23 expert answers to the most common questions about sourcing products from China for UK businesses. No jargon. No hedging. Just straightforward answers from a practitioner with six years of hands-on experience.
A product sourcing agent acts as your on-the-ground representative in the manufacturing country (in our case, China). We identify, vet and negotiate with factories on your behalf, manage the production process, oversee quality control and coordinate the logistics of getting finished goods to your destination.
At Huntley Global, we manage the entire journey - from your initial product concept through to delivery at your UK address. That means factory finding, product customisation, packaging design, pre-shipment inspections and customs clearance, all managed under one roof.
Yes. We offer a complimentary 30-minute Sourcing Session via Google Meet for every prospective client. It is a genuine, no-obligation strategic conversation where Director Kaysey Chang reviews your product concept, assesses commercial viability and explains exactly how Huntley Global can protect your interests.
There is no sales pitch. If we are not the right fit for your project, we will tell you honestly and where possible point you in a more useful direction. You can book your session here.
The starting point is our complimentary 30-minute Sourcing Session. You can book directly via Calendly on our Contact & Booking page, or email Kaysey directly at kaysey@huntleyglobal.co.uk.
In the session, we'll review your product concept, assess commercial and manufacturing viability, and confirm whether we are taking on new clients in your product category. If we are a good fit, we will provide a written project brief and fee proposal within five working days.
Huntley Global deliberately limits the number of active projects we manage at any one time. This is not a conventional agency model where your account is handed to a junior team once you have signed.
Every client engagement is personally led by Director Kaysey Chang. By keeping our client roster selective, we ensure that every project receives dedicated oversight, direct communication and the quality of attention that delivers results. If our current availability does not match your timeline, we will be upfront about that at your Sourcing Session.
No. One of the primary values Huntley Global provides is eliminating the need for UK business owners to travel to China. Director Kaysey Chang manages all factory visits, negotiations and production oversight in person, on your behalf.
You benefit from having a fluent, experienced professional on the factory floor without the cost, time and complexity of international travel. All updates, reports and sign-offs are communicated to you digitally.
Huntley Global's fees are fully published on our Services & Pricing page. Here is a summary:
There are no hidden fees. You can also use our interactive Fee Calculator on the pricing page to estimate costs for your specific order value.
Radical transparency in our pricing is one of our founding principles. Every fee is published in full on our website. You will never receive an invoice for a charge that was not agreed in writing before work commenced. We find this is a meaningful differentiator - many sourcing agents charge opaque mark-ups on factory prices without disclosing them. We do not.
The Sourcing Phase fee (from £350 per product category) covers:
More complex or highly regulated product categories may attract a higher Sourcing Fee. Any variation from the starting price is quoted and agreed in writing before any work begins.
Paying international factories carries real risk - fraud, scams and misappropriated payments are common in unvetted supply chains. Huntley Global offers two transparent options:
Option A (No Fee): Client-Managed Payment. We provide you with the factory's verified banking information. You make the transfer independently through your own banking or FX provider.
Option B (2% + 1%): Full-Service Procurement & Settlement. We manage the transaction on your behalf with a full audit trail. The 2% covers international banking network fees (passed through at cost); our 1% admin fee covers oversight, verification and reconciliation.
Our factory network has been built over six years of hands-on sourcing experience. We do not rely on directories or trade show listings - we have tested these relationships directly by running our own manufacturing projects through them.
For each new candidacy, we assess: production capability, verified compliance documentation, UK and EU export history, financial stability, current capacity, and references from existing clients. We physically visit factories we are considering before recommending them to a client.
MOQs vary significantly between product categories and factories. Consumer goods and accessories might start from 300–500 units; more complex manufactured items could require 1,000–5,000 units for the factory to accept an order at a viable price.
Part of our Discovery Phase is assessing what MOQ is realistic for your product and identifying factories willing to work with your required quantities - and negotiating it down where possible using our established relationships.
We source a wide range of consumer and commercial products, including branded merchandise, accessories, lifestyle goods, health & beauty products, homewares, promotional items and more. We assess each product category individually for factory availability, compliance requirements and commercial viability.
If you are unsure whether your product is suitable, our free 30-minute Sourcing Session is the ideal starting point - we will give you an honest assessment.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) means you provide a precise design or product specification, and the factory manufactures it to your exact requirements - including your branding. This gives you a proprietary product but typically requires more development time and higher MOQs.
ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) means the factory has an existing product design that you can customise - changing materials, colours, finishes and applying your branding. ODM is faster and less expensive, making it ideal for first-time importers or smaller order quantities.
We advise on the right approach for your brief during the Discovery Phase.
Our primary sourcing network is in China (predominantly Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces), where the majority of affordable consumer goods manufacturing is concentrated. We also have connections with manufacturers in Vietnam, which is an increasingly competitive alternative for certain categories as businesses seek to diversify their supply chains.
We will always recommend the most commercially appropriate sourcing location for your specific product and order volume.
A typical end-to-end timeline from initial brief to UK delivery is 12–20 weeks, depending on product complexity, number of sample rounds required and shipping method.
We provide a detailed project timeline at the outset of every engagement so you know exactly when to expect each milestone.
Our standard Quality Gate includes a pre-shipment inspection (PSI) - a physical examination of a statistically significant sample of finished goods before packing for shipment.
The inspector checks against your agreed specification: dimensions, materials, print quality, colour accuracy, functionality and packaging condition. Findings are reported to you in writing, and nothing ships without your explicit sign-off.
For larger or more complex orders, we also offer in-line inspections during the production run to catch issues before they escalate to the full batch.
A pre-shipment inspection (PSI) is a physical examination of your finished goods at the factory before they are packed for export. An inspector reviews a random statistical sample of the production run against your agreed specification - checking dimensions, materials, print quality, functionality and packaging integrity.
Any non-conformances are documented and reported to you in writing before shipment is approved. Our standard Quality Gate includes a PSI on every production order we manage.
Yes. Our packaging design service covers the full journey from initial concept through to print-ready production artwork. We design packaging that meets UK retail standards, includes all legally required labelling information, and is optimised for the factory's production capabilities.
We design custom packaging and charge between £100 to £800 depending on the scale and complexity of the project.
Our pre-shipment inspection process is specifically designed to prevent quality issues from reaching the UK. However, if problems are identified post-arrival that were not detectable during inspection, we act as your advocate with the factory to negotiate remedies - which may include replacement units, partial refunds or credits against future orders.
The precise terms of our quality assurance process are set out in the Master Service Agreement signed at the start of every engagement.
Yes. Our Logistics Phase covers the management of all customs documentation, duty declarations and port clearances for importing goods into the United Kingdom. We liaise with specialist third-party customs brokers on your behalf. Our management fee for this phase is £50 + 5% of the order value.
Note: UK import duty itself is a government charge payable to HMRC - this is separate from our logistics management fee. We will confirm the applicable duty rate for your specific product commodity code during the Discovery Phase.
UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) is the certification mark required for products placed on the Great Britain market. CE marking applies to products sold in the European Union and Northern Ireland. Whether you need one or both depends on your product category (electrical, toys, cosmetics, medical devices, etc.) and intended sales territory.
During the Discovery Phase, we carry out an initial compliance assessment for your product and advise on the certification pathway. We also seek factories with existing compliance documentation and UK/EU export history to reduce your compliance burden. Note that final product certifications remain the legal responsibility of the Importer of Record.
Yes. Compliance is a central part of our factory shortlisting process. For regulated product categories (electrical goods, cosmetics, food contact materials, children's products, etc.), we specifically seek factories with existing compliance documentation, audit histories and UK or EU export records.
We provide initial guidance on the certification pathway and factory documentation requirements. Final product compliance and safety certifications remain the legal responsibility of the Importer of Record - but we ensure the factory side of that equation is as well-documented as possible.
The Discovery Phase - covering technical auditing, factory shortlisting, initial sample coordination and our written sourcing report - typically takes between 3 and 6 weeks, depending on the complexity of your product category and the number of factories we evaluate.
We provide a more specific estimate at the outset of each engagement, once we understand the full scope of your brief.
If your question is not answered above, the most direct route is to book our free 30-minute Sourcing Session. There are no sales scripts and no obligation - just a straightforward conversation with a sourcing specialist.
Every successful production run starts with a single conversation. Book your free 30-minute Sourcing Session and let's explore whether your project is a good fit for Huntley Global.
kaysey@huntleyglobal.co.uk · Google Meet · Director-led