Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash
If you want to start outsourcing goods for your business, you might’ve heard about the possibility of hiring a sourcing agent. An agent can help you through that process so you don’t have to do it yourself or hire and train employees to do it, so you and the company’s workforce can do other jobs.
In today’s market, Asian suppliers may offer a variety of goods with different characteristics and prices, so it could be beneficial to get a sourcing agent directly from Asia. In this case, there are some aspects you should take into consideration when you hire one for the first time, and here you have for of those aspects:
- Look for experience: Experienced agents will have more resources, skills, and contacts to help you find the offers you need. Professional agents will always be willing to give you references from other clients. You also want a helper that has experience exporting goods to your country, so he’s familiarized with the market, its laws and possibilities.
- Be aware of commissions: Although it will vary depending on the person, agents in Asia will usually charge between 3% and 10% of an order’s amount. Those prices don’t include shipping costs, so you’ll have to calculate the final price by adding up the percentage the agent charges from the order amount, plus freight charges. Don’t always trust in lower prices; if someone offers to work for percentages under 3%, they will probably try to get money in some other way, so you might end up paying just as much money, or even more.
- Ask for quality goods and services: Asian market is widely known for offering products with low prices and low quality. This doesn’t mean that you can’t find good products; you just have to explain to your sourcing agent what kind of commodity you want for your company. They can then can look for the right suppliers in the right places, and once a supplier has been chosen, your agent must give you details about its factory, production and quality control.
- Check domain name: If you’re looking for an agent on the internet, as most companies do since it is the easiest way to reach people on the other side of the world, you can check an agent’s domain name to see who owns that domain, when was it registered, and some other information about the owner. This is an important tool to verify if the information you’re receiving from this agent is completely true.
A sourcing agent in Asia is a highly valuable ally when looking for import goods and services, and can help your company grow in reach and profits. Finding the right person being so far away can sound hard, but the truth is that businesses have been working this way for a long time now, so there are lots of options that vary depending on the areas your company works, and the specific location you’re looking to reach. Take those four tips into consideration, and things should work just fine