Ask five people in Foshan what an agent costs and you will get five answers, and at least two of them will be “nothing”. That is the first thing to understand about this market: the cheapest-looking service is almost never the cheapest, and the fee you can see is often the smallest part of what you pay. This article sets out every fee model we know of, what each one really costs on a typical order, and the questions that separate an honest arrangement from an expensive one. We charge a commission ourselves, so read our opinions with that in mind. The numbers are as honest as we can make them.
The six ways people get paid
Percentage commission is the model most professional buying agents use, ours included. The agent charges a percentage of the factory invoice, typically 3 to 10 percent depending on order size and how much work the categories involve, and the buyer pays the factory directly. Because the fee is on the factory’s own invoice, the buyer sees the real price. The weak point is that a commission on a bigger invoice is a bigger commission, so an agent has, in theory, no reason to push the price down. In practice a good agent’s next order depends on this one going well, but you are relying on reputation, not arithmetic.
Fixed service fee is the second honest model. The agent quotes a flat sum for the trip and the order, say USD 1,500 to 4,000 for a villa-sized order as of autumn 2026, and it moves with the scope. It is transparent and easy to budget. The trouble is scope creep in the other direction: inspection visits, consolidation, crating and after-sales tend to sit outside the fee and arrive as extras, and on a mixed order those extras can add up to more than a commission would have.
Day rate for an interpreter, a car and a driver is the cheapest way to get around Foshan with someone who speaks the language. Expect roughly USD 50 to 150 a day, more for someone with real product knowledge, less for a student with a car. What you get is transport and translation. What you do not get is negotiation on your behalf, specification written into the order in Chinese, factory checks, inspection or anyone to call when the goods are wrong in April. Some interpreters also take a quiet percentage from the factory, which they will not mention.
The “free” agent is the model to be most careful with. Nothing is charged to you. The agent takes you to factories, or to showrooms presented as factories, and quotes you a price. That price is the factory price plus a margin, and the margin is invisible because you never see the factory’s invoice; you pay the agent, or a company connected to the agent, and the agent pays the factory. Margins of 10 to 25 percent are normal and we have seen higher on kitchens and windows where the buyer has no reference price. Some also collect a commission from the factory on top. The service can be perfectly good. It is simply not free.
A trading company quoting one firm price is the free agent made respectable. You get a single contract, a single invoice and a single point of responsibility, and for some buyers that is exactly right. The margin is built into the price, usually 8 to 20 percent over factory on building materials, and you are trusting the trader to have chosen the factory well, because you will often not be told which one it is. Where a trader adds real value, in quality control and in taking the risk of a mixed order, that margin is earned. Where they are forwarding your enquiry to a factory group chat, it is not.
Factories’ own “agents” are the last variant. A sales representative, a relative of the owner or an affiliated trading company presents themselves as an independent guide and shows you, with great enthusiasm, one factory per category. There is no fee. There is also no comparison, no negotiation against alternatives and a price that is usually list price with a small commission to the introducer built in. If the factory happens to be the right one, you have done fine. You will not know.
The models side by side
| Model | What you pay | What you do not see | Who it suits | Risks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage commission | 3 to 10% of the factory invoice, agreed in advance | Nothing, if the buyer pays the factory directly | Mixed orders, first-time buyers, projects | Agent has no incentive to cut price; check for factory kickbacks |
| Fixed service fee | Flat USD 1,500 to 4,000 for a villa order, plus extras | Which services fall outside the fee | Repeat buyers with a settled spec | Extras for inspection, consolidation, after-sales |
| Day rate, interpreter and car | USD 50 to 150 a day | Any margin the interpreter takes from factories | Experienced importers who negotiate themselves | No spec control, no inspection, no one after you fly home |
| “Free” agent | Nothing stated; 10 to 25% hidden in the price | The factory invoice, often the factory itself | Buyers who will not travel and want it simple | Unknown factory, unknown grade, no recourse |
| Trading company, one price | 8 to 20% built into a single quote | The factory price and often the factory name | Buyers who want one contract and one liability | Quality depends on the trader’s choice; repeat orders may change source |
| Factory’s own “agent” | Nothing stated; list price with a small introducer cut | That there was only ever one factory | Buyers who already know the factory is right | No comparison, no negotiation, loyalty runs the other way |
All of these percentages are ranges from orders we have seen or been told about, as of autumn 2026, and they move with the category and the buyer’s experience. Treat them as a planning figure. The point of the table is not the numbers; it is the third column. Whatever model you choose, ask what you will not be shown.
A worked example on a USD 40,000 order
Take a fairly typical mixed order: tiles, four bathroom sets, aluminium windows and lighting, with a factory value of about USD 40,000 if a regular buyer negotiates it in person. Here is what the same goods cost under each model, with the ranges kept deliberately wide because they are.
| Model | Goods | Fee | Extras you still need | Total, roughly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission, 5 to 10% | USD 40,000 paid to factories | USD 2,000 to 4,000 | None; inspection and consolidation included | USD 42,000 to 44,000 |
| Fixed fee | USD 40,000 to 41,000 | USD 2,500 to 3,500 | Inspections USD 600 to 1,200; consolidation USD 400 to 900 | USD 43,500 to 46,500 |
| Day rate, 4 days | USD 42,000 to 46,000 (5 to 15% worse price without a regular buyer in the room) | USD 300 to 600 | Third-party inspection USD 600 to 1,200; consolidation USD 400 to 900; your own time | USD 43,500 to 48,500 |
| “Free” agent | USD 44,000 to 50,000 all-in, factory unknown | Nil stated | Usually none offered | USD 44,000 to 50,000 |
| Trading company | USD 43,000 to 48,000 single quote | Nil stated | Sometimes an inspection fee | USD 43,000 to 48,500 |
| Factory’s own agent | USD 41,000 to 44,000 at one factory’s list price | Nil stated | Inspection and consolidation not offered | USD 42,000 to 46,000, if the factory was the right one |
Three things stand out. The first is that the models with a visible fee are not the expensive ones. The second is that the day-rate option, which looks cheapest by a mile, only stays cheap if you can negotiate factory prices yourself in a market where you do not know the going rate, and then organise inspection and a container without being on the ground. Some importers can. Most villa owners and small contractors cannot, and they pay the difference in the goods price without ever seeing it as a cost. The third is that the spread on the “free” model is the widest, and the buyer is the last to know where in that spread they landed.
There is also a cost the table cannot show. If the windows arrive and the glass build-up is wrong, the commission agent’s number is the one you call, and they were at the factory when the order was written. The day-rate interpreter has moved on. The free agent may answer, or may not. On a USD 40,000 order the difference between a fixable problem and an unfixable one is worth more than any fee in the table. Our article on factory sourcing versus online sourcing goes through where those problems come from.
How we charge
We work on commission: 5 to 10 percent of the factory invoice, with the percentage agreed in writing before we start, and lower on larger or simpler orders. You pay the factory directly, into the registered account of the licensed company you visited, and we check the payee matches the licence before any deposit goes out. Our commission is invoiced separately and is not hidden in anything.
That one commission covers the whole job: factory shortlisting before you fly, driving and interpreting during the trip, negotiation, writing the agreed specification into each order in Chinese, arranging samples, following production and inspecting before packing, consolidating everything into one container at our warehouse, and dealing with the factory afterwards if something is wrong. There is no day rate on top, no inspection fee and no consolidation charge. Freight, insurance, duty and your own hotel are yours, and we set out what those typically come to in our container cost breakdown and the guide to shipping from China.
We do not take money from factories. We say that plainly because it is the question buyers are most embarrassed to ask and the one that matters most. A factory that pays the agent is a factory the agent will keep recommending, whatever it makes. The full shape of the service is on the buying trips page.
What to ask any agent before you pay
These questions are short and the answers should be too. An agent who cannot answer one of them in a sentence is telling you something.
- Who do I pay, and does the payee name match the factory’s business licence?
- Is your fee charged on the factory’s invoice, or is it inside your price?
- Do you receive anything from the factory on my order? Anything at all?
- Which factories will you show me for each category, and how many?
- Can I contact the factory directly after the order is placed?
- What does the fee include: inspection, consolidation, crating, documents, after-sales?
- Do you have a warehouse, and where is it?
- What happens, and who pays, if the goods arrive wrong?
- Will you put all of this in writing before I travel?
Two of these do most of the work. If the answer to the first question is “you pay us”, you are in a margin model, whether it is called free or a trading company; that is not wrong, but the price you are quoted is not a factory price and you should treat it as a retail one. If the answer to the fifth is “no” or “it is better if we handle it”, think hard about why an agent would want to stand between you and the company that made your goods.
One last point about the percentages. Buyers sometimes negotiate hard on a commission, from 8 percent down to 5, and then accept a “free” service elsewhere that costs them 15. The fee you can see is the one you can control. Spend the effort on making sure there is not a second one you cannot. More on this and on how visits are arranged is in our FAQ and on the visiting Foshan page.
A note on prices: every figure in this guide is an indicative estimate from recent orders. Factory prices, freight rates and exchange rates move, so treat them as a planning guide and ask us for a current quote before you budget.
Frequently asked questions
Is 5 to 10 percent commission expensive for a sourcing agent in China?
It is in the middle of the range for building materials, where orders are heavy, mixed and specification-sensitive. Agents for light consumer goods often charge less because the work is less. On a mixed villa order the commission usually comes to less than the difference between a negotiated factory price and the price a first-time buyer is quoted alone.
Why not just use a free agent and save the fee?
Because the fee is still there, inside the price, and it is usually larger. A free agent has to earn a living, and the only place that can come from is the gap between what the factory charges and what you are told. If you want that model, fine, but ask to see the factory invoice and watch what happens.
Can I pay the agent instead of the factory so I only make one transfer?
You can, with a trading company that is set up for it and issues its own contract. With an independent agent we would not; the moment your money goes through a third party’s account, you have lost sight of the factory price and gained a counterparty risk. One transfer per factory is a small inconvenience for a lot of clarity.
Does the commission cover the container and shipping?
The work does; the costs do not. Our commission covers receiving goods at our warehouse, checking them, crating fragile items, loading and preparing the documents. Sea freight, insurance, port charges and duty at your end are paid at cost, and we quote them separately so you can see them.
What if I already know the factory and just need someone to check the goods?
Then a commission on the whole order would be the wrong model, and we say so. A one-off inspection visit is a much smaller job and we price it as one; being twenty minutes from most of these factories helps. Tell us what you need and we will say which model fits.
Planning to buy building materials in Foshan?
Tell us what you need and when you plan to come. We aim to reply the same business day with a realistic plan, price ranges and which markets to visit.