Five questions that describe any model
Who invoices you, who is the contracting party, who inspects, when you learn where the part is made, and how the company earns its money. The table answers those five for four models you will meet when sourcing in China and Asia.
Side by side
| Attribute | Factory (direct) | Trading company | Sourcing agent | Wizea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who you contract with | The factory's legal entity, under Chinese law unless agreed otherwise | The trading company's entity | Usually the factory for the goods; the agent under a service agreement | Wizea Technology Limited, Hong Kong, under Hong Kong law with HKIAC arbitration |
| Who invoices you | The factory | The trading company | The factory (goods) and the agent (fee) | Wizea |
| Source disclosure | The factory is the source | Set by the trading company's own policy | Disclosed, as part of the service | Type of source on each quotation line; manufacturer's identity under NDA at qualification |
| Who inspects the lot | Your team, or an inspector you appoint | Set by the trading company's own process | The agent, when contracted to | Wizea's Shenzhen quality team, before dispatch, against a sealed sample and tolerance list; released only when it passes |
| Incoterm and documents | The factory's own export documents, where it holds an export licence | The trading company's documents | The factory's documents | EXW as standard (FCA on request); complete documents from Wizea Technology Limited; country of origin on each line |
| Quality system | The factory's certified system | The trading company's own system, where it has one | The agent's own process | ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certified; controls aligned with SAE AS6081A |
| How it earns | Margin on its product | Margin on the resale price | Fee or commission agreed with you | Margin in the price; no undisclosed commissions; representation commissions declared in agreements |
| Best suited to | Buyers with Chinese-speaking engineers, own inspection and volumes the factory prioritises | Buyers who want a single seller for a broad range of catalogue items | Buyers who want to contract with the factory directly and need local support | Industrial buyers who want qualified factories, inspection and consolidation in Shenzhen, one Hong Kong counterparty and contact until arrival |
When each model fits
A factory suits a buyer with its own team in China; a trading company suits a broad catalogue buy; an agent suits a buyer who wants local support for relationships it owns. Wizea suits manufacturers who want factory-made parts on a repeat schedule, with qualification, inspection, consolidation and documents from one partner.
What Wizea carries for you
| Task | With Wizea |
|---|---|
| Licence, scope and registry checks in Chinese | Shenzhen team |
| Certificate verification at the issuing body | Shenzhen team |
| Specification played back in the Chinese language before tooling | Shenzhen engineers |
| Sample control (sealed samples both sides) | Shenzhen team |
| Inspection before dispatch, against the sample | Shenzhen quality team |
| Consolidation of several factories into one shipment | Shenzhen team |
| Documents | Wizea Technology Limited |
| Payment security (account name, fixed bank details) | Wizea's published practice |
| Cases, in Mandarin, with time limits | One owner at Wizea |
Transparency as a model
The clearest way to compare any counterparty is to ask two questions: how does it earn its money, and does it disclose the kind of source? Our answers are on every quotation: our margin is in the price, we take no undisclosed commissions, and the source category is stated on each line.
Short answers on this topic
Are you an intermediary?
Yes, a declared one. We buy and sell in our own name, our margin is in the price, and we take no undisclosed commissions. What you pay for is the qualified factory network, the inspection and consolidation in Shenzhen, the documents and the payment security.
Who is the factory?
We tell you at the right stage and under confidentiality. For a quotation you get the kind of source, origin and certifications; at qualification, the factory's identity and documents under NDA. In return we ask that the qualified article is bought through us for the programme.
What is the difference between a sourcing agent and a trading company?
An agent works for you for a fee and does not own the goods; a trading company buys and resells under its own name with a margin. Wizea owns the goods, invoices from Hong Kong and discloses the source category on each line.
Can you supply the same part on a schedule?
Yes. That is a factory-direct programme: the factory qualified once, deliveries agreed against your forecast, each lot inspected in Shenzhen and handed over EXW on the planned dates.
Do you take commissions?
We take no undisclosed commissions. Representation commissions are declared in the relevant agreements; for goods we sell, our margin is in the price.
Other questions buyers ask first
Your first order from Asia
Quotation, one payment, consolidation and inspection, collection by your forwarder and import, explained in plain words.
Read the guideFactory qualificationHow we qualify a factory
The eight qualification steps, how we read a business scope, how we verify an ISO certificate, and the path from qualification to repeatable supply.
Read the guideCounterfeit avoidanceOur counterfeit-avoidance controls
What our inspection looks at, when a lot goes to a laboratory, AS6081 and AS6171 explained, and what you receive with each lot.
Read the guideIncoterms, handover, landed costEXW and FCA: how handover works
Side-by-side table, the tasks of Wizea, your forwarder and your broker, handover from Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and follow-up to arrival.
Read the guideTell us what you buy, and how often
A drawing, a BOM or one hard-to-find line, in any format. Add annual quantity and delivery rhythm, and we propose the programme.