets the sample size, the AQL sets how many defects you accept. General Inspection Level II at 2.5 major and 4.0 minor covers most orders. When to tighten for a first order or safety goods.
How do you run quality control when importing from China?
QC from China is a three-stage system, not a final check. Lock the spec and golden sample, inspect during production and pre-shipment on AQL sampling, and release the balance only on a pass.
What is a pre-shipment inspection and is it worth the cost?
The last look at your goods while you can still say no. What an inspector checks, the $250 to $350 man-day price, and the purchase-order clause that makes the report count.
Why does my production run look different from the sample?
The sample is the factory's best effort; the run is its average one. Why they drift apart, and the four moves that keep your bulk order matching what you signed off.
How do I avoid getting scammed by a Chinese supplier?
The four scams that catch importers, and the checks that stop each one: verify the company, pay only the registered account, confirm bank details live, and gate the balance on a passed inspection.
What is an NNN agreement and do I need one in China?
NNN means Non-Disclosure, Non-Use, and Non-Circumvention. Why a Western NDA does nothing in China, when you actually need an NNN, and the four things that make a Chinese court enforce it.
How much deposit should I pay a Chinese factory?
30% is standard, with the 70% balance released only after a passed inspection. When a higher deposit is fair, how to negotiate it down, and the bank check that stops a deposit vanishing.
What are safe payment terms when buying from a Chinese supplier?
The standard 30/70 split, why you release the balance only after a pre-shipment inspection, which method actually protects you, and the bank-account check that stops fraud.
Is Alibaba safe for sourcing from China?
Alibaba is a directory, not a guarantee. What the Gold Supplier and Verified badges really mean, what Trade Assurance actually covers, and the five checks to run before you pay.
How do you verify a Chinese supplier before you place an order?
A wire to China is final. Five checks, in order, before a deposit leaves your account: registry, factory floor, bank name, bilingual contract, pre-shipment inspection.
How do I know if a Chinese supplier is a real factory or a trader?
Check the business license scope, cross-check it on the official registry, and see the production line. The three checks that separate a manufacturer from a middleman, in order.