It is not easy for a foreigner to work directly with a qualified factory in China due to the language culture and MOQ barriers etc sometimes. There are lots of ‘fake’ factories online, 90% of the suppliers you met online or at local trade fairs might be a typical trade company in China but you’re never aware of it. The reason is very simple, on the one hand, more than 80% of real factories still do not have their own Export License, on the other hand, there are NOT enough good English speaking staff working with small-mid scale factories in China. According to the verification results from STIN client data, 96% of the suppliers they verified turned to be a trade company in China but online they pretended to be a real factory and the clients cannot tell them from the fake information online.
 
STIN purchasing agent (buying office) service is becoming more and more popular among our clients worldwide this year. A good one-stop purchasing agent service can not only reduce the risks in their business in China but also save them lot of time, cost and energy etc in sourcing, verification, quality control and after-sale services etc.
 
A well-qualified purchasing agent can act as your own Office, Assistants and Eyes etc in China and they can solve all the issues regarding your import. They may help you smooth every step in following aspects in China in person:
Sourcing new suppliers or factories;
Sampling;
Supplier verification and auditing;
Management of suppliers;
Price negotiation;
Delivery support (Logistics);
Formal contract documentation support;
Quality Control management;
Loading process supervision;
After-sale Service support;
Other services may be available upon request.
 
A good purchasing agent service can benefit you much more from following two points:
1. A trade company will protect their own interests at any time during the business in China. They will not allow the clients to buy directly from their verified factories. They will 'buy' from the factories and add their own profit, then 'resell' the products to the clients worldwide, the profit of trade companies is normally 10 – 50% against invoice value in China, varied in different products. While STIN (www.chinabizservices.com) purchasing agent service will simply act as their own 'assistants, office and eyes 'etc in China, STIN service will protect the customers' interests from the beginning to the end during any business activities in China. All the service charges are fixed and transparent and the commission for STIN service is only around 5%. They only charge a small amount of service fee order by order or case by case, apparently the customer can profit more as they can buy directly from any qualified factory sourced and verified by STIN in China. The client is free to contact the factories for any question related.
         
2. Trade companies normally do not have their own team of quality control inspectors, factory auditors and lawyers etc. STIN has a team of professional quality control inspectors, auditors, buyers and lawyers etc in China and apparently STIN can offer better ONE-STOP business solution services for their clients worldwide.  
 
If you’re now still working with a trade company
 
How to choose a right purchasing agent from China?

1. Ask them for at least 3 references from your country or area. Check them out before any cooperation.
2. Ask them for their Business License and Export License in China, check them out with local officials or third-party verification service company first before formal cooperation.
3. Ask them enough professional questions regarding the coming orders in China.

If they are able to satisfy you from above three aspects and if they are familiar with the manufacturing bases in China, then you can feel assured to work with them in China. Please note that 99.99% of Chinese businessmen are honest and reliable enough on the globe.