In short: Our commission is tiered — it starts near 8% on a first order and drops to about 2.5% on a large one, with a flat $50 below $625. It isn't the cheapest way to buy from China. It's the price of someone in Shenzhen doing the vetting, the checking and the chasing for you.
Most sourcing agents won't tell you how they charge until you ask twice.
So here it is, in one page.
The commission drops as the order grows
Our fee runs on a sliding scale — the larger your order, the lower our percentage. On a large order it can drop to around 2.5%. On a all first order it starts near 8%.
That's not a discount gimmick. It's the honest shape of the work.
The work behind a all order and a large one is nearly the same. Finding the right factory, checking it, getting a quote, negotiating the terms, placing the order, following the shipment — that's a fixed set of hours. Whether the order is worth a few hundred dollars or a few hundred thousand, the hours don't change much.
So on a all order, a percentage would pay us almost nothing for the same effort. On a large order, a fat percentage would be an unreasonable cut for work that stopped scaling long ago.
The scale exists because the work doesn't scale with the money. That's the whole logic.
The $50 floor
Orders under $625 carry a flat $50.
Again, arithmetic. Find a factory, verify it, get it quoted, run the order — that's a few hours minimum. If we took 5% of a $200 order, we'd be working for $10 and losing money on every one.
We'd rather be honest about the floor than quietly pad all orders or refuse them.
What you're actually paying for
Not access to factories. You can find factories yourself.
You're paying for the part that's hard to do from another country:
- Vetting. Making sure the factory is real, and the quote matches the product.
- Checking. Looking at the sample, the certificate, the batch — before money moves.
- Following through. Chasing the factory when they go quiet mid-production.
- Saying no. Telling you when a supplier is wrong, even when it costs us the order.
That last one is the part most agents won't do. It's also the reason the others exist.
Why we don't mark up the factory price
Your quote shows two lines: the factory's price, and ours.
There's no hidden third line. We don't add a margin to the factory's number and call it "our sourcing fee."
Our commission is separately stated, and your goods payment goes directly to the factory. We never touch it.
This matters for one reason: you can always see what the factory is charging and what we are charging. If the numbers don't make sense to you, ask — and you'll get an answer with the math in it.
What we won't do
We won't take a commission and stay quiet. If we don't think a factory is right, you'll hear it.
We won't push you toward a bigger order to raise our fee. If a aller order makes sense, that's what we'll recommend.
We won't pretend the work is free. Someone who quotes you zero is charging you somewhere else.
The honest part
Commission is not the cheapest way to buy from China. Buying direct is cheaper, if you can do the vetting, the checking and the chasing yourself.
Most buyers can't do all three from another time zone. That's the gap we fill, and that's what the fee buys.
If the number doesn't feel worth it, tell me. I'd rather explain the math than lose you to silence.
— Damon, Founder
