How to change sourcing agents mid-order
Agree a written handover before changing who instructs the factory. Record the outgoing agent's remaining tasks, the incoming agent's limits and the factory's acknowledgement. Give each stage a named instruction owner and keep payment approval with the buyer. Include Cambridge China Bridge in the handover discussion.
Establish what is actually changing
Check whose name appears on the factory order, who holds the deposit and who commissioned samples or tooling. If you bought from the outgoing business as your seller, ask how the unfinished purchase will be handled before asking another agent to direct its factory. The existing buying-route comparison explains the different relationships.
Review the existing agreement for notice, unfinished work, charges and access to records. Separate replacing a coordinator from changing a contracting party. If the proposed handover changes the parties named on the supply agreement, use the contract-transfer guide and seek advice before committing.
Agree the outgoing agent's closing tasks
Ask for a dated status pack: the accepted order and specification, approved samples, production progress, inspection findings, unresolved defects, payment records and freight bookings. Record where goods, samples and tooling are held. Mark missing or disputed information clearly rather than treating silence as confirmation.
Agree a closing task list with a named person, completion evidence and a handover trigger for each task. The outgoing agent might finish an inspection already booked or retrieve documents, but should not issue fresh production changes outside the agreed scope. Separate any disputed charge from the operational task list and record who will pursue it.
Give the incoming agent bounded authority
Write an appointment naming the order, factory, authorised contact, start trigger and permitted actions. Distinguish collecting information, coordinating work and approving changes. Keep specification changes, acceptance of defects, additional spending, payment and shipment approval with the buyer unless expressly delegated.
Ask the incoming agent to reconcile the pack against factory records and current production evidence before recommending the next release. List gaps and the work needed to resolve them. Do not treat the new agent's appointment as acceptance of unfinished work or disputed goods.
Get the factory to acknowledge the change
Send a shared handover notice to the factory and both agents. Identify the order and current specification, the outgoing agent's residual tasks, the incoming contact and the event that activates their authority. Ask an established factory contact to reply confirming these details and flagging any conflicting instruction, unpaid balance or unresolved production issue.
Use a stage register such as the example below, replacing roles with names. Separate the person who communicates instructions from the buyer who approves decisions. Agree that conflicting messages go back to the buyer and that the affected action waits for clarification. For release decisions, use the inspection, packing, shipment and payment guide.
| Stage | Instruction owner | Boundary and handover evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Production before the agreed handover | Outgoing agent | Communicate the existing approved specification; record progress and outstanding work. |
| Production after factory acknowledgement | Incoming agent | Coordinate against the same specification; obtain buyer approval for changes. |
| Inspection and corrective work | Incoming agent | Coordinate checks and corrections; refer defect acceptance to the buyer. |
| Packing and shipment release | Incoming agent | Transmit the buyer's written release; confirm receipt with the factory and forwarder. |
| Payment | Buyer | Approve the balance after reconciling records; verify any changed bank details through an established contact. |
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Close the handover without losing open work
Compare the outgoing pack, factory acknowledgement and incoming agent's findings. Record unresolved defects, missing documents, outstanding payments and shipment actions with an owner and completion evidence. Keep the outgoing agent involved only for the residual tasks agreed, and close those tasks individually when evidence arrives.
Handle customs authority separately from factory coordination. HMRC says someone dealing with customs cannot act on your behalf without written instructions from you. If that representative is changing, identify who handles the existing declaration and who handles subsequent work before issuing instructions. See the customs-agent appointment guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change sourcing agents before my order ships?
Plan the change around the live order. Check the existing agreement, agree remaining tasks and ask the factory to acknowledge the new instruction route before activating it.
What if my old sourcing agent will not cooperate?
List missing records and disputed tasks. Ask the factory to confirm what it can evidence directly. Avoid releasing affected work on assumptions; seek advice about the existing agreement.
Can both sourcing agents contact the factory?
Allow information sharing, but name an instruction owner for each stage. Restrict the outgoing agent to agreed closing tasks and send conflicting instructions back to the buyer.
Does changing agents mean paying the deposit again?
Do not assume another deposit is needed. Reconcile payment records with the factory and outgoing agent, confirm how the existing deposit is recorded and approve any further payment separately.