How to Visit a Chinese Factory: A Buyer's Field Guide

Before you board the plane

The trip is only as good as the prep. Two weeks out, we run:

1. Supplier verification — business licence, export licence, factory address (real, not a trading company).
2. Reference checks — three current overseas customers, ideally in your category.
3. Sample evaluation — at least one round of production samples in your hands before flying.

If a "factory" cannot provide all three, it's almost always a trading company.

On the day — what to bring

• Printed sourcing brief with target prices and MOQs
• Tape measure, calipers, lux meter (for QC)
• Phone with WeChat installed and topped up
• Local interpreter — never rely on the supplier's

What to look for on the floor

• Cleanliness and order — a sloppy floor is a sloppy product.
• Worker tenure — ask the line leader how long they have worked there. Stability matters.
• Test equipment — calibration stickers, in-date, used.
• Raw material storage — labelled, dated, FIFO.
• Outgoing QC — is there a separate QC room? Reports on file?

Negotiation, the short version

Chinese factory pricing has three layers: list, friendly, and committed-volume. Most foreign buyers leave 8-15% on the table by not asking for the third tier.

We coach our clients to walk in with:

• Annual volume commitment in writing
• A clear payment structure (30/70 LC is the new normal)
• A back-up supplier (always — never single-source from China)

Common pitfalls

• Accepting MOQs at face value (negotiable in 80% of cases)
• Paying 100% upfront (don't — 30/70 is standard)
• Skipping the interpreter for "easy" English speakers (you will misread the negotiation)
• Letting the factory book your hotel (they will, and you will pay 2x retail)

Let us handle it

Our factory visits service covers verification, transport, interpretation and QC handover. Request a quote.