Honest pricing, no hidden margins

Yes. Every proposal includes itemized factory quotes and our fee separately. You see exactly what the factory charges and what we charge.

We have a $3,000 minimum order value for commission work. Below that, the economics don't make sense for either side — the time to audit a factory is the same whether the order is $3k or $30k.

No extra fee for re-sourcing within a commission engagement. If the first factory fails audit, we find another one at no additional cost.

On first orders, no — the 5–8% range is based on order complexity, not negotiation. On repeat orders with the same factory (where our work is lighter), we often reduce to 3–4%.

Our commission is 5–8% of the final factory invoice value — that's the actual price the factory charges you, not a marked-up number. 5% applies to straightforward repeat-category orders where the factory is already vetted; 8% applies to complex engagements involving custom tooling, multi-stage certification, or sourcing from a new factory that requires an audit. We quote the exact percentage in writing before the engagement starts, so there are no surprises on the invoice.

Project fees are fixed and quoted upfront before any work begins — you approve the number before we book the trip. A factory audit runs $300–800 depending on factory complexity and distance from Shenzhen; a standard pre-shipment inspection (half-day, one product line) runs $200–400. Audits at more distant locations like Yiwu, Wenzhou, or Ningbo add travel cost passed through at-cost with receipts. We issue the invoice after delivering the written report.

Commission is per-order — you pay a percentage only when an order is placed, which makes it the right model for occasional buyers or first engagements. Retainer is a flat monthly fee ($1,500–3,000/month) structured for clients placing orders every 4–8 weeks; it covers a set number of inspections, unlimited sourcing queries, and priority response. Retainer clients also get discounted project fees for anything outside the included scope. The break-even point is roughly two or more orders per month — beyond that, retainer is almost always cheaper.

Yes, and we disclose them all in advance in the proposal. Common pass-through costs include sample shipping (DHL/FedEx, typically $30–150 per shipment depending on weight and destination), travel for remote factory audits, and lab fees when we coordinate certification testing on your behalf. We don't mark up any of these — they're invoiced at cost with receipts. Our service fee and every third-party cost are line-itemed separately so you always know what you're paying for. For Saudi Arabia and other GCC markets this also covers SASO/SABER registration and CST radio approval — we coordinate them, and the official and lab fees are passed through at cost, never marked up. Note that our agent fee is entirely separate from your import duties, VAT, and freight — those are paid to customs and carriers, not to us, and together with the factory price make up your total landed cost. To estimate the duty and VAT portion before you order, use our duty calculator at /tools/tariff-calculator/.