Start with the product, not the platform
Before you open Alibaba or any directory, write down exactly what you want to make: materials, sizes, finish, packaging, quantity and the price you need to hit. Factories answer vague questions with vague prices, and vague prices always grow later.
Then think about where your product is made best. China's industry works in clusters: furniture and lighting around Foshan and Zhongshan, small consumer goods around Yiwu, electronics around Shenzhen, ceramics around Chaozhou and Dehua. A factory inside the right cluster has better material suppliers and more experienced workers.
Factory or trading company?
Trading companies are not bad in themselves; some add real value. The problem is not knowing who you are dealing with. A trader may change factories between your sample and your mass production, and quality changes with it.
A few questions reveal a lot: can they show the production line live on video? Does the business licence list manufacturing in its business scope? Is the address on the licence an industrial area, or an office tower?
- Ask for the business licence and check the company name and scope.
- Request a live video walk through the production floor, not pre-recorded clips.
- Ask which machines they use for your product and how many they have.
- Ask for photos of goods they produced for other clients, with brands blurred.
Compare quotations properly
Three quotations are only comparable when they are for the same thing. Put the specification, the quantity and the Incoterm in writing and send the same document to every factory. Then compare unit price, minimum order quantity, lead time, payment terms and what is included, such as packaging, cartons and moulds.
The cheapest quotation is often cheap for a reason: thinner material, a cheaper component, or a factory that will ask for more money once you are committed. Ask each factory to explain the difference between its price and the others.
The red flags professionals never ignore
Some signals mean you should walk away, or at least slow down until they are explained.
- A bank account in a personal name, or a sudden change of bank details.
- Prices far below every other quotation for the same specification.
- Refusal to send a sample, or a sample that differs from the photos.
- Pressure to pay the full amount before production starts.
- No clear answer about who owns the moulds or your design files.
Samples tell you more than any conversation
Order samples from your two or three best candidates before you decide. A sample shows the factory's real level of finishing, how carefully it packs, and how fast it responds when something is wrong. Pay for samples if you must: it is the cheapest insurance in the whole project.
Compare the samples side by side against your brief, not against each other. The best of three weak samples is still a weak sample.
Plan your first order as a test
Even with a good sample, keep the first production order modest where you can. It shows how the factory performs at scale, how it handles your packaging and how honest it is about delays. Build volume with the factory once it has earned your trust, and keep a second supplier warm for your most important products.
