About
I’m Shirley. This is how I work.
Guangzhou-born sourcing agent and interpreter, working with overseas buyers across Guangzhou, Foshan and Shenzhen since November 2023.
How this started
I grew up in Guangzhou and started out interpreting for overseas buyers — sitting in supplier meetings, walking the wholesale markets, translating the questions people actually wanted answered. The buyers kept asking for more than translation: find me this supplier, check this order, watch this container being loaded. Since November 2023 that has been my full-time work, as an independent agent. If you are comparing agents, my guide on how to find a reliable sourcing agent in China lists the checks I expect clients to run on me.
Most of my projects now are furniture and fit-out — Guangzhou and Foshan are where much of it is made — with clothing, decorative products and other categories alongside.
How an ordinary project runs
You send me a product list, a BOQ or a set of renders on WhatsApp. I tell you whether it is something I can do well, and quote my fee against your actual list. Then I go looking: factories shortlisted, quotes collected into one comparison sheet, visits booked if you are travelling. Once you order, I check the goods before they ship, combine orders from different suppliers, book the freight with a forwarder and stand at the loading. You get the paperwork at each stage — shortlist, comparison sheet, visit notes, inspection photographs, packing checks and loading photographs.
What I say no to
If a job needs a certificated inspection report, laboratory testing, customs clearance in your country or a certified legal translation, I say so and bring in the specialist who does it. If a product is outside what I can source well, you hear that on the first call.
Who does what
My work, and where specialists come in
So there is no confusion about what you are paying for.
I do this myself
- Finding suppliers and getting quotes
- Booking and attending factory, showroom and market visits
- Interpreting your meetings and writing the notes
- Checking goods before they ship, with photographs
- Combining orders and checking cartons against packing lists
- Standing at the container loading
I arrange this with a forwarder
- International shipping, by sea or air
- Export paperwork handled by the forwarder
- Delivery to your address, where the forwarder offers it
This needs a specialist, not me
- Certificated third-party inspection reports
- Laboratory testing and product certification
- Customs clearance in your own country
- Certified translation of legal documents
Languages
English, Mandarin and Cantonese
Much of the factory and wholesale trade here runs in Cantonese or Mandarin, and the detail that decides whether an order goes well — tolerances, materials, packing, lead times, payment terms — is exactly the detail that dies in a translation app. I ask your questions the way you meant them and give you back the answer the supplier actually gave.
Tell me what you need to buy
A product list and rough quantities are enough to start. I will give you a straight answer on whether I can help.