How to check a sourcing agent's experience
Ask for comparable project summaries backed by redacted records showing the agent's role, work completed and buyer acceptance. With the client's agreement, speak to someone who managed the purchase and check those claims against their account. Permission-based client calls can be requested from Cambridge China Bridge.
Define what comparable means for your purchase
Send your product brief before asking for examples. Match experience by materials, manufacturing process, customisation, inspection needs, destination and order pattern. Buying stock packaging is different from developing packaging to an approved sample; arranging a trial shipment is different from managing repeat supply.
Ask the agent to explain what matches your project and what does not. A familiar product photograph proves little about managing your particular buying risks. Use the agent comparison guide for broader checks on staffing and working arrangements.
Establish whose work the example shows
Ask which business delivered the work, who handled it and whether that person would handle your order. Separate the agent's own projects from an employee's previous employment, a partner's work and purchases for its own business. Each can be relevant, but the description should identify which experience you are assessing.
Request a stage-by-stage account: supplier search, factory checks, sample approval, production follow-up, inspection, shipment and problems after delivery. Identify what the buyer, factory and outside providers did. Ask whether the agent supplied the goods or only introduced the supplier; use who you contract with when agreeing your own arrangement.
Request records that connect the project stages
Ask for records with confidential details removed, while retaining enough context to connect the brief, agent's actions and outcome. Useful examples include an approved specification, sample comments, production updates, an inspection report, corrective actions and buyer acceptance. Ask the agent to explain gaps rather than filling them with assumptions.
Match dates, product descriptions and project identifiers across the records. An invoice shows a transaction; a shipping document shows dispatch. Neither alone establishes that the buyer accepted the goods or that the agent managed production. For a savings claim, ask what was compared and whether specification, delivery scope and rejected goods were accounted for.
| Claim | Evidence to request | What it leaves unconfirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced a supplier | Introduction correspondence and buyer confirmation | Sample, production or delivery management |
| Managed production | Approved specification, progress records and issue decisions | Buyer acceptance after delivery |
| Resolved a quality problem | Defect record, agreed remedy and closure confirmation | Whether the remedy worked in use |
| Completed repeat buying | Linked order records and client confirmation of the agent's role | Whether the same team is available for your purchase |
Arrange a reference call with the client's agreement
Ask the agent to obtain the client's agreement before sharing contact details or arranging a call. Explain what you want to discuss and let the client set limits. Speak to someone who personally managed the purchase, and confirm their role through a business contact route they agree to use. Do not ask for private pricing or confidential designs.
Ask: What did you buy, and what did the agent actually do? Did the work reach delivery and acceptance, or stop at an introduction or quotation? Who approved samples and shipment? What went wrong, who dealt with it, and what remained unresolved? Would you use the agent again for a similar purchase, and why?
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Use the findings to agree your project scope
Record what is confirmed, what is supported only by the agent's account and what remains unknown. If a client cannot take a call, ask for an agreed written reference or further redacted records. Confidentiality is a reason to adjust the evidence route; it does not turn an unverified claim into completed experience.
Our recent sourcing projects distinguish enquiries and work in progress from completed outcomes. Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff in China and can arrange a past-client phone call with that client's agreement. Before appointing any agent, agree the work, named contact, approval points and evidence you will receive for your own purchase.
Frequently asked questions
What proof of experience should a sourcing agent provide?
Ask for comparable project summaries, a clear account of its role, linked records with confidential details removed, and client confirmation where available.
What should I ask on a sourcing agent reference call?
Ask what the agent handled, whether goods were delivered and accepted, who made approval decisions, how problems were resolved and whether the client would use it again.
Does introducing a factory count as sourcing experience?
It shows supplier introduction experience. It does not establish that the agent managed samples, production, inspection, shipment or problems after delivery.
What if a sourcing agent cannot share client names?
Ask for redacted project records or a reference arranged with the client's agreement. Record any remaining uncertainty before agreeing the scope of your purchase.