Sales pages describe steps. This is what actually happens inside each one: how a factory gets selected, how quality gets verified, and who pays for what between the factory gate and your door.
Everything starts with a document, not with a price search. We formalise what the product must be: material, dimensions, tolerances, colours, packaging, marking, certification requirements, intended annual quantity. An incomplete specification produces incomparable quotations — the single most common cause of a bad purchasing decision.
We search, then we eliminate. Three levels exist in the Chinese market: the broker who resells, the trading counter that subcontracts, and the factory that owns the line. We verify business licence scope, export history, declared capacity against actual capacity, and consistency between the range advertised and the tooling visible.
We request structured offers, then break them down: unit price, minimum order, tooling or development cost, packaging cost, production lead time, payment terms, and Incoterm. Two prices can only be compared if the Incoterm is identical — an EXW and an FOB for the same product can differ by 15% with nobody lying.
A sample approved from a photo commits nobody. We have the sample produced, then we seal the reference sample: a piece signed and dated, kept by you and by the factory, which becomes the contractual definition of the product. Acceptable tolerance on each characteristic is recorded on it.
We draft and verify the proforma invoice: specification by sample reference, quantity, price, Incoterm, port, payment terms, late-delivery penalties. The initial payment is usually staged; production is milestone-checked, and we confirm progress before the line finishes, not after.
Two checkpoints, not one: during production (while an error is still correctable) and before shipment, after packing. Sampling follows ISO 2859-1 (AQL sampling plans), with the inspection level and acceptance threshold set in advance by defect criticality. Inspection by us or by an independent third party.
Mode selection — LCL groupage, full container, or air freight for what cannot wait — then coordination with the forwarder through to departure. On the Canadian side, the importer must hold a Business Number with the import program, classify the goods under the Harmonized System, and produce a customs declaration. Duty on goods of Chinese origin falls under the most-favoured-nation tariff: CUSMA does not apply to goods manufactured in China.
The part nobody shows: what rules a factory out, even when its price is the best one on the table.
The business licence scope must cover the product category. A textile factory offering electrical goods is not a factory, it is a reseller.
A declared capacity above what the line can produce means hidden subcontracting — and an inspection that will cover a workshop you have never seen.
Experience exporting to regulated markets shows command of documentation, export packing and deadlines — not just of the product.
Named customers you can contact, or at minimum references in a market comparable to yours. Logos without names are not a reference.
How a supplier answers a tolerance or material question tells you more than how fast it sends a quote. A factory answers on substance; a reseller answers with a price.
A very broad range from a small production site is a warning sign: either production is dispersed, or you are talking to an intermediary.
"Pre-shipment inspection" means nothing without three parameters: where, when, and against what acceptance threshold.
| Parameter | What we set with you | Why it changes the outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | During-production check, then final check after packing | At end of line, a wrong material or shade is no longer correctable: only a discount or a refusal remains |
| Sampling plan | ISO 2859-1, inspection level and AQL threshold set per defect family | The threshold determines how many pieces are checked and how many defects are tolerated — hence what will be accepted or rejected, before anyone is on site |
| Defect classification | Critical / major / minor, defined in writing with reference photos | Without this classification every defect becomes arguable, and the argument happens without you in the room |
| Who inspects | Us, or an independent third-party inspection company | A third-party report carries weight with both the supplier and your insurer |
Four terms cover almost every file we handle. The column that matters most is the last one: where the risk becomes yours.
| Term | Main freight | Export clearance | Duty & import clearance | Risk transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXW Ex Works | You | You | You | At the factory, before loading |
| FOB Free On Board | You | Supplier | You | On board the vessel at the port of departure |
| CIF Cost, Insurance, Freight | Supplier | Supplier | You | On board the vessel at the port of departure |
| DDP Delivered Duty Paid | Supplier | Supplier | Supplier | At your door, duty paid |
What is required of the importer, and what we do in whose name.
A commercial importer must hold a BN issued by the Canada Revenue Agency with the import/export program activated. It is in the importer's name, not ours.
Every item must be classified under the Harmonized System. Classification determines the duty rate — and an approximate classification is paid for in reassessment, not in an immediate fine.
The declaration is produced and signed by a licensed customs broker. We provide complete commercial documentation consistent with that declaration.
Goods of Chinese origin fall under the most-favoured-nation tariff. CUSMA does not apply: it requires North American origin, not mere transhipment.
GST applies on import and is generally recoverable for a registered business. Duty is not recoverable: it is part of landed cost.
The FOB price is not your cost. Landed cost adds freight, insurance, duty, brokerage, handling and inland transport — the only figure that lets you compare against a local supplier.
Limits are as useful to know as capabilities.
We finance neither the goods nor the freight. You remain the owner of your stock and of your payments.
Electrical (CSA/UL), food or medical certification belongs to accredited bodies. We verify that a supplier holds it; we do not issue it.
We work from product information and samples provided by the factory. Nothing needs to be shipped to us to start.
The lowest price always exists. It rarely matches the product described, and almost never the same Incoterm.
Tariff classification binds your company. We document the product so the classification is defensible, and we flag the risk areas.
Food, health products, formulated products, uncertified electrical appliances: out of scope, by choice.
Photos, a drawing or a specification are enough — nothing needs to be shipped. Free initial assessment, and if China sourcing is not the right path for your product, we will tell you that too.