Guides
China sourcing guides
Written from the work itself — finding suppliers, checking goods and loading containers from Guangzhou and Foshan. Free to use whether or not we ever work together. The service behind them is on the sourcing services page.
All sourcing guides
Finding a sourcing agent
How to find a reliable product sourcing agent in China
The checks that separate a working agent from a middleman with a website — independence, paperwork, references and fees.
Canton Fair
Canton Fair tips for first-time buyers
Shirley’s eight rules for a first Canton Fair — from narrowing your phase to why the real work starts after the fair.
Foshan furniture and materials
The complete guide to sourcing furniture and building materials from Foshan
What Foshan actually is, how buying there really works, and the details — finishes, packing, loading — that decide how orders arrive.
Local sourcing support
What can a local China sourcing agent do that an online marketplace cannot?
An honest comparison — where Alibaba-style ordering works well, and where a person on the ground changes the outcome.
Product sourcing
From product idea to finished order: how product sourcing in China works
The whole journey in order — what happens at each stage, what to prepare, and the points where orders usually go wrong.
Supplier verification
How supplier checks and quality control reduce the risks of buying from China
What verification really involves before you pay, during production and before shipping — and who should do each check.
Market tours
Planning a product-sourcing and wholesale market tour in Guangzhou and Foshan
Which markets fit your category, how many days to allow, what to prepare — and what a well-run trip leaves you holding.
Project sourcing
How Shirley sources products for clinics, salons, hotels and commercial projects
Fit-out sourcing as I actually run it — renders to purchase list, many suppliers to one container, told through a real clinic project.
Reading done — list ready?
Send me what you want to buy, rough quantities and your dates if you are travelling. I will tell you what is realistic and quote against your actual list.