These terms cover use of this website and the free tools on it. A sourcing project is governed by the separate written agreement we sign with you — where the two differ, that agreement wins.
Last updated: these terms take effect on publication. Continued use of the site after we update them means you accept the updated version.
Who we are and what we do
We are a sourcing agent. We act on behalf of the buyer to identify, verify and manage suppliers in China, to inspect goods, and to coordinate export logistics. We do not manufacture goods, and we do not take ownership of them. Goods are purchased on your account; our fee is charged separately for the services performed.
Using this site
- You may read, print and share the content here for your own commercial evaluation.
- You may not scrape, bulk-download or systematically extract content, data or tool results, whether by automated means or otherwise.
- You may not attempt to interfere with the site, circumvent rate limits, or access accounts that are not yours.
- You may not republish substantial parts of our written guides without permission. Short quotations with a link are fine.
The sourcing tool
The sourcing tool returns estimates, not quotations. Landed-cost figures are modelled from market data and typical freight and duty rates for the destination you indicate. They will not match a real supplier quotation, which depends on volume, season, specification detail and negotiation.
- Estimates are provided for evaluation only. Do not rely on them for pricing to your own customers, for contractual commitments, or for financing decisions.
- Reports do not include supplier identities or source listings, and no supplier relationship is created by generating one.
- Access is rate-limited. We may suspend access where use appears automated or abusive.
- We may change or withdraw the tool at any time.
Quotes and sourcing plans
A sourcing plan sent in response to your enquiry is an indication of feasibility, timing and cost. It is not an offer capable of acceptance and does not bind either party. A project begins only when we have both signed a written agreement setting out scope, fee and terms.
Our role in a project
Within an engagement we undertake to perform the agreed services with reasonable skill and care: to identify and verify suppliers, negotiate on your instructions, arrange inspection, and coordinate logistics.
We act on your instructions. Decisions about which supplier to use, which sample to approve, what price to accept and when to release goods are yours. We will tell you what we would do and why, and we will tell you when we think a decision is a mistake — but the decision remains yours.
What we do not guarantee
- Manufacturing outcomes. We inspect against an agreed specification; we do not manufacture, and we do not warrant the goods themselves.
- Supplier performance. Verification and audits substantially reduce risk. They do not eliminate it.
- Delivery dates. Timelines depend on factories, freight capacity, weather, customs and public holidays, and are estimates unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing.
- Import compliance in your market. We will flag what we know, but responsibility for product regulations, labelling, certification and duties in your destination market is yours.
- Site content. Our guides are general information, not legal, tax, customs or financial advice. Take professional advice for your own situation.
Your responsibilities
- Give us accurate, complete specifications. Most quality disputes originate in an ambiguous specification.
- Ensure you have the right to have the product made — that it does not infringe another party's intellectual property.
- Confirm that the product may lawfully be imported into and sold in your market.
- Respond to inspection findings and approval requests within the agreed windows. Goods are not released without your decision.
Goods we will not source
Some categories we refuse regardless of instruction — counterfeits, weapons, controlled substances, and goods subject to sanctions among them. The full list is published in what we will not source, and forms part of these terms.
Intellectual property
Text, photography, design and code on this site belong to us or our licensors. Designs, drawings and specifications you send us remain yours; we use them only to source your project and share them with candidate suppliers only as far as needed to obtain quotations. We do not use one client's designs for another.
Fees and payment
Fees, payment schedule and currency are set out in the written agreement for each project. Goods payments are made to suppliers on your account and are separate from our fee. Where we quote a commission, the basis of calculation is stated before work begins.
Liability
Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.
Subject to that, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of contracts, or loss of anticipated savings. Our total liability arising from a project is limited to the fees we have received for that project, and liability arising from use of this site or the free tools is limited to a nominal amount, since they are provided free of charge.
Suspension and termination
We may suspend or withdraw access to the site or the tools at any time, including where use breaches these terms. Termination of a project engagement is governed by the written agreement for that project.
Governing law and disputes
These terms, and any dispute arising from them, are governed by the law stated in the site footer, and the courts identified there have exclusive jurisdiction. Disputes arising from a specific project are governed by the dispute resolution clause of that project's written agreement.
Changes
We may update these terms. The current version is always the one published on this page, with the effective date shown above.
