Frequently Asked Questions
How FBM Sourcing works, how we get paid, and what to expect on a China project order.
About FBM Sourcing
1.What does FBM Sourcing do?
FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects: building materials and FF&E — doors and windows, cabinets, tiles and stone, sanitary ware, lighting, furniture — sourced from the factories that run the production lines, then drawings, production follow-up, quality control, consolidation into full containers, loading, export documents and after-sales. One company for the whole package.
2.Are you a factory, a trading company or a sourcing agent — and whose side are you on?
We are a sourcing agent, 100% on your side. We do not manufacture, run a showroom or sell a range. We are paid by you, we choose the factory for your project against your drawings, and if the factory falls short it is our job to make it right. Three things you can check: the final price you pay, the quality of what arrives, and whether delivery and after-sales are reliable. All quotations, invoices and shipping documents you receive are issued by FBM Sourcing — you deal with us, and we carry the responsibility.
3.Who are your clients?
Companies buying for a project: developers and hotel owners, general contractors, interior and FF&E contractors, importers and distributors — with drawings, a BOQ or a finish schedule, and volumes that ship in full containers. Our clients are companies, not one-off private buyers furnishing a single home.
Is FBM Sourcing right for your project?
4.What is your minimum order?
A full container. On a large project one category alone can fill many containers; often categories of the same project share containers; and in one batch we can combine a dozen categories from several projects of the same client into a few containers — always full, and routine for us. We do not ship loose cargo, shared containers, or e-commerce single units.
5.We already have suppliers in China. Can you manage those orders — expediting, inspection, consolidation?
Yes — that is our second model. You keep your supplier; we manage the order for 5%: specification and PI check, drawings, production follow-up, quality control, consolidation into full containers, loading and documents. During the order, communication with the supplier runs through us. After-sales is not included: claims fall under the supplier's own warranty, and we can help you coordinate.
6.Are your prices the cheapest in China? Do you have a catalogue?
No — we supply mid-to-high-end product from factories that pass inspection and deliver on time; the cheapest quote in Foshan is usually cheap for a reason. We are not a supplier with a range, so no price list; for cabinets and wardrobes, aluminium and glass doors and windows, and entry doors we can send e-catalogues to choose styles once we know your requirements.
How an order works: sourcing, quality and shipping
7.How does an order run?
Sourcing → proforma invoice → deposit → drawing communication for custom products until you sign off → production follow-up and quality control, with QC report → balance including shipping → container loading and shipment with loading report → customs and inland delivery at your end → after-sales.
8.Why do you insist on "the factory that runs the production line", and how do you check it?
Because most of what is sold as "factory direct" in China is not: in our experience, roughly 80% of Alibaba listings and 70–80% of wholesale-market stock are sold by traders, and even real factories often make one category and buy in the rest. Every layer is paid for by you — buying at the line is where tens of percent are saved before any negotiation. Before we work with a factory we look at its production line for the product we intend to buy; if it makes A and resells B, we use it for A only. Production lines are specialised: in sanitary ware, accessories, faucets, ceramic toilets, basins and bathtubs are five different factory types, and we deal with each one.
9.Who inspects the goods — can we send our own inspector?
Our own FBM Sourcing QC team, before shipment: quantities, dimensions, finish, hardware — including markings on branded hardware — and packing, checked against the signed-off specification. Anything below standard goes back for rework and re-inspection. You receive the report with photos and video before the balance is due, then a loading report. Your own project team is welcome to attend the inspection with us.
10.Who is responsible for compliance in our market?
Our main markets are North America and Australia, where every product must meet local codes, so the first step in choosing a factory is checking that it holds the test reports or certifications for that specific product — confirmed before we quote. Examples: aluminium windows and doors — NFRC in the US, Florida hurricane approvals for hurricane zones, AS 2047 in Australia; sanitary ware — cUPC in North America, WaterMark in Australia; for US-code markets, fire-rated steel and wood doors — UL, and solar systems — UL. Through projects in these markets since 2014 we have built a large pool of suppliers already compliant for them.
11.Do you handle shipping, which Incoterms, and can we use our own forwarder?
We arrange container loading, sea freight and documents, normally with our own forwarder — the most efficient way — and send a loading report so unloading is easy. Quotations are EXW as standard, C&F to your port on request, and for certain markets such as the United States we can quote DDP (delivered duty paid to your site). Customs and inland delivery are otherwise handled by you. If you must nominate a forwarder, we book with it, load and ship as usual.
Pricing, savings and payment
12.How do you make your money — is your fee inside the price or on top?
Two ways, and you always know which applies. For products we source, we quote one firm price: sourcing, drawings, quality control, consolidation, loading and after-sales are inside it, nothing is added later. For suppliers you nominate — including products you select and price yourself at a showroom or market with us — we manage the order for a 5% commission; after-sales is not included, as claims fall under the supplier's own warranty, but we help you communicate with the supplier.
13.What is your margin? Why isn't it factory price plus 5%?
5% is the price of managing an order at a supplier you nominated — and that is what we charge for it. Finding the line that actually makes your product, comparing several, and standing behind the result is a different job, priced inside the product, so we don't quote a margin figure. Judge it against what you pay now for the same specification: send us your current quote for a few items and we will price the same spec line by line.
14.Can we agree a fixed fee or one all-inclusive package price?
Not a fixed fee. What we offer is closer to a package price: one firm price per item that already contains our work, so your project quotation is one figure in FBM Sourcing's name with nothing added later.
15.How much will we save compared with buying at home?
It depends on the category, so we would rather show it than claim it: send us your current quote for a few representative items and we will price the same specification. For reference, most of our clients are developers and builders of mid-to-high-end projects in the United States, Canada and Australia; what they tell us most often is that, at equal quality, the landed purchase cost comes in well below what they were paying.
16.Do you receive commissions or rebates from factories?
What you pay is the price on our quotation, and nothing is added to it afterwards — no factory, forwarder or third party invoices you separately. In Foshan, goods that look identical can differ in price many times over; what tells you whether we have done our job is the price and quality of what you finally choose, and whether what arrives matches your order.
17.Who issues the documents, and who do we pay?
All quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing; your purchase order is placed with FBM Sourcing, not with each manufacturer. Payment goes to the FBM Sourcing Limited company account named on the PI — never to an individual, never to a factory. We do not change bank details by e-mail; if you receive such a message, video-call us before sending anything.
Working with factories and suppliers
18.Can we contact the factories directly?
It depends on who found them. Suppliers you nominated yourself — of course: they are your relationships, and we manage the order. Factories we source for you — no, all communication runs through us, by design. We contract with the factory in our own name, and that contract is what protects you: how non-conforming goods are handled, penalties for late delivery, warranty terms — all enforceable under Chinese law. We carry the responsibility for drawings, inspection, loading and after-sales, and we keep improving the supply chain behind your projects. When you visit you meet the factory with us; no business cards or contact details are exchanged on site, and contact details stay with us.
19.Will you tell us which factory makes our products, or show us its quotation?
For factories we source ourselves, no — we take you to see them, but names, contacts, quotations and invoices stay with us. Those relationships are what we have built since 2014 and what lets us guarantee price and quality at the source. What you receive is our quotation, our QC and loading reports, and one counterparty responsible for the outcome. If open-book matters for a package, use our second model: you nominate the supplier and we manage the order for 5%.
20.Can you find and vet factories for a spotter fee, and then we take over the relationship?
No. We stay the counterparty: we quote, we contract with the factory, we run drawings, inspection, loading and after-sales, and the relationship stays with us. Agencies that sell one-time introductions exist; we are not one of them.
21.Do you keep improving our supply chain, or is it one factory forever?
Both. Once a category has been bought from a factory, we keep it for your following projects so quality stays consistent — and we keep widening the supply chain behind the scenes. Example: a client chose a stainless-steel railing factory on their first visit; for the next project we took them to another we had qualified, they switched, and that package cost 40% less. Any change is agreed with you in advance.
Verifying us and getting started
22.How can we verify you — can we talk to past clients?
FBM Sourcing Limited, Hong Kong (BRN 62759956, searchable at e-services.cr.gov.hk), has sourced for overseas projects since 2014 — 1,000+ containers to 20+ countries — from our office in Guangzhou, one hour from Foshan. We don't put past clients in touch — their projects are their business, as yours will be. Instead, our website www.fbmsourcing.com carries detailed case studies by country and category and videos shot in real factories and loading yards, which cannot be faked; and you are welcome to video-call us to communicate.
23.What is the best way to start?
Introduce your project and send the drawings first, then a video call, then the details — that is the most efficient order. Many clients start with one category, or a trial order of one or two containers. Day to day we work by e-mail and WhatsApp with one dedicated contact.
Have a project to source from China?
Introduce your project and send the drawings, BOQ or product list — our team will review it and get back to you.