The China sourcing process, with a way out at every stage
Who it's for: we run this China sourcing process for hardware founders about to spend investor or backer money, and for brands replacing a supplier that let them down. What it is: 9 steps from drawing review to delivery. Quote too high? Factory not what it claimed? Sample off spec? You stop there. Why it matters: you already know China or Vietnam can make your product. The risk is finding out months and one tooling bill too late that the project won't work. With this process you find out at a gate, before the next dollar goes in. Still deciding whether you need an agent? Start with [what a China sourcing agent does](/china-sourcing-agent).
Steps 1–4: know the real cost before you commit
A tooling bill is the most expensive way to find a drawing error.
- 01
What the drawing review flags
Tolerances tighter than the process can hold, finishes that add cost, and materials with a cheaper local equivalent, each with a suggested change.
- 02
No more mismatched bids
For die-cast, forged, stamped, fabricated, moulded or extruded parts, every supplier prices one specification. Then we check each price against real cost.
Step 5: know who makes it, and who answers for it
You don't doubt the factory can make it well. You want to know who's really making it, and who you can hold to account. Our factory audit answers the first question and our contract answers the second.
A supplier's website is not an audit.
Staff size, machines and how well they're maintained, working conditions, worker safety, social responsibility, process control and management structure.
Bilingual delivery managers from our Ningbo office visit the factory in person. They confirm you're dealing with the real manufacturer, not a trading company.
You contract with our legal entity in Sweden, the US or China, not with a factory you've never visited. A factory that fails the audit doesn't go on to sampling. See how we find and vet a manufacturer.
Built by specialists in China. Shipped to you.
1M+ products shippedIn Asia since 2006Offices in Stockholm, Ningbo and Seattle
Step 6: the sample you approve is the product you get
Approve a part, not a promise.
The factory makes the tool and produces samples. We check appearance, critical dimensions, critical areas and performance. We also confirm that the process and material are the ones mass production will use.
Pilates reformer line: frames, machined rails, springs, wheels and upholstery were sourced separately, then built on jig-based assembly with in-process QC and shipped worldwide.
You get the physical sample and a detailed inspection report. You can approve it, ask for changes or stop, all before you pay for a production run. See product samples and validation.
Steps 7–9: nothing ships until it passes
Before the run, we go back over the sampling fixes with the factory to make sure they're in place. During the run we check process flow, lead times, raw material purchasing and each process stage. See the first production batch and quality control in China.
We book pickup with the freight forwarder and handle HS codes, tariffs and certificates. After pickup we track the shipment through customs clearance.
Delivery is booked to your site or warehouse for the planned date. We also offer warehousing, inventory management and fulfilment if you need them.
Two named people own the process from drawings to your dock
"I review your drawings together with the local team. I then speak to manufacturers and ensure they can manufacture to the right price and deliver in time. Many times I help customers improve their drawings to lower the cost and production time."
"My most important job is to get the products to your dock in time. I handle shipping, customs, paperwork, storage, tariffs and everything in between. When you have questions, send them to me."
148 components, 72 suppliers and 6 countries: a full assembly line built from scratch and delivered on time, with one point of contact.
From prototype to 5,000 units shipped: over 200 components from 18 suppliers, plus assembly line setup, QC and logistics.
China sourcing process: what buyers ask before they commit
The Sourcing Allies China sourcing process has 9 steps: requirements, drawing review, supplier bids, quote, factory audit, sample and tooling, production with inspection, shipping and customs, and delivery. Four of them are go/no-go points (quote, audit, sample and production), so you can stop before more money goes in.
To source products from China for the first time, start with production-ready drawings, one specification sent to several suppliers, and an in-person audit of the factory you choose. Then approve a sample before paying for production. We run these steps for you, with bilingual delivery managers in Ningbo and a contract through our entity in Sweden, the US or China.
Tooling complexity and the time of year matter most. We plan backward from your launch date and build Chinese New Year and Golden Week into the schedule, because they can take weeks out of a production timeline.
The process is staged so that no production money is committed until you have approved the sample and its inspection report.
You know because someone visits it. As part of our factory audit process in China, bilingual delivery managers from our Ningbo office go on site and check staff, machines, process control and management structure. That shows who actually makes your product before any samples are ordered.
No. If your current factory is sound and the problem can be fixed where you are, we'll tell you. Brands leaving a supplier can bring their existing drawings and samples, and we run the same audit, sample and inspection steps before any production moves.
We sign an NDA on every project before your drawings are shared. Your contract is with a Sourcing Allies legal entity in Sweden, the US or China, so you have recourse through that entity rather than depending on a factory you've never met.
Yes. The same staged process runs across our manufacturing network in China, Vietnam and India. Brands splitting production between China and Vietnam get the same audit, sample approval and inspection in both countries, managed as one supply chain.
Four things from you. The rest is on us.
Whether you have a full set of CAD drawings or are already in production with another supplier, bring us what you have. We'll tell you honestly whether this process fits.
A drawing, a sketch or a paragraph is enough to start.