Guides
Step-by-step playbooks for importing from China.
- Guides
Sourcing agent fee models: percentage, flat fee, or hidden markup
There are three ways to pay a sourcing agent, and two of them put a conflict of interest right in front of you. How each model works, which suits which order volume, what the fee should and should not include, and the one question that separates a partner from a reseller.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
Import VAT and input tax recovery: what it really costs an importer
Import VAT is paid in cash at the border and recovered later through the return — and the timing gap, not the rate, is what breaks an importer's working capital. How the taxable base is built, why import VAT rarely behaves like an ordinary purchase invoice, and how much a container ties up before the first sale.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi6 min readRead article - Guides
Paying in RMB or USD: which actually gets you a lower factory price
Your supplier quotes in dollars but costs everything in yuan, and the gap is priced into your quote. What that conversion really costs, how China's export VAT rebate shapes the number, and when paying in CNY wins you 1–3% versus simply moving the currency risk onto your books.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi6 min readRead article - Guides
Currency control on import contracts: the 180-day settlement clock
In many importing markets, wiring a deposit to a Chinese factory starts a legal countdown — the goods must clear customs within a set number of days or the state charges a daily penalty. How the clock works, why a normal China lead time eats most of it, and what to fix in the contract before you pay.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi6 min readRead article - Guides
How to negotiate with a Chinese factory without losing quality
Every percent you win off the price has to come from somewhere, and it usually comes out of the material. Which levers produce real savings with no consequences, the point at which discounts turn into quiet substitution, and how to lock an agreement so it survives to the shipping date.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi6 min readRead article - Guides
What makes up a Chinese factory's price: material, MOQ, tooling, season
The single number on a quotation is really six components, and each behaves differently. What moves weekly with commodity markets, what is baked in once and charged forever, why the same factory quotes the same product three ways, and the four questions that take a price apart.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi7 min readRead article - Guides
Production Lead Times in China: How Long an Order Really Takes
Why a factory that promises 25 days delivers in 45. What a lead time is actually made of, realistic ranges by product type, the seasons that move your date — and how to write a deadline into a contract so it means something.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
Packaging Development in China: Retail Box, Master Carton, Drop Test and Barcodes
Packaging is not the last step before shipping — it decides how many units fit in a container, how many arrive intact, and whether customs accepts the labelling. The three levels of packaging, the tests that matter, and how carton dimensions quietly set your cost per unit.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi4 min readRead article - Guides
DFM: How a Chinese Factory Changes Your Design — and Which Changes to Accept
Every factory sends back design revisions before tooling. Some make the product manufacturable; others quietly make it cheaper for the factory at your expense. Three questions that tell the two apart, and what a proper DFM report should contain.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
The Pilot Run Before Mass Production: Why It Costs Less Than Skipping It
A pilot run is 5–10% of your order made under real production conditions before the line commits. What it catches that no sample can, what it costs, why factories resist it — and how to write it into the deal.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
Sample Types Explained: Prototype, Pre-Production Sample and the Golden Sample
"The sample was perfect" is the most expensive sentence in importing. The five kinds of sample a factory can send you, what each one actually proves, and how one approved unit becomes the reference every future batch is measured against.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
The Technical Spec Sheet for a Chinese Factory: How to Write One That Cannot Be Misread
A factory manufactures your document, not your intention. What a production specification must contain — materials with grades, tolerances, tests, packaging, acceptance criteria — and the omissions that turn into a defective batch.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
Tooling and Moulds in China: What They Cost and Who Actually Owns Them
What an injection mould or stamping die really costs, what drives the price, how long tooling lasts — and the question most importers only ask when it is too late: who owns the mould you paid for, and can you move it to another factory.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
From Idea to First Batch: How Manufacturing a Product in China Actually Works
The eight stages between a product idea and a container at your warehouse — spec sheet, tooling, samples, pilot run, mass production, packaging. What each stage costs, how long it takes, and which one importers skip at their own expense.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi6 min readRead article - Guides
Why a Sourcing Agent Beats Buying on Alibaba Yourself
"I'll buy on Alibaba myself and save the middleman fee" — the math often runs the other way. Where the DIY importer loses money on prices, defects and logistics, and what an agent actually delivers for the commission.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi4 min readRead article - Guides
How We Verify Factories in China: The Silk Way Sourcing Verification Protocol
Supplier verification isn't "checking an Alibaba rating." Here's our real protocol — from confirming the business licence and visiting the factory before the balance payment to pre-shipment inspection — step by step.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi5 min readRead article - Guides
Full-Cycle China Sourcing vs Freight Forwarding: Who Owns the Risk Between the Factory and Your Warehouse
A straight comparison for commercial importers: how turnkey sourcing differs from a freight forwarder, the hidden risks a "just shipping from China" model leaves on you, and when full-cycle wins.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi6 min readRead article - Guides
OEM vs ODM: the difference and what to choose for your own brand
OEM or ODM for your own brand from China: how the models differ, who owns the tooling (moulds), ODM design exclusivity, MOQ and a decision checklist.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi10 min readRead article - Guides
Contract with a Chinese factory: what you must specify
Which clauses you must include in a contract with a Chinese factory: legal entity, seal, quality, payment, Incoterms, penalties, NNN and dispute resolution.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi8 min readRead article - Guides
How to Pay a Chinese Factory Safely: Escrow, Letter of Credit, Agent
Escrow, a letter of credit (L/C), payment through a vetted agent, or a direct T/T: which way of paying a Chinese factory protects your money in wholesale import.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi9 min readRead article - Guides
What Is MOQ and How to Lower the Minimum Order Quantity in China
MOQ is the minimum batch a factory agrees to produce. We break down what determines the minimum order in China and how to lower MOQ without sacrificing quality.
Arkadii Vakhnovskyi6 min readRead article - Guides
How to import from China: a step-by-step guide for first-time buyers
From finding a real factory to clearing customs at home — the full sequence of importing from China, and where first-timers lose money.
Dmitry Markov8 min readRead article