What does the sourcing service cover?
Product categories outside our own production — footwear, leather goods, headwear, and garment categories we do not run — plus multi-supplier programmes where a buyer needs one point of contact rather than five.
We state plainly which side of the line a given enquiry falls on. Garments in our categories are made on our own floor. Everything else is sourced through our network, where we act as an intermediary and are paid for it. A buyer is entitled to know which arrangement applies to their order, and why the distinction matters is worth understanding before comparing quotes. Buyers shipping to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Kuwait will find destination rules for Gulf importers on a separate page.
How are suppliers identified and verified?
We shortlist factories by category competence and capacity, verify export registration and association membership, visit the floor, and assess sample quality before recommending any of them. Verification is physical rather than documentary.
A trade licence and a membership certificate establish that a company exists; walking the floor establishes whether it can make what you need. The checks we run are the same ones a buyer runs on any supplier, including on us.
- Capacity against your quantity and season, not against a brochure figure.
- Category competence — a factory that runs knitwear well is not automatically competent in outerwear.
- Compliance status, where your market or your customers require it.
- Sample quality against your reference before any commitment.
Who manages production once an order is placed?
We do. Order follow-up, sample coordination, in-line quality checks and shipment scheduling run through us, with a named contact rather than a shared inbox, so a multi-supplier programme has one point of contact.
The value of an intermediary is presence. A buyer four thousand miles away cannot see a fabric arriving late or a line running behind, and by the time it surfaces in an email the season has moved. Someone physically present sees it in the week it happens.
What is inspected before shipment?
Goods are inspected against the approved sample and the measurement chart before packing. Buyers may appoint a third-party inspector in addition, and on a first order we recommend it. Third-party pre-shipment inspection to AQL standards is arranged on request.
Third-party pre-shipment inspection to AQL standards costs a few hundred dollars against a consignment worth far more, and it produces a report both parties can act on rather than a disagreement neither can resolve.
How is the sourcing service charged?
We tell you which model applies before quoting, because a buyer cannot evaluate a service whose cost is invisible.
Both models are legitimate. Commission is transparent and lets a buyer see the factory price. Margin is simpler to administer and is how most of the market operates. What is not legitimate is declining to say which one is in use.
Sourcing service terms at a glance
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Scope | Footwear, leather goods, headwear, garment categories we do not run, multi-supplier programmes |
| Our role | Intermediary, paid for the service; stated per order |
| Supplier checks | Category competence, capacity, export registration, association membership, floor visit, sample quality |
| Production follow-up | Order follow-up, sample coordination, in-line quality checks, shipment scheduling |
| Contact | One named contact across all suppliers |
| Pre-shipment inspection | Against the approved sample and measurement chart; third-party AQL inspection on request |
| Charging model | Commission or margin, stated before quoting |
How do I place an order or request a quote?
Tell us what you need, the quantity, the target price and the market. We will confirm whether we manufacture it or source it, quote accordingly, and where neither is realistic we will say so rather than take an order we cannot serve well.
Buyers planning a multi-category programme get most value from visiting in person, where multiple suppliers can be seen in a few days rather than assessed over months of correspondence. Buyers still deciding between countries can see how sourcing origins compare.