A 3% commission is not a complete quotation
You have shortlisted two purchasing agents. One offers 3%; the other charges a fixed amount. Before choosing, ask each to price the same work, for the same number of suppliers and the same delivery point. Otherwise you are comparing labels rather than costs.
This article is about paying for an agent’s services, not comparing factory unit prices. Its purpose is to help you identify the amount you will pay, what that amount buys and when it can change.
Write down the commission base and minimum fee
A percentage needs a base. On $10,000 of goods, 3% is $300. If the agreement instead applies 3% to $10,000 of goods plus $2,000 of freight, the fee becomes $360. Both calculations are simple; the problem is discovering the second definition after accepting the first price. These are illustrative figures, not advertised rates.
Ask whether the minimum applies to each order, each supplier or each shipment. Three small supplier orders consolidated into one shipment could trigger three minimum fees if that is how the service is priced. Confirm how refunds, cancelled quantities and repeat orders affect the calculation.
For a fixed project fee, specify the finish line: a supplier shortlist, an approved sample or goods ready to ship. For a retainer, state the included work or hours and the approval process for additional time.
How much does a China sourcing agent charge?
There is no single fee that describes every project. Compare four structures: a percentage of the goods value, a fixed project fee, an ongoing retainer, or a resale price that includes the intermediary's margin. A hybrid may combine a minimum fee with a percentage.
For context, YWHOLA publicly states a 5–15% commission range on its Spanish sourcing page. That is one provider's advertised range, not a market benchmark or a Surmount price. What matters is the written scope attached to your own quote. YWHOLA
Ask what the percentage applies to: goods only, or goods plus domestic delivery and other charges? Are sample handling, factory visits, inspection days, reinspection, repacking and storage included? Ask whether the agent also receives supplier rebates. A transparent answer is more useful than the smallest headline percentage.
A quote comparison that exposes the missing costs
Hypothetical example, in USD—not a service quotation. For goods worth $10,000, Agent A charges 3% ($300), plus $250 for inspection and $150 for consolidation. The comparable service total is $700. Agent B charges a flat $650 including those same tasks. B costs $50 less, despite A's apparently low commission.
This comparison excludes samples, domestic delivery, international freight, insurance, destination charges and taxes. Add the same items to both offers before comparing the full budget. Confirm the number of suppliers, inspection days and storage days too: two offers with different limits are not equivalent.
Keep a separate line for each cost, its payer, its currency and when it becomes due. Ask what triggers an extra charge. The useful question is not only “How much?” but “What would make this number change?”
Turn “included” into quantities you can check
“Sample handling included” might mean receiving one parcel, or ordering and comparing several rounds. Ask for the number of suppliers, samples and revisions covered, who pays the sample cost and who pays courier charges.
For inspection, specify the location, number of days, scope and report. For consolidation, specify receiving, counting, relabelling, repacking and loading separately. A warehouse receipt does not automatically include a product-quality inspection.
For storage, confirm when the clock starts, the free period, the charging unit and the rate after it ends. Ask whether one late supplier can create storage charges for goods already received. Record the answer next to the quote.
Does Spanish-language support cost extra?
When comparing an agente de compras en China en español, ask whether Spanish support is part of the standard fee. Clarify whether it covers only messages or also specification revisions, inspection findings and calls with your team. These are different workloads.
If translation or interpretation is charged separately, agree whether the unit is a document, an hour or a visit. Ask who approves a revised technical document and who covers the usual contact’s absence. Do not assume a Spanish sales conversation includes unlimited technical translation.
For a Yiwu-based agent visiting a factory elsewhere, ask about travel, accommodation and travel days before authorising the visit. Location alone tells you little about the cost of the task.
Set a rule for changes and extra work
Consider a simple change: you approve one colour, then request two colours and a new retail box. That may add sample work, artwork checks, packaging coordination and another visit. A fixed fee should say how such changes are handled; it does not have to mean unlimited work.
Ask for a short written change request containing the reason, added work, price and schedule effect. Agree that chargeable work needs your approval before it starts, and name the person authorised to approve it. A message saying “please proceed” should refer to a specific scope and amount.
Separate supplier charges from agency charges. A new mould fee belongs on a different line from the agent’s fee for coordinating it. Keep both visible even when one company collects the payment.
Who pays when inspection fails?
Agree the next step before booking inspection. If goods fail, who arranges correction, who pays for sorting or rework, and who pays for the inspector to return? The answer depends on the agreed cause and responsibilities; it should not be left to an argument on shipping day.
Distinguish the cost of conducting an inspection from a promise to compensate for defective goods. Paying an agent to arrange a check does not, by itself, settle liability for every product failure. Ask for the inspection deliverable and any remedy commitments in writing.
QIMA describes inspection against an agreed checklist using independently selected samples. A sampled inspection is not a check of every unit. A full sorting exercise or a laboratory test may be a different, separately priced task. QIMA: inspections · QIMA: AQL
Record who can release the shipment after corrective work and what evidence they need. If the order links final payment to acceptance, ensure the agreed terms describe that sequence.
Seven fee questions before you approve the quote
- What amount is the commission calculated on?
- Does the minimum apply per order, supplier or shipment?
- Which quantities, hours and days are included?
- Which supplier costs and third-party charges are separate?
- Who must approve additional work before it starts?
- Who pays for correction, sorting and reinspection?
- What remains payable if we cancel or reduce the order?
Send the same questions to both agents and attach their answers to the quotation.
Copy this request for an itemised service quote
Product, quantity and destination: …
Number of suppliers and expected shipments: …
Tasks required and final deliverable: …
Required language support: …
Please state the fee model, calculation base, minimum and payment milestones.
For samples, inspection, consolidation and storage, list included quantities or days, exclusions and extra rates.
Explain approval of changes, cancellation charges and responsibility for rework and reinspection.
Separate goods, agency services and third-party costs; state currencies and quote validity.
If a cost cannot yet be fixed, ask for its calculation method and what information will make it firm. An estimate with clear assumptions is more useful than an unexplained total.
Compare the complete service cost
Keep your comparison to one page: scope, included limits, fixed costs, conditional costs and approval rules. A lower commission can still be the better offer—but only after both agents price the same work.
Send Surmount your product, quantity, destination and required services to request a scoped quote. Ask for the inclusions and exclusions in writing. Ask Surmount about your order