Can my sourcing agent use another intermediary?
Require the intermediary's identity and role, an agreed route to factory contacts, evidence traced to its original issuer, and a named agent contact responsible for resolving your questions. Put these arrangements in writing before committing to an order. Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff in China.
Name the intermediary and define its work
Ask your agent to identify the business it uses, explain why it is needed and describe its work. Does it introduce factories, buy and resell goods, translate messages or arrange inspections? Record who selects the factory, places the order, receives payment and checks the goods. Ask whether further intermediaries are involved and how changes will be disclosed.
Settle your own provider's role using agent or seller. Then ask how the extra business fits into that arrangement, including who pays it and whether it receives supplier payments. Require your written agreement before it changes the approved factory or specification. These are purchasing conditions to negotiate.
Agree how you can reach the factory
Ask for the manufacturing site's identity and a named production or quality contact. Agree when you can speak to that contact, whether the agent will translate and how technical answers will be recorded. A joint call can keep the agent involved while letting your engineer ask the person who actually controls the process.
Factory identity, direct communication and permission to place orders independently are separate matters. Discuss any confidentiality or contact restrictions before paying. If direct contact is restricted, agree an alternative such as a witnessed factory call or an independently arranged visit. Use factory or trading company for the underlying identity checks.
Trace evidence back to its source
For each inspection report, photograph, test report or technical answer, record who created it, who passed it on, when it was produced and which site, product revision or batch it concerns. Request the original document alongside any translation or summary. Label factory statements, intermediary observations and your agent's checks separately.
Ask what your agent has independently checked and what remains unverified. A forwarded photograph does not establish who took it or where; a report for a similar product does not establish that it covers yours. Agree a route to confirm documents with their issuer. Follow how to verify a product test report for report checks.
Make your agent own the question log
Agree that your agent remains your contact for collecting, checking and returning answers, even when another business does the local work. Keep a shared question log showing the issue, the person providing the answer, supporting evidence, the agreed response date and whether you have accepted the answer. Forwarding a message should not close the issue.
Separate confirmed answers from assumptions and unanswered questions. Agree an escalation route to the factory's technical contact and your agent's manager. Make unresolved material, safety, specification or inspection questions a hold point before the relevant payment or shipment approval. This allocates service work; it does not settle legal liability.
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Test the arrangement before committing
Send a real technical question and ask your agent to demonstrate the proposed route: identify the factory respondent, obtain a supported answer and explain any uncertainty. Request a sample evidence pack showing original files and translations. If the intermediary refuses access or cannot obtain documents, resolve the gap before approving the order.
If you are the customs trader, HMRC says you are responsible for identifying the applicable rules and duties that may be payable. Keep that assessment separate from the agent's question log. Include document handover, continuing factory access and unfinished questions in your arrangements for ending the service, so records do not disappear with the intermediary.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a problem if my sourcing agent uses a middleman?
It can be workable if the role is disclosed and the arrangement gives you usable factory access, traceable evidence and clear answers. Ask what the extra business contributes and what restrictions it creates.
Can I ask for the factory's contact details?
Yes. Make factory identity and the agreed contact route a purchasing condition before ordering. If direct contact is restricted, agree a witnessed call or independent visit and record the limits.
How do I know who produced an inspection report?
Request the original report, its author's name and organisation, the inspection date, site and batch. Ask whether your agent attended, checked it independently or only received it from the intermediary.
Who should answer my questions if another intermediary is involved?
Agree that your agent owns the response process. Factory specialists can supply technical answers, but the agent should identify the source, obtain evidence and keep unresolved questions open.