Factory-first
You have a product and suppliers in mind. We verify each one, then run the visits in the right cluster.
China sourcing trips
Find, verify, visit and follow up — in one trip, not five guesses.
A sourcing trip is the whole chain: the region, the shortlist, the visits, and the follow-through. We run it around your product, not around a tourist itinerary — a single appointment is a factory visit.
SOURCING · THE ROUTEPhoto pending
The idea
A sourcing trip is a decision with travel attached.
Most trips go wrong before the plane lands: the wrong region, a shortlist that never got checked, or a schedule that treats factories like sights. The fix is to run it backwards — start from the product and the decision, then build the travel around it.
That is the whole point of a hosted trip. The visiting is the easy part once the region is right and the suppliers are real — the sequence is the process.
Three routes
Start with the kind of trip you actually need.
Market-first
A wide SKU assortment starts at the market — Yiwu, for example — then moves to the factories behind the stalls.
Fair-first
Build a shortlist at a trade fair, then verify it on the floor before you commit to anything.
How long
Four example lengths, sequenced around clusters.
Example structures, not a promise about any specific factory's availability.
- 3 daysOne cluster, two or three suppliers, a market day if it fits.
- 5 daysOne region done properly — market plus factories, or two adjacent clusters.
- 7 daysTwo regions, or one region plus a trade fair you are already attending.
- 10 daysMulti-city: market, factories and fair, sequenced so you are not backtracking.
The route itself is visit planning; a fair-first trip runs through trade shows.
What is included
What the trip includes end to end.
On a hosted sourcing trip
- 01.Supplier pre-screening before you arrive, so the shortlist survives a registration check
- 02.A route built around industrial clusters, not tourist itineraries
- 03.Appointments made with the decision-maker at each stop
- 04.Transport, interpreting and on-the-ground support for the whole trip
- 05.A written report covering every factory visited and rejected
The pre-screening is the five vetting checks.
Questions people ask before booking a trip.
How is a sourcing trip different from a factory visit?
A factory visit is a single appointment. A sourcing trip is the whole chain — deciding the region, shortlisting suppliers, visiting them, and turning what you saw into samples, quotes and a decision. One is a meeting; the other is the reason for the meeting.
How many days do I need?
Three days works for one cluster. Five days covers one region properly. Seven to ten days is worth it when you are combining a market, factories and a trade fair. We will tell you how many days your actual plan deserves — including when the answer is fewer than you expected.
Can you combine a trade fair with factory visits?
Yes, and it is one of the most efficient versions of the trip: collect names at the fair, then verify the promising ones on the floor before you sign anything. The sequence matters — we plan the fair days and the factory days so neither wastes the other.
What does a sourcing trip cost?
Our pricing is two visible lines: a hosting and coordination fee, and an optional sourcing commission that we disclose in writing. We do not take hidden factory commissions, and we will show you the structure before you pay anything.
When should I not come?
Chinese New Year and National Day shut most factories for one to three weeks. We plan around the holiday calendar, and we will tell you plainly if your dates are bad before you book a flight.