Sourcing agent or seller? Who you contract with when you buy from China
Ask every provider, in writing: are you selling me the goods, or buying them for me as my agent? A seller owes you goods of satisfactory quality and is who you claim against. An agent owes you reasonable care and skill in its service, and the factory stays your seller. We work either way, and the quote says which.
An agent buys for you; a seller sells to you. Which one you contract with decides who you claim against, who imports and which costs you see.
Two contracts that look the same on a website
Most firms in this market call themselves sourcing agents. Some of them buy from the factory and sell the goods on to you at one price, which makes them a seller. Others place the order for you, so the factory sells to you and the firm is paid for its work, which makes them your agent. A few, including us, can do either.
Neither is better in itself. They are different contracts, and the difference decides who you claim against when goods arrive wrong, who is named on the customs entry and which costs you get to see. The website wording rarely tells you which one your order will be. The quote and the invoice do.
What changes with the role
Where a business sells goods in the course of a business, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 implies that they are of satisfactory quality, and your claim is against that seller. Where a business supplies a service in the course of a business, the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 implies that it will carry out the service with reasonable care and skill. Section 13 of that Act extends to England, Wales and Northern Ireland; this page does not cover the position in Scotland.
So an agent answers for how well it chose, checked and managed the supplier, not for the goods themselves: the factory is still the seller. Contract terms can limit either duty, and which country's law governs the contract is itself a term to agree. What you can do when goods do arrive wrong is covered in goods that arrive wrong.
| Question | The provider sells you the goods | The provider buys for you as agent |
|---|---|---|
| Who sells you the goods | The provider | The factory |
| Who you claim against if the goods are wrong | The provider | The factory for the goods; the agent for its own work |
| What the law implies | Goods of satisfactory quality | Reasonable care and skill in the service |
| Who is named as importer | Stated in the quote | Usually you, as covered in who imports the goods |
| Which costs you see | One price, with the provider's margin inside it | The factory's invoice and the agent's charge, separately |
| Who holds the factory contract | The provider | You |
Which one we are
Both, chosen per project and written into the quote before you order. On our landed-price route we sell you the goods: one price covering the agreed product, sourcing, inspection, freight and duty scope, with our margin inside it, the way a wholesaler's is. There is no separate sourcing fee, and we take nothing from the supplier side on top of the agreed quote.
For repeat orders, full-container programmes and buyers outside the UK we can instead agree an itemised quote or a direct-import arrangement, in which you buy from the factory and we work as your agent under a written role, scope and charge. The delivery term and the named place are agreed for that project.
The trade-off is real, and it is not in our favour to hide it. On our landed-price route you see one price, not our margin or the factory's price. If you need to see every line, or want the factory contract in your own name from the first order, ask for the direct-import route instead, and accept that the importer's work and the factory contract then sit with you.
Questions to ask any provider, in writing
Are you selling me these goods, or buying them for me as my agent? Which company invoices me, and where does my money go? Who is named as importer on the customs entry? Do you receive any payment, commission or rebate from the supplier? Who owns the tooling, the specification and the approved samples? Who issues the inspection report, your own staff or a named third party?
A provider that answers all six plainly is telling you how it makes money and where you stand. One that will not answer the first is the one to be careful with. Our own answers, and those of the other UK firms, are set side by side in the UK sourcing agent comparison.
Buyers outside the UK
The same choice applies, with one more decision made up front: the delivery term. We quote to your destination port, a Chinese port or ex-works, and door-to-door delivery elsewhere is confirmed per shipment. Your own importer and local broker check local law, duty and tax; we do not advise on another country's import law.
A UK company as counterparty does not by itself mean UK law governs your contract. Agree the governing law and the delivery term in the same document as the role. How the rest works for a non-UK buyer is in buying from China outside the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Is a sourcing agent the seller of the goods?
Not if it is acting as your agent. The factory then sells to you and the agent is paid for its work. Many firms that call themselves agents actually sell the goods on at one price, so ask which your order is.
Why would I buy from the provider instead of through it as agent?
One price, one UK counterparty for the goods and less import work on your side. You give up visibility of the factory price and the provider's margin, and the factory contract is not yours.
Can Cambridge China Bridge act as my agent rather than sell me the goods?
Yes, typically for repeat orders, full-container programmes and buyers outside the UK. The role, scope and charge are written into the quote before you order. The single landed price remains available where selling you the goods suits you better.
Does it matter if an agent is paid by the factory as well?
It matters that you know. Ask whether the provider receives any payment, commission or rebate from the supplier. We take nothing from the supplier side on top of the agreed quote.