10+
10+ years experience of developing, bundling and producing Amazon Choice and Best Seller products.
Discover profitable products and reliable suppliers in China with RND. Our comprehensive services ensure seamless order management, secure and cost-effective shipping, and customized solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Experience a hassle-free sourcing journey with us!
Your Expert China Agent for Product Sourcing, Development, Bundling, and Shipping
Searching for High-Demand, Profitable Products?Seeking Expert Support to Manage Orders and Suppliers in China?Discover Cost-Effective Sourcing, Development, Bundling, Packaging, and Shipping Solutions with Us.20+
20+ years experience of China sourcing, Yiwu market researching and purchasing.
500+
working with 500+ medium and large buyers.
2000+
2000+ direct factories network.
50%
save your purchasing cost up to 50%.
80%
80% of new clients choose to work with us.
95%
95% of existing customers have been with us more than 5 years.
100%
100% committed to your order and your business.
We Have Solutions For Different Business
As Your Trusted Long-Term Partner, RND Tailors Services to Suit Your Business Needs.
Value-added Services
Product Sourcing
As a professional China sourcing company, we offer comprehensive procurement services covering products and suppliers from across China, including the renowned YIWU wholesale Market. Our expertise ensures efficient sourcing, saving you time and money while safeguarding against fraud.
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Product Developing & Bundling
Product development is the process of transforming your product concept into a commodity, or improving on an existing product into a new product. We will walk you through the entire process
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Product bundling here we are talking about involves grouping multiple items into a single package or bundle. Our service extends to customizing packaging for these bundled products, ensuring they meet specific requirements and preferences.
Quality Inspection
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Our team can conduct mid-production inspections, inspections at final delivery, or on-site inspections, even one-by-one to ensure that every product meets your standards. From specifications to functionality, we cover every aspect of quality to ensure customer satisfaction.
We inspect goods to AQL 2.5 or to the standard required by the customer.
Shipping Arrangements
Efficient Transportation Solutions: From container and bulk shipments to FBA and 3PL shipments, or door-to-door shipments, we simplify the purchasing process by delivering safely and economically to your door by air, sea or rail.
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How We Make Your Business Successful?
More than being your sourcing agent, we care about you and your business.
We Care About Quality.
We have higher inspection proportion than third-party inspection companies to make sure there is no quality issue when the products arrive in your warehouse.
We Care About The Shipping Security.
We always work with the most capable and reliable forwarding companies to make sure the cargo goes through the customs and arrives into your warehouse smoothly.
We Care About Your Cost.
We get quotations from minimum 3 suppliers to make sure the prices are always competitive.
We Care About Your Business Growing.
Our professional sourcing team keeps sending you the latest info and the best selling products in different categories to keep you and your business up with the industry.
We Care About The After Sales.
We make sure all of our suppliers respond promptly if you have any issue after receiving the orders. A positive atitude from the supplier is critical in our measurement.
We Care About Our Commitment.
We take every single one of you seriously. Whenever there is a problem, we provide solutions in short time.
Introduction of The Workflow
Step 01
Submit the inquiry of your needs. We will email you in few hours to assign you an agent to start working together.
Step 02
We send you the product quotation in two business days or less. Samples will be arranged if necessary.
Step 03
Confirm all product details with your agent before making a bulk order. Your agent will coordinate with factories, follow up on production, make on-site inspection to make sure everything is on the track.
Step 04
Collect the products in our warehouse, inspect the quality and arrange courier/sea/air/train shipping to your address, FBA fulfillment center or 3PL warehouse or your address door-to-door.
Hear What They Say About Us.
We are proud to work with hundreds of clients from various countries and industries, such as wholesalers, retail chains, brands and e-commerce business owners.
Bernnie
United States
RND and Nick were a great help when we were visiting backpack factories in Quanzhou, Yiwu, Yongkang, China.
Nick did a tremendous job in communicating with our suppliers and solved a couple of difficulties and issues in new product developing and production. With their guiding, my friend David and I also visited Yiwu Market which was a big shock to our mindset. We had several great ideas for our new products developing and business direction.
RND always gives us their most professional and forward-looking advice. This is a company deserves your trust, especially if you already have a muture business and look for new growth.
Sandy
Greece
RND company is one of the best companies that we have cooperated for many years and we can trust.They always help us find the best quality and the best prices in Yiwu market. Their delivery time is very quick.
The whole team of RND company is friendly and looking for the best for us. Because of covid situation, we can not travel to China now. We are having a lot of help from this company.RND you are the best ❤️
Mariusz
Poland
We've been working with RND for more than 10 years. They make my sourcing and purchasing from China much easier and save lots of time and money for me.
Nick and Riona took good care of my whole family during our trip in China. They also visited us in Poland in 2013 to attend a China trade show in Warsaw. I've put a couple of my contacts and friends in Poland to RND who did their work perfectly. This is a partner for work and real friend for family.
Kip
United States
RND has been our sourcing agent for 7 years. They make everything super easy for us.
They take care of everything in China so all we have to focus on is selling the items once they arrive.
- Should I pay 100% upfront to a Chinese supplier?Paying 100% upfront is the single most common way importers lose money in China. The standard safer structure is 30/30/40 staged against inspection milestones. For first orders with new suppliers, use Trade Assurance escrow so payment releases only on verified shipment.
Short Answer: No, Unless You Want All the Risk
Direct AnswerNo. Standard safe terms are 30% deposit to start production, 30% after during-production inspection and 40% after pre-shipment inspection. Any supplier demanding 100% upfront without an inspection clause is a major red flag. For first orders, use Alibaba Trade Assurance so the payment releases only on verified shipment.
Why 100% Upfront Is the Single Highest-Risk Payment Structure
Once 100% of the payment has left your account, every single risk in the transaction shifts to you. Production delay, material substitution, quality defect, mis-shipment, regulatory non-compliance - all of these now happen to a supplier who has already been paid. The supplier's incentive to fix any of them collapses because their cash flow is no longer at stake.
A staged payment structure is not a sign of distrust. It is a sign of an experienced buyer. The most common structure at RND SOURCING is 30% deposit / 30% after during-production inspection / 40% after pre-shipment inspection, with the final 40% always paid against a passed inspection.
30/30/40 is the standard split. Anything that puts 100% on the buyer's side is the outlier. The Standard Three-Stage Payment Structure
Three payment stages, three points of leverage, three chances to catch a problem before it leaves the country. Most well-run Chinese factories will accept this structure without discussion.
130% deposit to begin production.
Paid against a Proforma Invoice signed by both parties. Material orders get placed, moulds get cut, the production schedule starts.
230% after during-production inspection (DPI) passes.
An accredited inspector confirms the line is producing against your specification. You still have leverage because the goods are only partly made.
340% after pre-shipment inspection (PSI) passes.
Final payment against a passed inspection on the bulk run. The goods are containerised only after this stage clears.
When 100% Upfront Is Acceptable - and When It Is Not
Long-running relationship with verified supplier.After two or three clean orders with a known supplier, some buyers release 100% on a repeat run. The leverage has been earned, not assumed.Letter of credit from a tier-one bank.An LC shifts payment risk from you to the issuing bank. Costs more, takes longer, but is the cleanest form of staged payment.First order with a new supplier.There is no track record, no leverage and no reason to take the buyer's entire risk onto yourself.Custom tooling, moulds or first articles.The supplier's largest sunk cost is the mould. They do not need 100% upfront to protect themselves. The standard deposit covers tooling.Pressure, urgency or off-platform routes.Any supplier combining these with a 100% upfront demand is asking you to absorb every risk in the transaction.
The deposit gets production started. The remaining 70% is your leverage until inspection passes. Case: The Custom Tooling That Disappeared
From the RND SOURCING desk, YiwuA buyer paid 100% upfront for a small custom-mould order. The factory confirmed receipt of funds and started the mould. Three weeks later, the buyer's emails went unanswered for ten days. When communication resumed, the factory cited a 'production schedule reshuffle' and offered a delivery date four months later.
The buyer's leverage was zero. The money had already been spent on moulds that the factory now owned. Negotiating an alternative delivery date or a partial refund was the only realistic outcome. The buyer eventually received about 70% of the order, six weeks late, with one mould dimension out of tolerance.
The structure that would have prevented this is straightforward: 30% deposit to begin the mould, 30% at first article inspection, 40% at pre-shipment. The supplier's tooling exposure is covered by the deposit, and the buyer's leverage sits in the remaining 70% until inspection passes.
OutcomeThe buyer now applies the 30/30/40 structure to every order with every supplier, regardless of how long the relationship has been running.How Trade Assurance Fits In
Alibaba Trade Assurance is the platform's escrow service. Your payment is held by Alibaba and released to the supplier only after verified shipment. It covers non-delivery and (partially) quality disputes, typically up to around $150,000 per order. It is the cleanest payment structure for a first order with a new supplier.
Trade Assurance has three limits. It does not cover counterfeits, IP/branding disputes or issues you discover after acceptance. Disputes require evidence - written specification, sample photos, signed acknowledgement. And it only works if you keep the order on-platform. Any supplier who asks you to switch to off-platform payment 'to save fees' is asking you to surrender your protection.
An empty line is the consequence of 100% upfront without inspection - and it happens after the supplier has been paid. What to Do If a Supplier Insists on 100% Upfront
- Walk away from the order, not just the supplier. A factory that cannot survive a 30/30/40 structure has a cash-flow problem you do not want to inherit.
- Do not substitute 70% for 100% and call it a win. 70% upfront still transfers most of the buyer's risk. The 30% remaining is not enough leverage to recover a problem.
- Do not assume the supplier's risk story is your problem. Mould costs, raw-material prepayments, supplier cash-flow pressure - these are all real, but they are the supplier's business, not yours.
- Counter with a letter of credit. An LC from a tier-one bank satisfies the supplier's cash-flow need while keeping your leverage intact. Cost and lead time are higher, but the structure works.
How RND SOURCING Handles Payment Structure
We default to 30/30/40 against inspection milestones, or to Trade Assurance for first orders. If a buyer wants a different structure, we discuss it before the Proforma Invoice is issued. The discussion is not adversarial. Most suppliers accept the standard structure because they understand that a buyer who agrees to 100% upfront is a buyer who has not thought carefully about the order.
We also accept letters of credit and on-platform escrow. We are not in a position to require them, but we recommend them when the order size and the supplier relationship make sense.
If a supplier pushes back on a standard staged structure, we treat that pushback as one of the most informative signals in the entire verification process.
Ask us to draft a payment structure for your next orderRND SOURCING — Yiwu, Zhejiang, China. Written by our sourcing desk from first-hand market work.Related Questions
- What are standard payment terms with Chinese suppliers?
- Is T/T (bank transfer) safe for China orders?
- What is Trade Assurance and does it really protect me?
- What are typical China sourcing agent commission rates in 2026?
- What makes a winning product to sell online?A winning online product passes four filters: a high margin (3-5x landed cost), real sustained demand (not a fad), easy fulfilment (under 2 lb, non-fragile), and ad-worthiness (explains itself in a 10-second video).
Direct Answer
Direct AnswerA winning online product clears four filters: (1) margin - it sells for 3-5x its landed cost; (2) demand - real, repeatable interest, not a one-week fad; (3) fulfilment - under 2 lb and non-fragile, so shipping is cheap and returns are rare; and (4) ad-worthiness - the benefit shows in a 10-second video. TikTok's 1B+ users mean a product that demos well on camera can be discovered overnight, but only if the other three filters hold. RND SOURCING scores every candidate against these four before a client sources it, so the viral product is also a profitable one.
Detailed Explanation: The Four Winning Filters
Virality is not profit. A product can explode on social media and still lose money if the other three filters fail.
- 3-5x landed margin Price divided by total landed cost. Thin margin cannot absorb ads, returns, and competition.
- Real, sustained demand A curve that holds for months, not a seven-day TikTok spike that vanishes.
- Under 2 lb, non-fragile Cheap to ship, rare to break, painless to return. Heavy or fragile kills margin.
- Ad-friendly in 10 seconds The benefit is visible on camera without explanation. If you need a paragraph, it will not scale on ads.
A winning product demos itself in ten seconds. Real-World Example: Passing on the Viral Lamp
Case study - RND SOURCING, four-filter scoringA client brought RND SOURCING a 'LED mushroom lamp' that was everywhere on TikTok. Scored against the four filters, it failed two: margin was only 3.1x landed cost, and the glass shade was fragile and broke in transit.
RND SOURCING advised passing and screened a foldable silicone collapsible bottle instead: 4.6x margin, 0.4 lb, unbreakable, and it demoed in one squeeze. The client sourced it through Yiwu.
OutcomeThe lamp faded in six weeks; the bottle became a steady, profitable seller with low return rates. RND SOURCING's filter caught a viral trap before the client tooled it.Key Data: The Numbers Behind a Winner
Each filter has a number. A product weak on any one rarely survives paid acquisition.
3-5xLanded-cost marginPrice over product plus freight plus duties<2 lbShip weight targetKeeps fulfilment cheap1B+TikTok monthly usersDiscovery engine for demo-friendly products10sVideo explainerBenefit visible without wordsTikTok reported 1B+ monthly active users; the margin and weight figures reflect common e-commerce profitability thresholds used by RND SOURCING when screening candidates.
Ad-friendly: the benefit is visible on camera. Step-by-Step: Score Every Candidate
Run the four filters as a scorecard before you source anything.
1Calculate landed margin
Quote the product, add freight and duties, divide retail price by that total. Need 3x minimum, 5x ideal.
2Check the demand curve
Five-year Google Trends. Steady or rising beats a spike.
3Weigh and stress the item
Under 2 lb and drop-test it. Fragile or heavy equals a fulfilment tax.
4Film a 10-second demo
If the benefit is not obvious on camera, paid ads will not scale.
5Decision
Passes all four? Source it. Fails one badly? Walk away, however viral.
Common Mistakes in Product Selection
Why winning products lose money.
- Chasing only virality A viral item with 2x margin and glass parts bleeds cash on ads and breaks.
- Ignoring ship weight A 6 lb item can cost more to freight than it earns, especially with returns.
- Thin margin Any product under 3x landed cost cannot survive paid acquisition and competition.
- Confusing a fad with demand A spike that expires before your container arrives is not a business.
Under 2 lb keeps fulfilment cheap. How RND SOURCING Scores Winners
RND SOURCING screens every candidate through the four-filter scorecard and quotes the true landed cost from Yiwu before you commit. We tell you plainly when a viral product is a trap and point you to the quiet winner that actually pays.
We also sanity-check the demo video, because ad-worthiness is the filter most first-time sellers skip.
Ask RND SOURCING to score your productRND SOURCING - Yiwu, Zhejiang, China. Written by our sourcing desk from first-hand product screening.Related Questions
- Where do good product ideas come from?
- Where can I find winning products for free in 2026?
- How can I develop a product without holding huge inventory?
- How do I validate a product idea before spending money?
- Can a sourcing agent help a small or first-time importer?
- How can I develop a product without holding huge inventory?Use a prototype to sample to small-batch ladder of 50-200 units, prove sales with pre-orders or a pre-sale page, then scale. Crowdfunding and pre-orders fund the run, so you never sit on a warehouse of untested stock.
Direct Answer
Direct AnswerBuild on a small-batch ladder: a prototype, then an engineering sample, then a 50-200 unit test run. Sell that test batch through a pre-sale page or pre-orders before you commit to tooling and mass production. Crowdfunding campaigns and customer pre-orders can fund the production run itself, so you are not carrying a warehouse of unproven inventory. Only scale once real orders prove the product. RND SOURCING structures this ladder in Yiwu - sampling, small-batch runs, and consolidated shipping - so clients test demand with a few hundred units, not a full container.
Detailed Explanation: The Small-Batch Ladder
Inventory is the silent killer of new brands. The ladder caps your risk at every step so the most you can lose is a few hundred units.
- Prototype A hand-built version that proves the concept works at all.
- Engineering sample A workshop-built unit that proves it can be made to spec and cost.
- Small-batch test (50-200) A real production run, small enough to risk, big enough to learn from.
- Scale only on proof Tooling and mass runs come after the test batch sells, funded by its own demand.
Test 50-200 units before you commit to a container. Real-World Example: The Door-Mount Resistance Anchor
Case study - RND SOURCING, inventory-light launchA UK fitness brand wanted a door-mount resistance-band anchor but feared a container of dead stock. RND SOURCING built the sample in Yiwu, then ran a 120-unit test batch promoted through a $40 Spark ad on TikTok.
The batch sold out in nine days. RND SOURCING used the pre-orders to fund a 5,000-unit mass run, consolidated into one shipment.
OutcomeThe client launched with zero dead stock and a proven product; the 5,000-unit run was already 60% pre-sold before it left the factory. RND SOURCING's ladder turned a hunch into a funded line.Key Data: Small Batch vs Container
The gap in risk between a test batch and a full container is the difference between a hiccup and a catastrophe.
50-200Test-batch sizeEnough to learn, little to lose0Dead stock at launchRND SOURCING door-anchor case42%Crowdfunding success rateStatista, Jan 2025 - pre-validated beats guessed1Shipment to scaleConsolidated Yiwu runCrowdfunding success rate was 41.98% per Statista (Jan 2025); the point is that pre-validated demand - via pre-orders or a test batch - de-risks the mass run.
The engineering sample: can it be made to spec? Step-by-Step: Build the Ladder
Each run pays for the confidence to take the next, bigger step.
1Prototype and sample
Prove the product can be made and meets spec at a workshop like those RND SOURCING uses in Yiwu.
2Set the test size
50-200 units. Big enough to ship and learn; small enough to absorb if it flops.
3Open pre-sale or pre-orders
A landing page or crowdfunding campaign funds the test batch and proves intent.
4Sell the test batch
If it moves without heavy discounting, the market has spoken.
5Scale on proof
Commit tooling and a mass run only against real, paid demand. Consolidate shipping.
Common Mistakes With Inventory
How brands accidentally bury themselves in stock.
- Full container on a hunch A container is 10,000+ units of assumption. One wrong bet can end a brand.
- Too many SKUs in batch one Testing five colours at once teaches you nothing and doubles risk. Test one hero SKU.
- No pre-sale discipline Building stock before anyone paid is speculation, not validation.
- Ignoring the sell-through signal A test batch that needs 70% off to move is a no for mass production.
Scale only after the test batch sells. How RND SOURCING Keeps Stock Low
RND SOURCING designs the small-batch ladder for every client: we sample in Yiwu, run the 50-200 unit test, consolidate the scaled shipment, and only tool up against paid demand.
Our job is to keep your warehouse empty until the market has paid to fill it.
Ask RND SOURCING for an inventory-light planRND SOURCING - Yiwu, Zhejiang, China. Written by our sourcing desk from first-hand fulfillment work.Related Questions
- What are the steps from product idea to launch?
- How do I validate a product idea before spending money?
- What makes a winning product to sell online?
- Can I buy small quantities (low MOQ) at Yiwu?
- What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ) at Yiwu?
- How do I spot a trading company disguised as a factory?A disguised trader is identifiable by behaviour: factory visits are blocked, technical questions are deflected, the catalogue spans ten unrelated categories, all payment must flow through their account, and the original factory invoice is withheld. A real factory does none of these.
Short Answer: Five Behavioural Tests, Not a Licence Check
Direct AnswerDisguised traders refuse factory visits, cannot answer technical questions, span ten unrelated product categories, demand all money flow through their own account, and will not provide the original factory invoice. Real factories let you pay the maker directly and welcome a third-party audit.
The Pattern That Hides Behind a Polished Listing
The most common 'factory' a new importer meets on Alibaba is in fact a small trading company with a glossy catalogue, an English sales engineer and a domain they registered last year. The trading company is a perfectly legal business. The problem is only the label. Once a supplier claims to be the manufacturer, every signal they send is filtered through the buyer's expectations of a factory - capabilities, control, accountability - and the trading company has incentives that quietly diverge from those expectations.
Five behavioural tests separate the two. None of them require Chinese language or an in-person visit. All of them work from the buyer's first email to the buyer's first PO.
The painted mural is the lie. The licence image is not the answer. Five Tests for a Real Factory
Welcomes a live video tour of the production floor.Asks the salesperson to walk the workshop, name a specific machine and explain the production step for your product. Pre-recorded videos do not count.Answers a process question in one sentence.How is the component welded, sewn or assembled. The factory owner answers directly. The middleman punts the question back to the factory later.Allows direct payment to the factory.You pay the maker's bank account, and the agent takes a separate fee. A disguised trader insists all money flows through their own account.Provides the original factory invoice.The factory's own invoice, not the trading company's commercial invoice, with the unit cost and the supplier bank account visible.Accepts third-party inspection without prior notice.An auditor appointed by the buyer, on a date the agent does not know in advance, with access to the line and the QC records.Why the Five Tests Stack
Each test removes one form of deception. The five together remove most of them. A real factory that wants your order will pass all five because the answers are routine to them. A trading company will fail at least two, because the answers expose the structural fact they would rather keep quiet.
The cheapest test in the set is the third: 'Can I pay the factory and pay you a separate fee?' A real factory says yes. A disguised trader says no.
Ask the salesperson to walk to the machine that will produce your order. Case: The Catalogue That Spanned Eleven Categories
From the RND SOURCING desk, YiwuA buyer was sourcing a simple kitchen tool and found a supplier on Alibaba with a clean business licence, a 6-year trading history and a catalogue covering silicone tools, glassware, electric kettles, yoga mats, pet toys, stationery and seven more categories. The buyer asked one process question: at what temperature and for how long is the silicone cured?
The supplier replied with a marketing paragraph that did not contain a single number. The buyer asked for a live video walk of the silicone line. The supplier offered a pre-recorded clip. The buyer asked whether payment could go directly to the factory. The supplier insisted that all payments had to be handled by the export department for tax efficiency.
We confirmed within an afternoon that the supplier was a Yiwu trading company without a workshop of its own.
OutcomeThe buyer switched to a Yiwu silicone workshop we had visited personally, paid the workshop directly and paid us a separate commission. The unit price dropped noticeably, and the supplier could answer every process question in one sentence.The Three Things Genuine Factories Let You Do
If you have never worked with a Chinese factory before, the list of things a real factory agrees to can feel surprisingly open. They are not concessions. They are baseline expectations of any well-run manufacturer.
Walk the floor on a video call with the salesperson naming the machines. Pay the factory bank account, not the trading company's. Send your own inspector on a date the agent does not know in advance. Ask for the factory's own invoice and compare the unit cost with the trading company's commercial invoice. None of this is adversarial. All of it is how the relationship is supposed to work.
Eleven unrelated categories in one catalogue is the most common single signal. How to Use the Five Tests When the First Quote Looks Good
The first quote is usually the most favourable. Use it as a starting point for the five tests rather than as a signal to commit. A supplier who reacts well to the five tests is statistically likely to be a real factory. A supplier who reacts badly to two of the five is statistically likely to be a trader.
The most useful moment to run the tests is after you have a quotation but before you have sent a deposit. The tests lose half their value if you have already paid.
How RND SOURCING Differentiates the Two
We work in Yiwu, where the trading-company share of the market is closer to 70% than to 10%. Knowing which kind you are talking to is therefore a routine part of our work, not a special investigation.
We disclose the supplier type in writing at the start of the relationship. If the right counterparty is a trading company - and for small mixed orders it often is - we say so. If the right counterparty is a factory, we give the factory name, the address and the live video walk on request.
The five tests are not our tests. They are the buyer's tests. We simply help the buyer run them.
Send us a supplier link and we will run the five testsRND SOURCING — Yiwu, Zhejiang, China. Written by our sourcing desk from first-hand market work.Related Questions
- How do I verify a Chinese supplier is a real factory?
- What percentage of Alibaba suppliers are trading companies, not factories?
- What is a kickback and how do I protect against agent kickbacks?
- How do I find the real manufacturer behind an Alibaba listing?
- How do I buy from 1688 using a sourcing agent?Send the agent your 1688 links. They confirm specs in Chinese, pay in RMB, receive and check goods, consolidate, then export. You pay product plus commission plus freight.
Short Answer: Send Links, the Agent Pays in RMB, Receives, Checks, Consolidates and Exports
Direct AnswerThe workflow is short. You shortlist products and send the 1688 links. The agent confirms specification and price in Chinese, pays in RMB, has goods delivered to their warehouse, checks and consolidates them, then handles export and freight. You pay product cost plus commission plus freight, with no Chinese bank account involved.
The Six-Step Workflow
1You shortlist and send links
Links or screenshots plus the quantity and any specification notes per item.
2The agent confirms in Chinese
Specification, real MOQ, current stock and price, because listing data is often stale.
3Payment in RMB
Paid to the seller's company account through the platform, not to an individual.
4Delivery to the agent's warehouse
Domestic delivery within China, usually a few days.
5Check and consolidate
Quantities reconciled against your list, photos taken, cartons merged into one shipment.
6Export and freight
Declaration filed, packing list and commercial invoice issued, sea or air booked.
The workflow starts with links, quantities and written specifications. What to Send With Your Links
The quality of the order depends almost entirely on the quality of the brief. A list of bare links produces a list of assumptions.
Quantity per SKUState it explicitly; do not leave the agent to infer it from the MOQ.The variant you wantColour, size, plug type and packaging option, written out rather than implied by a thumbnail.Your acceptance toleranceWhat counts as a defect for your market, so the check has a standard to measure against.Target landed dateThis drives the sea-versus-air decision, which changes total cost significantly.Whether substitutions are allowedStock moves fast on 1688; decide in advance who chooses a replacement.What the Agent Should Verify Before Paying
Paying a 1688 seller is quick and largely irreversible, so the checks belong before the transfer, not after.
Check Why it matters How Listing price is current 1688 prices change frequently and stale listings are common Confirm in seller chat Real MOQ and stock Listed MOQ is often not the working MOQ Ask directly in Chinese Company name matches Name mismatch appears in 22% of flagged suppliers Compare listing entity to payee Business status is active Cancelled or revoked entities should stop the order GSXT registry lookup Packing detail Determines carton count and freight volume Request carton dimensions 
Specification and stock are confirmed in Chinese before any payment. The Consolidation Step Is Where the Value Is
Anyone can forward a parcel. The reason this workflow is worth a commission is what happens between delivery and export, when a pile of unrelated cartons becomes one checked, documented shipment.
Quantity reconciliationEvery SKU counted against your list before packing.Photo recordGoods photographed on arrival so disputes have evidence.Repacking for freightLoose domestic cartons rebuilt for international transit.One packing listA single document set instead of one per seller.Case: Nine Sellers, One Shipment
Buyer: Polish e-commerce seller, 23 SKUs on a single listThe client sent 23 1688 links across nine sellers. Four listings were out of stock and two had raised price since the screenshot, which we confirmed before any payment moved. One seller's company name did not match the payee account, so that item was dropped. The remaining goods arrived at our warehouse over eleven days and shipped as one LCL consignment.
OutcomeTwenty of 23 SKUs delivered on one packing list, with the two price changes and one name mismatch caught before payment rather than after.
Reconciliation and consolidation are where the commission earns out. What You Should Ask to See
A transparent 1688 workflow produces artefacts. If none of these exist, the process is not being run properly.
Order screenshotsWhat was paidOriginal 1688 records, per sellerArrival photosWhat was receivedTaken at the warehouse, before packingConsolidation reportWhat is shippingSKU-level reconciliationCarrier invoiceWhat freight costPassed through at costHow RND SOURCING Runs a 1688 Order
A client's list arrives as links; what goes back is a confirmation sheet with the real MOQ, current price and stock status per item, checked in Chinese with each seller before a single payment. We pay company accounts only, receive at our own Yiwu warehouse, photograph goods against the list and issue a consolidation report before the shipment is booked. Original order screenshots go to the client so the product cost is visible and our commission sits on its own line. We are not a bank or an escrow provider, so the transparency is in the paperwork rather than in in a guarantee we are not licensed to give.
Send us a 1688 list to quoteRND SOURCING — Yiwu, Zhejiang, China. Written by our sourcing desk from first-hand market work.Related Questions
- Can foreigners buy directly from 1688?
- Alibaba vs 1688: which should I use?
- How are China sourcing agent fees calculated?
Related Reading
Discover profitable products and reliable suppliers in China with RND. Our comprehensive services ensure seamless order management, secure and cost-effective shipping, and customized solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Experience a hassle-free sourcing journey with us!
Contact Info
- RM 1213, Block B Shuguang Mansion, No. 188 Shangcheng Avenue, Yiwu 322000, China
- +86 13858941517
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