Who it is for
One person, one product category at a time, for buyers placing a real production order. Below: what fits, what does not yet, the floor, and the three things to have ready before you send a brief.
The floor
First orders from $1,000.
Under the floor
A written budget answer, at no charge and with no call.
The reply
Within 1 business day: whether it fits, the fee, and the next step.
The two columns
Say which one you think you are in; the reply will say whether we agree.
A good fit
A product you can describe in a page, with materials, sizes and packaging
A first order of $1,000 or more, or a reorder from a supplier you no longer trust
You want the factory relationship, the contacts and the contract to be yours
You want every quote and every payment in writing, with the receipt
You will decide within a few days of each shortlist, sample round or inspection report
Not a fit yet
No order, only prices: a factory will not quote seriously and neither will we
Dropshipping fulfilment, parcel by parcel
Under $1,000: you get a written budget answer instead, at no charge
A delivery date promised before a factory has confirmed one in writing
A product that needs design or engineering before a factory can quote it
The floor
First orders from $1,000.
The fee is separate, and published. The floor is there because a factory will not take a first order under $1,000 seriously, and you should not pay for a search that ends in a sample.
Above the floor
Send the brief. Within 1 business day you have a written reply: whether it fits, the fee, and the plan.
Under the floor
Send the brief anyway and say so. You get a written budget answer: what a first order of your product usually costs to make, what a factory usually asks for, and what to do next. No charge, no call.
Not sure
Say so in the brief. The reply tells you which side of the floor your product sits on.
Alibaba or an agent?
Often the right tool. Sometimes not.
What usually happens, not what is promised.
When a marketplace is enough
Research, generic items, small sample orders, and products where a listing photo and a spec sheet tell you what you need. Many listings are trading companies, not factories; that is fine when the price and the sample are right.
When one accountable person earns the fee
Custom or private-label products, a first production order of $1,000 or more, a spec that a listing cannot carry, and a buyer who wants the search, the negotiation, the samples and the inspection handled by one person who answers in writing.
Before you send a brief
Three things to have ready.
A paragraph is enough to start; the reply asks for anything missing.
Say which column you are in.
Send the brief. Within 1 business day the reply says whether it fits, the fee, and the next step, or gives you the written budget answer instead.
No call needed to get a price.