How to find a sourcing agent in China?

[Emma123]

Hi

I am trying to find a sourcing agent in China with experience in the food market (specifically tea) and preferably with exporting experience from China to the UK.

I'm a start up business looking to import only small quantities to begin with. I'm too small for most of the major China sourcing agents I've found advertised on Google.

Is there a 'directory' of sourcing agents I can make enquires from?

Thanks for your help.

 

[GirirajD]

Hi Emma123,

If it is of any help, I can help source from India as I have recently started assisting in sourcing.

In my experience, where small quantities are concerned, India and China would cost almost the same. Infact, India may be cheaper given logistics costs. Although - I am working on building contacts in China and will share once I have some.

Please let me know if I can help.

Admin: Please advise if the above message is inappropriate for this group. Am new to this forum.

Regards,
Giriraj D

 

[GraemeL]

Hello @Emma123 . How small is small?

 

[Emma123]

Hello @Emma123 . How small is small?

About 20kg per tea type

 

[Anne nuna]

HI!

I'm Chinese living in Manchester.
I can help you buy 20Kg
What type would you like?

 

[OMGVape]

Hi Emma

I use a sourcing agent in Beijing for smaller orders, message me your contact details and I’ll ask her to get in touch.

 

[CHUKTC]

Hi Emma,
You will find many sourcing agents able to help you if you look online using a search term such as China sourcing agent. The problem is knowing which one to choose!
The vast majority are based in China and whilst in theory this is not a problem per sae you may find it preferable and more reassuring to use a UK based company with offices in China.
Before choosing an agent make a list of the things you want them to do - then make sure you have confidence the agent you choose understands what you want and is able to deliver. Things you may want to consider include finding a suitable supplier who can deliver the quantity and quality you require, will they check out the background of the supplier for you (you dont want to use one who closes after you paid)! What about quality control? will they negotiate prices and importantly payment terms. What about shipping - can they provide door to door delivery? can they provide a price including port and customs charges to your door (many in China cannot). What about checking the goods (in this case a food product) has the required documentation to enter the UK? Do they have experience in this kind of thing?
A good agent should be able to take care of all of these things for you and protect your interests.
Let me know if you need any more advice.

 

[MOIC]

Tea is very very specialised and your buying options will depend on your business you are trying to promote.

If it's a dedicated tea business you are looking to open, then my advice is to visit China and go to the tea plantations and see with your own eyes how the tea is grown, prepared.

A tea specialist will want to know that you have knowledge in your buying process and that you understand your business.

It will be money well spent.

If you are just looking to sell 'Chinese"' tea, then take your pick on Alibaba . . . .research, select, sample, due diligence, sample order, test etc. etc . . . . .Or get an agent to do the research, sampling and consolidate the sample shipping to you.

They will charge, but will save you money in the long run, especially for shipping consolidation.

Feel free to ask for any assistance via the link in my signature below.

 

[QPLAST]

Tea being a very special product, you should first find the source locations where it's grown or processed. Then find a local contact for logistics.

Alternative, you can do the reverse. get samples from agents and then based on what you like, you have to find the actual source(tea estate) for bulk supply somewhere down the line.

Good luck
Deepak

 

[Sauron.Zhang]

well, I have a friend in China doing tea business. he plants team by himself.

 

[Nick Garnett]

Go straight to Alibaba, it's full of really helpful, conscientious Chinese manufacturers ready and able to help you.

 

[Novevan]

Go straight to Alibaba, it's full of really helpful, conscientious Chinese manufacturers ready and able to help you.

this is a good idea，Many people are looking for suppliers on ali

 

[fisicx]

this is a good idea，Many people are looking for suppliers on ali

Only because they are looking for snake oil.

 

[Nick Garnett]

Only because they are looking for snake oil.

If you work for UK Business Forums I don't think you're doing a great job, every comment seems to reflect your negative opinions about everything. I'm a new member here and you're not giving me a great impression of the business.

 

[fisicx]

I don’t work for UKBF. I’m just a volunteer.

If you search the forum and many other sources they will all tell to be very careful when dealing with alibaba. What you buy may be diiferent to what you receive (as many have discovered).

 

[Nick Garnett]

Complete nonsense, and why does it say 'Staff member' in your profile?

 

[fisicx]

Complete nonsense, and why does it say 'Staff member' in your profile?

Because that is the default label. I don't get paid, all I can do is a bit of moderation. Some of the moderators are employed by Sift but most aren't. If you don't believe me get in contact with @Ray Newman

 

[MOIC]

I agree with @fisicx in that Alibaba is not the best solution for when buying in China.

The buying process is complex and you need to work with a competent supplier that tells the truth, understands your full requirements and will be able to deliver the product you want, together with your branding, packaging, verified certifications, quality control as well as a host to other requirements.

Alibaba suppliers will be in the main trading companies with little knowledge of the product and virtually no control of the quality of the final product. Your first line of communication is with a ‘sales rep’ who is in this position solely due that he/she knows a limited amount of English, which is not sufficient to fully understand all your needs required at each stage of the buying process, from A to Z.

I would say that 90% are trading companies or ‘one man bands’ all masquerading as ‘factories’.

Alibaba is fine to get ideas and ball park prices on products, but to find a good supplier takes days of hard work, sampling, due diligence, getting 3rd party inspections on the factory itself, certifications and quality inspections before shipping.

Rule number one - Never rely on what a China supplier tells you. Alibaba are full of these types of suppliers.

Having said all the above, you may hit lucky with some suppliers, as long as they are genuine factories, which is approximately 10% of the listings you will see.

Like anything in business you have to be prepared to work hard to find the best suppliers.

 

[Novevan]

I agree with @fisicx in that Alibaba is not the best solution for when buying in China.

The buying process is complex and you need to work with a competent supplier that tells the truth, understands your full requirements and will be able to deliver the product you want, together with your branding, packaging, verified certifications, quality control as well as a host to other requirements.

Alibaba suppliers will be in the main trading companies with little knowledge of the product and virtually no control of the quality of the final product. Your first line of communication is with a ‘sales rep’ who is in this position solely due that he/she knows a limited amount of English, which is not sufficient to fully understand all your needs required at each stage of the buying process, from A to Z.

I would say that 90% are trading companies or ‘one man bands’ all masquerading as ‘factories’.

Alibaba is fine to get ideas and ball park prices on products, but to find a good supplier takes days of hard work, sampling, due diligence, getting 3rd party inspections on the factory itself, certifications and quality inspections before shipping.

Rule number one - Never rely on what a China supplier tells you. Alibaba are full of these types of suppliers.

Having said all the above, you may hit lucky with some suppliers, as long as they are genuine factories, which is approximately 10% of the listings you will see.

Like anything in business you have to be prepared to work hard to find the best suppliers.

Nice answer, totally argree!! thanks for your sharing!!

 

[Maple Sourcing]

Very good comments from "My Office in China", cannot agree more!

 

[Yolanda666]

There are big teas wholesale markets in Guangzhou and I also have friends selling teas. Sometimes I also go there to taste tea. I can help you with that.

 

[Brianinlondon]

1. You can go to kiwikiwifly, seoclerks, peopleperhour and buy the China sourcing services with platform escrow transaction.

you will find lots of freelancers from china offer products sourcing services online. You can buy their services with these platform escrow feature. It is secure for your online transaction and save you lots of time. And you must find a china agent to buy these items from china, because credit card are not secure, most suppliers from china always use T/T, alipay escrow transaction.

2. Finding sourcing agent in China through friends or youtube.

If you have friends who are imported from China, you can introduce a Chinese agent to you through your friends. This will make you more reliable and trustworthy. Some reliable china agent can record the videos and upload their services to youtube. And they will leave their whatsapp and email address. You know these china sourcing agents have the vpn to access the youtube and facebook. so that you will get more convenient talk with them.

3. Hire the China procurement agent by third-party escrow transaction.

If you find the suitable China procurement assistant, don't give the money first, only use the third-party escrow transaction. Like upwork escrow, kiwikiwifly escrow, peopleperhour escrow. that's means you can recevie the good result and china sourcing services with the third-party escrow transaction. The China procurement assistant will do his best to address your product sourcing issues in China. If they cannot offer the good China sourcing services, You will get your money back and they will lost the scores on these platforms.

 

[Larry Fong]

The first places to start are the B2B platforms for doing business with China. Actually, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council is also a good source. Many Hong Kong companies are sourcing for Western Countries in China. Many are both manufactures and sourcing agents. You can check the website of the Council.

 

[Vikkkkki]

I think you can just Google‘China sourcing agent or supply chain company’. But tea is kind of special....Tea has an extremely large variety and various qualities. Prices are also very different.

 

[BronzeWingTrading]

You can try searching on any B2B Portals, specifically Alibaba.com, where you can find the right party to source the tea exporter.

You can use Letter of Credit, as a payment term for your tea imports from China. In this way, you no need to pay any cash in advance & can make the payment through DLC MT700, once the goods are shipped to your destination port.

 

[wozo sourcing]

WOZO Sourcing offers a range of services that could be beneficial for your startup, especially if you're looking to import tea from China to the UK in small quantities. They support small businesses and startups by providing services such as supplier verification, sourcing and purchasing, quality control, and product development, with a minimum budget requirement as low as $500. This could potentially align with your initial small-scale import needs

 

[fisicx]

@wozo sourcing - it’s been over four years, I suspect they have got it sorted by now.