How to Choose a Sourcing Agent: The 12-Point Checklist

June 2026 · 6 min read · Sourcing

Choosing a sourcing agent is choosing who will spend your money and represent your brand in China. A bad choice costs far more than the fee. Here is the checklist we would want buyers to use on anyone — including us.

Before you commit

1. Registered company, real address? Verify the business licence and visit or video-call the office.
2. Who owns the factory relationships? An agent should be able to name factories and introduce you — not hide a "network" behind secrecy.
3. How are they paid? Fixed fee, per-project, retainer — or a hidden markup on goods? Get the pricing model in writing.
4. Do they take factory commissions? Some do. It is not automatically wrong, but it must be disclosed and agreed before you start.
5. Which categories are they genuinely expert in? A generalist who claims everything usually knows nothing deeply.

About their process

6. Can they show you a real audit/inspection report? Sample reports reveal whether they inspect properly or just take photos.
7. Do they inspect independently of the factory? Ask who signs the report and whether the factory sees it before you do.
8. What happens when a batch fails? Their answer reveals whether they protect you or the factory relationship.
9. How do they handle pricing? Can they break down a product cost — materials, labour, overhead — or do they just relay the factory quote?
10. What is their QC coverage? Where are they based? Can they reach your factories on short notice?

Before you sign

11. Try them small first. A paid pilot project — one factory audit or one small order — tells you more than any sales pitch.
12. Put everything in the contract: scope, fees, report timelines, conflict-of-interest rules, data ownership and termination terms.

The one sign to trust

The best agents say "no" sometimes — no to an unrealistic spec, no to a bad factory, no to your own bad idea. A yes-man with a WeChat account is not a sourcing partner.