China sourcing service

China sourcing agent for small orders and first imports

Your supply team in China for small and first orders: we find and check the factory, coordinate samples, inspect the goods and deliver them to your door, with no minimum of our own. Our service fee is in the quote or itemised, we take no kickbacks from factories, and off-the-shelf products get a free landed price within 72 hours, for up to five products per request.

Cambridge China Bridge takes small and first orders from China: no minimum of our own, from a single-unit trial upwards, with our own staff in China checking the factory and the goods before they ship to your door.

What's included

Find and check the factory, coordinate samples and agree the factory minimum before commitment.
Supplier checks included; audits and inspections usually included in the goods quote, with third-party checks extra.
Consolidate mixed goods and arrange delivery to your UK door.

Price

Our service fee is included in the unit price, with no kickbacks from factories. The factory minimum, sample charge and courier cost are agreed first. Up to five off-the-shelf products receive a free landed price within 72 hours; custom or own-logo work is scoped individually.

What you receive

A landed-price quote, coordinated samples and photos before shipment, with inspection scope confirmed in the quote. You approve samples before production.

These labelled sample reports show the format of separately agreed audits and inspections; this service does not automatically include both checks.

See what our reports look like: sample factory audit · sample inspection report

For parts made to your specification, compare CNC machining to drawings, injection moulding and tooling or PCB manufacture and assembly before agreeing the production route.

For an own-brand range, our brand sourcing service covers supplier coordination; private label cosmetics sourcing needs product-specific checks. If continuity is the issue, start with qualifying a second supplier.

What does a small order from China cost through you?

One price per unit delivered to your address, with our service fee already in it, agreed before you commit; we take no kickbacks or commission from factories. The factory's own minimum, its sample charge and the courier cost are stated before you commit.

A first order through Cambridge China Bridge: what you pay and how long it takes
	Cost	Timing
Landed price for up to five off-the-shelf products	Free	Within 72 hours
Our service fee on a first order	Included in the unit price, or itemised; no factory kickbacks	Agreed before you order
Samples	The factory's sample charge and the courier, at cost plus our service fee, agreed first	Quoted per job
Supplier check, factory audit, pre-shipment inspection	Supplier check included; audits and inspections usually included in the quote; third-party checks extra, agreed first	Inspection photo report usually within 24 hours
Freight, UK customs, duty and VAT	In the delivered price	About 2 weeks by air, about 2 months by sea

How our pricing works →

When is a small order from China not worth it?

When freight and import costs outweigh what you save on the goods. Freight has minimum charges, so on a very small order they can cost more than the saving. Send the product and the quantity and we will tell you honestly whether to buy now, combine it with a later order or buy closer to home.

A first China stock order on a small budget →

How can I check you before I send money?

Cambridge China Bridge is a UK registered company: our Companies House entry and UK VAT number can be checked on public registers. We are a member of the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce and listed on the Amazon Service Provider Network (International Shipping), and our checks follow the published CCB Verification Standard v2.0, with sample reports.

What you get

No minimum order on our side; the factory's own minimum applies separately and is stated in the quote before you commit.
A free landed-price comparison within 72 hours for up to five off-the-shelf products; custom or own-logo work is scoped individually.
A service fee on the goods order, included in the quote or itemised and agreed first; no kickbacks from factories. Supplier checks are included; audits and inspections are usually included in the quote, with third-party checks charged extra.
Samples coordinated by us. The factory's own sample charge and the courier cost are quoted at cost plus our service fee, agreed first.
Mixed goods from several factories consolidated into one shipment and delivered door to door in the UK.
We source own-brand, unbranded and authorised products, never replica or copied branded goods, so what you resell is yours to sell.

How it works

Send the product, a link or a photo, with the quantity you have in mind.
We return a landed price: product, freight, duty and VAT to your door.
Samples are made and sent to you; production starts only after you approve one.
Our staff in China inspect the goods before they leave the factory.
The goods clear UK customs and arrive at your address.

Which checks are included?

Check	Scope
Receipt count and visible condition	Included Basic receipt quantities and visible condition only; opening and count coverage recorded. Managed buying also includes a look at seller history and ratings; this is not automatically a paid Level 1 report.
Photos	Included Photos before shipment, as described on this page.
Detailed measurement / function test	Paid add-on (agreed in advance) Methods, measurements, units and test coverage agreed before work starts.
AQL pre-shipment inspection	Paid add-on (agreed in advance) Agreed ISO 2859-1 sampling and acceptance criteria for the specified lot; not a check of every unit.
Factory audit	Included Audits and inspections are usually included in the goods quote, as described on this page; the quote confirms the exact scope. AQL sampling and detailed tests require express agreement.
Lab testing / certification	Not done by us (we can arrange a third party) Third-party scope and costs agreed separately; receipt checks and photos do not certify compliance.

What is included is confirmed on every quote.

Level 1 · Desk check: From £195 per supplier, plus VAT, paid before the check starts
Level 2 · Factory audit: From £395 a visit (one day on site), plus VAT; the final price depends on location and scope and is confirmed before we start
Level 3 · Pre-shipment inspection: From £275 per inspector-day (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu), plus VAT; the final price depends on location, product and scope and is confirmed before we start

How we check factories and goods, and the proof

Every check follows our published CCB Verification Standard v2.0. Factory visits are made by our own staff in the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas; if an inspection company is appointed for you, the report names it.

Factory audit: From £395 a visit (one day on site), plus VAT; the final price depends on location and scope and is confirmed before we start. Written report usually within 48 hours of the visit. Sample factory audit report
Pre-shipment inspection: From £275 per inspector-day (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu), plus VAT; the final price depends on location, product and scope and is confirmed before we start. Photo report usually within 24 hours of the inspection. Sample pre-shipment inspection report

Default inspection sampling: zero critical defects, AQL 2.5 major and AQL 4.0 minor (ISO 2859-1, general level II), inspected once at least 80% of the goods are packed.

Real project: for a UK electric-vehicle charging operator we ran inspection and factory communication. A Jiangsu candidate did not meet the requirements; after reviewing a third-party check we chose a Zhejiang factory, which now ships about three pallets a month. Read the case

We are not an accredited inspection body and issue no certificates; laboratory tests and social audits go to accredited firms, and you receive their reports.

The full CCB Verification Standard →

Cambridge China Bridge in brief

Buying from Chinese factories since 2021 (the company was incorporated in September 2022), for our own businesses and for clients on the same terms.
Our own staff are based in China, at two bases: the Pearl River Delta (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan) and the Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu). They visit factories themselves.
On a first order, our service fee is already in the delivered unit price, agreed before you order; we take no kickbacks or commission from factories. Audits and inspections are usually included in the quote for an order placed with us; complex checks that need a third party are charged extra, agreed first.
No minimum of our own; the factory’s own minimum applies separately. We can coordinate samples and consolidation.
In one project, a UK EV charging operator cut unit cost by 70% and scaled 3× faster. In another, a multi-site Cambridge café chain saved 50% on packaging.
A UK company in Cambridge and London: Cambridge China Bridge is the trading name of Piggy Pineapple Ltd, company number 14385590.
Free landed-price comparison within 72 hours for first-order off-the-shelf products delivered to the UK.
A reference call with a past client can be arranged, with that client’s agreement.

Questions buyers ask

Will you take an order of a few hundred units?

Yes. There is no minimum order on our side, and a first order of a few hundred units, or a single-unit trial, is normal work for us. The factory's own minimum applies separately and is confirmed in the quote.

I sell online and buy from Alibaba. Can you move me to a factory for a few hundred units?

Yes. Send the Alibaba listing or a photo with the quantity you have in mind. There is no minimum order on our side, so a first factory order of a few hundred units, with your own logo or packaging, is normal work for us; the factory's own minimum is confirmed in the quote. The scope and next steps are agreed for own-logo products, samples are approved before production, and our staff in China inspect the goods before they ship to your door.

Last time the seller sent the wrong material. How do you stop that happening?

Before anything ships, our team in China checks the goods against the sample you approved, including the fabric or material and its composition label, and sends you photos. If it doesn't match, it doesn't ship until the seller puts it right. For a first order we suggest a sample first and a small quantity.

How are you paid?

We charge a service fee, built into the single landed price we quote for the goods order or shown separately in an itemised or direct-import quote, and agreed before you order. We take no kickbacks or commission from factories.

Can I speak to someone you have worked with?

Yes. For a serious project, we can arrange a reference call with a past client, with that client's agreement.