Sourcing agent vs forwarder: who does what
| Role | Main jobs |
|---|---|
| Sourcing agent | Finding suppliers, samples, price and MOQ negotiation, order follow-up, pre-shipment QC, consolidation |
| Freight forwarder | Booking sea or air freight, export/import clearance coordination, transport documents, delivery at destination |
Some companies do both; often a sourcing agent works with forwarders it trusts. What matters is that it's clear who is responsible for your goods from the factory gate until they're loaded.
Seven things to check
- Local presence: real staff near the factories and markets (Yiwu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and so on)
- Factory network: direct experience with factories that make your product
- QC method: what gets checked, how many units, against what standard, with photos and a report
- Consolidation: can they gather goods from several suppliers, inspect and ship them together?
- Export documents: help with commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin
- Quote transparency: product cost, service fee and freight broken out separately
- Communication: a named contact who answers in English, and a clear process when something goes wrong
The cheapest quote is rarely the cheapest outcome. A partner with clear accountability costs less once a defect turns up, and defects found after shipment are far more expensive to fix.
How PTO China works
PTO China is run by TREXONE Co., Ltd., with headquarters in Seoul and a local office in Yiwu. Our Yiwu team does the market sourcing, partner-factory OEM, pre-shipment inspection and consolidation in person. Export freight goes by sea or air through partner forwarders.
Send your request
Product, specs, target price, quantity and destination.
Suppliers and quote
We shortlist suppliers and send a custom quote covering price, MOQ and our service fee.
Order and QC
After sample approval we place the order and inspect quantity, appearance and function before shipment.
Consolidate and export
We pack the goods, prepare export documents and ship through a forwarder.