Questions people actually ask us.

Everything between your idea and the goods on your loading dock: we find and verify the factory, negotiate price and terms, oversee production, run a pre-shipment inspection and, if needed, help organise shipping and customs. You get one point of contact. One invoice if you pick the all-in-one model; factory and fee invoiced separately if you pick transparent.

Pretty much anything that's made in China, because we're not tied to one industry. So far that has included warehouse shelving, industrial RC mowers, medical devices and custom parts made to a technical drawing. The only things we don't do: products you can't legally import into the EU, and orders under €10,000. Not sure your product fits? Send us the spec and we'll tell you straight whether it makes sense.

€10,000 per order. Under that our percentage doesn't cover the work, so we don't take it. Above it, the MOQ per SKU comes from the factory and sits on the quote next to the price. Five SKUs that add up to €10k is a normal first order.

Whatever you have, from one SKU to your full catalog: specs or a link to the product you already sell, rough annual quantities and, if you know it, what you pay today (FOB or landed). Up to 5 SKUs cost €100, credited to our fee when you order. It doesn't have to be perfect, we'll ask for what's missing.

Five steps. 1) You send us the product list and specs. 2) In a few working days you get factory prices from verified factories (€100 for up to 5 SKUs, off our fee when you order). 3) You pick a factory and, if you want, we order samples (1–6 weeks). 4) You pay the factory deposit (usually 30%) and production starts (one week to 3 months) with our oversight and a pre-shipment inspection. 5) You pay the balance, the goods ship (4–6 weeks by sea) and we handle customs and delivery to your warehouse. One point of contact throughout.

Factory prices in a few working days, depending on how fast the factories answer. Production depends on the product, from one week to 3 months, plus 4–6 weeks of sea freight. If you want samples before production, add another 1–6 weeks. You get a concrete timeline before you commit.

You can. You'll get pages of results, many of them trading companies with "factory" in the name and a markup in the price. The best factories? They don't have an Alibaba profile. They're full. They work on referrals. That's where we come in.

Alibaba is the most visited B2B site in the world and full of paid listings, so it rarely hands you the actual factory. We also search 1688, Made-in-China and Global Sources, and we collect the best contacts at trade fairs in China like the Canton Fair. That's where a list of factories opens up that doesn't exist online: no website, no Alibaba profile, fully booked through referrals.

We start from the product: which industrial cluster makes it (Ningbo for metal, Shenzhen for electronics, Foshan for furniture), then look for factories in that cluster that already produce for European brands. We shortlist 3–5, request quotes for the same spec, and only then comes the detailed verification and visit.

Business licence, export licence, certifications, court records, owner history, then a visit to the production line by us or an accredited inspector. We spot a trading company pretending to be a factory on the first call.

It covers some things. But when your €30k order arrives with the wrong spec, good luck sorting that out from a laptop in Zagreb. We have someone at the factory gate, us or an accredited inspector, and a signed contract with the spec and the golden sample attached.

Yes, and for larger or long-term orders we recommend it. We set up the visit with the factory and prepare you: what to ask and what to look at, because the factory tour usually skips a few things. If you'd rather not travel, we or an accredited inspector do the visit and you get photos and video from the production line.

Our fee is 5 to 10% of order value, agreed before you commit, paid with the order. And it only exists if our landed cost, fee included, is below what you pay now. If it isn't, you don't pay it. The expensive part of your chain is the trader you can't see, not the agent you can.

Then you don't pay the fee. We tell you in writing. Like for like: our landed cost per unit, fee included, against your landed cost per unit today, same freight and duty assumptions, duty at the TARIC rate for the HS code on the day we quote. If we do beat it: fee 5 to 10% of the order, agreed before you commit, paid with the order. Only know your FOB? We build your landed cost with you from your last freight and customs invoices. That's the number we have to beat.

5 to 10% of the goods value on the factory invoice, tooling included, freight and duty not included. Agreed before you commit, and it doesn't move afterwards. What moves the fee: 5% to find, verify and negotiate. 7 to 8% adds samples, an NNN contract and quality checks during production. 10% for custom products with tooling, plus we arrange shipping and customs. Inspection, testing, freight and duty are itemised on your landed-cost sheet. No monthly fees, no "consulting" hours. The fee invoice goes out with the deposit: a separate invoice in the transparent model, itemised on the single proforma in the all-in-one model.

Only the price check: €100 + VAT for up to 5 SKUs, and it comes off our fee when you order. Each list is 3+ days of back-and-forth with factories, and the €100 keeps random requests out. Our fee comes with the order. The factory deposit (usually 30%) goes to the supplier, and the balance is paid before shipment.

Both models, your call. Transparent: you pay the factory directly for the goods, 30% deposit on its proforma and the 70% balance before release. You pay us the fee, invoiced with the deposit, and the pre-shipment inspection, itemised per order and invoiced before it runs. Your money for the goods never passes through us. All-in-one: one proforma from us with goods, fee and inspection itemised; we pay the factory on its schedule. One invoice, one contact, less admin. In both: freight invoiced by the forwarder, duty and VAT by the customs broker, in your name. First order? Take transparent.

We break the price into its parts: material, labour, tooling, packaging and the factory's margin. Then we send the same spec to several verified factories and compare quotes. Only then do you see how much of an Alibaba price is trading markup and how much is actual production.

Six items: the factory price, our fee (5 to 10%), the pre-shipment inspection, freight with insurance, customs duty and VAT. The inspection is itemised per order on your landed-cost sheet and paid to us before it runs. Duty depends on the product's tariff code (most often between 0 and 12%) and is charged on the goods value plus freight. For some products we can't know the exact duty in advance, because regulations and tariffs change, so that part of the calculation stays an estimate until customs clearance. VAT (25% in Croatia) is due at import, but if you're VAT-registered you reclaim it as input VAT, so it's not a real cost. Before you commit, you get a per-unit landed cost calculation to your warehouse, with no hidden lines.

Yes, and for custom products we recommend it. A sample takes 1–6 weeks, depending on whether it's off the shelf or made to your spec. The factory usually charges for the sample and courier, and some credit that amount against the first order. The approved sample becomes the "golden sample": the reference we compare the goods against at the pre-shipment inspection. Without it, a quality dispute is your word against theirs.

Yes. From a logo on the product, through changes to materials and dimensions, to fully custom design and packaging. If tooling (a mould) is needed, you get its cost listed separately, and the tooling stays yours. Building a whole private label? There's a page for that.

At the factory line, by us or an accredited inspector. Not from a laptop. Before production starts, the factory confirms the spec and the golden sample in writing. During production we track progress and, on larger orders, an accredited inspector checks goods mid-production, while a mistake is still cheap to fix. Before shipment every order gets a pre-shipment inspection per ISO 2859-1, AQL 2.5 major / 4.0 minor: quantity, function, appearance, packaging and labelling, all against the spec. You get the report with photos before the goods are released for shipment.

That's literally why we exist. We run a pre-shipment inspection on every order. If something doesn't meet spec, the goods don't get on the ship until it's fixed. Your money, your standards.

You call us, not the factory. After-sales support is part of the service: we document the issue, check it against the inspection report and the spec, then negotiate a replacement, repair or credit on the next order with the factory. A Chinese factory doesn't give a warranty the way an EU retailer does. That's why the pre-shipment inspection matters. A factory that wants your next order sorts it out, and making sure it wants your next order is our job.

Yes, without selling it. If you already have a forwarder, they ship it. If not, we get quotes from forwarders we've shipped with (DHL and DSV among them) and you choose. Freight and clearance are invoiced in your name. We organise the booking (sea, air, rail), the customs brokerage and delivery to your warehouse, and check every document before the goods leave.

For most orders, sea: 4 to 6 weeks and by far the cheapest per cubic metre. Air is days instead of weeks but several times the price, so it makes sense for samples, light and expensive goods, or when you're genuinely on fire. Rail sits in between on both time and cost. The price depends on volume (CBM), weight, season and whether you ship a full container or share one (LCL). If you already have a forwarder, they quote it. If not, we get quotes from forwarders we've shipped with (DHL and DSV among them), compare them, and you choose.

You are the importer: the goods are cleared in your company's name, so you need an EORI number (free from your customs authority, usually issued within days). You pay duty and VAT, but not to the factory or to us: the customs broker calculates them at clearance and invoices them to you. We make sure the tariff code, value and documents are correct, because that's where the expensive mistakes happen. No EORI yet? We'll help you get one.

The commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (air waybill for air freight) and your EORI number. Depending on the product, also the EU declaration of conformity, test reports or other certificates. We collect all of it from the factory and forwarder and check it before the goods leave, because a wrong invoice value or a tariff code that doesn't match the goods means a hold at customs and extra cost.

That's what cargo insurance is for, and we always recommend it: it costs a small percentage of the goods' value, and without it the carrier's liability is legally capped per kilogram and rarely covers the real loss. When you take delivery, photograph any damage and note it on the delivery note before signing. We run the claim with the forwarder and insurer, and the pre-shipment inspection report with photos proves the goods left in good condition.

Compliance is your legal responsibility as the importer. Making it happen is part of our job. We check which documents your product needs for the EU market, request them from the factory or arrange testing at an accredited lab, and check them before shipment. No documents, no release from our inspection, and customs can hold the goods at the border.

CE is the mark by which the manufacturer declares the product meets EU safety and health requirements; it's not a quality mark and nobody "issues" it, the manufacturer signs a declaration of conformity, backed by testing where required. REACH is the chemicals regulation: it restricts harmful substances in everything from textiles to toys. RoHS restricts hazardous substances (lead, mercury, cadmium and others) in electrical and electronic equipment. We check which of these apply to your product before we ask for quotes.

You. When you import from China, under EU rules you're the one placing the product on the market and you're accountable for it: market surveillance and customs look at the importer, not the factory. That's why your company name goes on the product, and you must hold the technical documentation, declaration of conformity and test reports. The factory has to deliver them; we request them, check issuer, scope, product and date, and hand them over before the goods ship, not when an inspector knocks.

It happens a lot, which is why we check every one: copied and expired certificates aren't rare in China. If the factory has no valid certificate for your product, we arrange testing at an accredited lab; the cost depends on the product and the number of tests, and you know it before you order. If a factory refuses testing, that's an answer in itself and we move on to another one.

Good. That's the easiest start. Send us your products and what you pay now. In 24 hours we tell you if they're a fit. In a few working days you get the same spec quoted by verified factories, with an estimated landed cost per unit next to your price. Final numbers before you commit. If our landed cost, our fee included, isn't below what you pay now: you don't pay the fee. We tell you in writing. If it is: you decide whether we renegotiate with your supplier or move you to the better factory. Either way the fee is 5 to 10% of the order, agreed before you commit, paid with the order.

The company and the team are in Croatia, in the EU, so your contract, invoice and point of contact are European and in your time zone. No office in China, we say it before you ask. Factory visits and inspections happen at the factory, by us or an accredited inspector, not over email.

Re-orders are where the work pays off. The factory is verified, the golden sample exists, terms are agreed. You send the quantity and the date. We confirm price and spec with the factory in writing, book the inspection and the freight with your forwarder, and the goods ship. Same fee percentage, no new search. Want to change the product, packaging or quantity? We settle it with the factory before the new order. Factory raises the price without reason? We renegotiate or find you another one.

Yes, we sign a service agreement, and an NDA on request. Factories don't learn who you are in the first round: the enquiry goes out anonymised, without your name, logo or customers, and only the shortlisted factories get full drawings and details, under an NDA in Chinese and English where needed. Your prices, suppliers and volumes stay between us; we don't share them with other clients or sell a "factory list".