Frequently Asked Questions

Electronics: Bluetooth speakers, TWS earphones, IoT modules, smart home devices, PCB assembly, wearables, and similar hardware. We don't source apparel, food, or general merchandise.

Commission-based work: $3,000 minimum order value. Below that, the economics don't justify the sourcing and audit work. For standalone audits or inspections, there's no order minimum.

No. We can start with a reference product, a feature list, or a rough idea. We'll help define the spec through the discovery process. The more you know upfront, the faster we move.

First order from scratch: 8–14 weeks end-to-end (sourcing, audit, sample, production, inspection, shipping). Repeat orders with the same factory: 6–10 weeks. Rush orders are possible for some categories — ask.

Submit an RFQ through the contact form or message us on WhatsApp. We respond within 24 hours and schedule a 30-minute discovery call.

Yes, with the right process in place. The main risks are IP theft from factories seeing your designs, getting quoted by traders pretending to be manufacturers, and quality shortcuts that don't show up until after shipment. We mitigate all three: factory verification (site visits + business registration) weeds out traders, NDAs are signed before sharing any design files, and 3-stage quality inspection catches defects before goods leave China. Sourcing from China is no riskier than any international manufacturing — it just requires process discipline.

1688 (the domestic wholesale platform, more factories than Alibaba), direct industry contacts built over 7 years, trade shows in Shenzhen and Canton, and factory referrals from existing relationships. We don't just search Alibaba.

Yes. Many of the best factories don't list on Alibaba or list with minimal presence. Direct relationships often yield better prices and more reliable communication.

We deliver 3–5 qualified suppliers after screening out traders, unqualified manufacturers, and those who can't meet your certification requirements. More options don't help if they're the wrong options.

Yes. We can audit a factory you've already identified, manage production with your existing supplier, or just handle inspections. You don't have to use our sourcing service to use our other services.

Business registration check (scope must match what they claim to do), physical site visit, equipment verification, worker headcount vs. payroll, and cross-referencing on 1688 (traders can't hide there as easily as on Alibaba).

1688 is Alibaba Group's domestic Chinese wholesale platform. Both are owned by the same parent company, but 1688 serves the Chinese domestic market while Alibaba targets international buyers. Key differences: 1688 has far more factories (not just traders), lower domestic pricing without international markup, but the entire interface is in Chinese and payment requires a Chinese bank account or Alipay. Many quality factories don't list on Alibaba at all — they operate exclusively on 1688. We search both platforms, but 1688 is typically where the most competitive factory-direct pricing is found.

Yes — both are mandatory and both are common rejection points. Saudi Arabia uses the Type G (BS 1363) three-pin plug with a required 13A fuse in the plug itself, and the grid runs 220V at 60Hz. The 60Hz part trips up factories that assume the Gulf is 50Hz like Europe — a power supply rated 50Hz-only or wired for a Type C/F Euro plug will fail SASO conformity. We specify the plug type, the in-plug fuse rating, and 50/60Hz tolerance to the factory at the quote stage, then verify the rating label against the production unit during inspection.

AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit) is a statistical sampling standard. We use AQL 2.5 for major defects (functional, safety) and AQL 4.0 for minor defects (cosmetic) as defaults. These can be adjusted based on your requirements.

We issue a Hold decision with detailed findings. You decide: accept with concession, require rework and re-inspection, or reject the shipment. We recommend; you decide.

Yes. Inspection is a standalone service. We can inspect at any factory in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Yiwu, and most other manufacturing regions.

Yes. For electronics we run functional tests, check certifications, verify firmware versions, and test specific failure modes relevant to your product category. A speaker gets acoustic and BT connectivity tests. An IoT module gets RF performance checks.

A written pass/fail assessment against AQL sampling tables, photo evidence for every defect category found, a product count verified against the packing list, carton marking and labeling checks, measurement results for critical dimensions, and the inspector's final recommendation (pass / hold pending rework / fail). Reports are delivered within 24 hours of the inspection completing.

We use a three-stage QC approach: pre-production (raw materials and components checked before the production run starts), during-production (mid-batch check when 15–30% of the order is complete), and pre-shipment (full AQL sampling on the finished batch). Each stage catches different failure modes — defects found at the pre-production stage cost a fraction of what they cost to fix after the full batch is made. Skipping early stages means a single bad component decision can multiply through thousands of units.

Yes. SASO requires the user manual, safety warnings, and the key rating-label information to be available in Arabic — English-only documentation is one of the most common conformity gaps for first-time exporters, and for many categories the retail packaging must carry Arabic too. The fix is cheap if you catch it early and expensive if you don't: we flag it at the spec stage so the factory builds the Arabic artwork into the print run, then check it during pre-shipment inspection rather than re-printing packaging after thousands of units are already boxed.

Three models: commission-based (5–8% of order value, $500 minimum), project-based (fixed fee per service), or monthly retainer ($1,500–3,000/month). Most first-time clients use commission.

Our commission is 5–8% of order value, with a $500 minimum per order. The rate depends on complexity: 5% for vetted repeat-category orders, 8% for new factories needing an audit or multi-stage certification. If you prefer not to pay a percentage, we also offer fixed project rates ($200–800 for a standalone audit or inspection) and a monthly retainer ($1,500–3,000) for clients ordering every 4–8 weeks. We state the exact number in writing before the engagement starts.

Typically at the same time as factory payment milestones. For a 30/70 deposit/balance structure: we invoice at deposit and at balance. Never before the factory is paid.

No. The factory quote you see is the actual factory price. Our commission is on top and stated separately. You can verify factory prices after we introduce you.

T/T wire transfer is standard. We coordinate the payment schedule (typically 30% deposit, 70% before shipment). For new clients, we recommend escrow via trade assurance for the first order.

USD for most clients. Factory payments are typically in CNY (we handle the conversion if you're paying in USD).

A standalone factory audit costs $300–800 depending on location, factory size, and audit depth. The audit includes business registration verification, physical site inspection, equipment assessment, worker headcount cross-check, and a written report with photo evidence and a clear pass/hold/fail recommendation. Audit fees are included at no extra charge when you use our commission-based sourcing service.

We coordinate shipping — freight forwarder selection, export documentation, and tracking. We don't operate our own freight business. Freight costs are pass-through at cost.

Sea (LCL/FCL), air freight, express courier (for samples), and rail (China–Europe). We recommend based on your timeline, budget, and cargo type.

Export clearance (China side): yes. Import clearance (your country): we provide documentation and guidance, but you need a licensed customs broker in your country. We can refer you to brokers in the US, EU, and Japan.

Yes. Sample shipping is included in all sourcing engagements. We ship via DHL/FedEx/UPS to your location, typically within 3–7 business days after samples are ready.

Air freight for lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries is heavily restricted under IATA PI 965/966/967 regulations, and most express couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) have per-package watt-hour limits that many products exceed. We route battery shipments through sea freight or specialist dangerous goods forwarders who are licensed to handle them. We also manage the UN 38.3 test documentation that any battery shipment — air or sea — legally requires.

US importers face Section 301 tariffs of 7.5–25% on most electronics, layered on top of standard MFN duties — the exact rate depends on the HTS code. EU customs duty on electronics is typically 0–3.7% (plus VAT at destination). UK importers apply the Global Trade Tariff post-Brexit, with similar ranges. We help classify HS codes correctly upfront and provide a landed cost estimate before you commit to an order. Import duties are the buyer's responsibility; we don't absorb them in our pricing.

We manage the factory side of it. Saudi Arabia has no self-declaration route — every shipment needs a Certificate of Conformity registered on the SABER platform against the relevant SASO regulation, and customs clears through the FASAH single window. The factory must supply accredited IEC test reports (IEC 60335 for appliances, IEC 62368-1 for AV/IT gear); we verify they come from an ILAC-accredited lab and match the exact production model, since an in-house or non-accredited report is the single most common reason goods stall at the border. The authorized Saudi importer holds the SABER account and is issued a Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC) per model, then a Shipment Certificate (SCoC) per shipment — we ship most often through Jeddah and Dammam.

Email is the record of truth. For faster updates: WhatsApp for informal check-ins and milestone updates. We work async by default — no scheduling overhead, no time-zone friction. We don't do Slack or other collaboration tools — too many channels, too much noise.

Yes. Crowdfunding projects, pre-seed hardware startups, and early-stage companies are welcome. We've worked with teams going from 0 to first production run. The challenge is usually unit economics at small quantities — we'll be honest about what's viable.

We intervene directly. Delivery delay, quality issue, or factory dispute — we contact the factory in Chinese, escalate through their management chain, and track resolution. You get a status update within 24 hours of any issue flagged.

Yes. Standard mutual NDA before we begin. We take IP protection seriously — partly because we've seen what happens when sourcing agents don't.

You receive a weekly status email with factory-reported output count, quality hold status, and any issues flagged. For active quality issues, updates go to 24-hour cadence until resolved. On the factory side we're in daily contact via WeChat with our liaison on the floor. You don't need to chase us for updates — we push them proactively.

We're not a certification lab, but we manage the process end-to-end. We identify the correct directives and standards for your product, refer you to accredited labs in China — SGS, Bureau Veritas, and TÜV Rheinland all have Shenzhen offices — coordinate sample submission, and review test reports for red flags before the final certificate is issued. Most consumer electronics need FCC for the US market, and CE (RED + LVD + EMC directives) for EU — we'll map out exactly what applies to your product.

The authorized Saudi importer registers it — a Chinese factory cannot hold a SABER account or file the conformity registration itself, so if a supplier claims they can "do SABER for you," treat it as a red flag. But the registration can't proceed without inputs only the factory provides: ILAC-accredited IEC test reports matching the production model, the technical file and bill of materials, photos of the rating label showing voltage and frequency, and a CST reference for any product with a radio. Our role sits in the middle — we make sure the factory hands over accredited, model-matched documents so the importer's Conformity Assessment Body doesn't reject the file.

Yes. Anything with a Zigbee, Wi-Fi, BLE, or cellular radio needs CST (Communications, Space & Technology Commission) radio type approval, which runs as a separate track alongside the SABER safety registration — it is not a step inside it. Teams that discover CST late find it is the line item holding a container at port while the safety side is already cleared. We treat it as a parallel workflow from day one and confirm the factory has, or can obtain, the test data CST requires before the order is placed.