Supplier Sourcing Consultation

How to buy from a factory without getting burned

A ninety minute working session plus a written sourcing brief, for a small business that wants to buy product or materials directly from a manufacturer, usually overseas, and has never done it or has done it once and regretted it.

What we cover on the call

• How to find real manufacturers rather than the trading companies that pose as them, and how to tell the difference in the first email.
• What to ask for before a quote means anything: unit price at three quantities, tooling, packaging, lead time, payment terms, and what is not in the number.
• The sample process: what to order, what to pay for it, and what to check when it arrives.
• Minimum order quantities and how they are actually negotiated.
• Payment terms, deposits, and how to structure them so you are not exposed before you have seen the goods.
• Quality control, inspections, and what to write into the order so a bad batch is the factory's problem and not yours.
• Freight, duties and the costs that turn a good unit price into a bad landed one.

What you receive afterwards

A written brief, within three business days, that turns the call into a checklist for your specific product: the questions to send, the terms to ask for, the red flags to watch for, and a landed cost worksheet you fill in with real quotes.

Who does the work

Gisselle Gonzalez spent six years in Beijing and the Caribbean negotiating directly with Chinese manufacturers on automotive parts and equipment orders worth between one and two and a half million dollars, then six more sourcing building materials for her own company. Mandarin at working level. English and Spanish fluent.

What it is not

We do not place orders on your behalf, act as your agent, guarantee a supplier, or provide legal, customs or tax advice. Import rules and duties depend on your product and your country; confirm them with a licensed customs broker before you commit.

How it works

After purchase you receive an email within one business day with a short questionnaire about your product and a link to book the call. One product category per session. In English or Spanish.