Sourcing Agent in China
Choosing the right path
What is a sourcing agent?
Asia Buyer are a Sourcing Agent in China. A sourcing agent, or a buying agent, is a representative located in a given country. Companies who want to buy from this country, but do not want to setup an office there, can employ a sourcing agent, to find, select and negotiate with suppliers.
Why use Asia Buyer as a sourcing agent in China?
Importing goods from China can be a risky issue, using a local agent can help you to:
- Achieve costs savings: Agents are able to provide significant cost savings through in depth market knowledge, purchase volume aggregation across multiple clients and global benchmark across several countries.
- Secure the quality: An on-site third party reduces quality risks by carrying out systematic quality controls during production and before container loading.
- Increase productivity: An agent enables you to decrease your staff workload by taking care of time consuming tasks such as sourcing, RFQ’s, non-conformities management.
- Reduce overheads: Procurement outsourcing solutions deliver rapid results without adding significant fixed costs, infrastructure, people and all the attendant risks and required time for that team to structure itself, its processes and its expertise.
- Improve quotations cycle times: Experienced agents use extensive sourcing databases, RFQs methodology and dynamic pricing negotiation solutions to deal quickly and efficiently.
How to choose the right sourcing agent?
Here are 10 criteria you should keep in mind when selecting an agent:
- Management: clear organization and sourcing procedure
- Expertise: in your category and industry
- References: Available clients and business cases
- Location: on the major manufacturing regions (East and South China)
- Training: in QC, Audits western practices
- Language: bilingual in mandarin for supplier relationships and in your language for reporting
- Experience: minimum of 5 years’ history
- Size: staff of at least 20 people to avoid the risk of service failure
- Trust: no particular link with any supplier, no hidden commission
- Contract: Agent should agree to sign a contract in order to define responsibilities