What I can do for you

Buy it for you — $6 per order

Some things only exist on Taobao, 1688 or a WeChat seller, and they will not post abroad. Send me the link, I will do the rest.

• I buy it with my own account, at the price on the page.
• You see the order total and the receipt — no markup on the goods.
• I receive it, check it, and repack it for the trip.

You pay: the goods, the shipping at cost, and $6 for my time.

Check it before it ships — from $5 per item

Before anything leaves China, someone should open the carton. Otherwise you find out at home, three weeks later, with no way to argue.

• Quantity against the packing list.
• Size, colour, material, finish, labels, packaging.
• Photos of what I actually found, good and bad.
• A short written verdict: ship it, or send it back.

$5 per item, minimum $25 per job. Usually done within two days.

Go to the factory — $79 per visit

I go to the address. I walk the floor, film it, and count what is actually running. Then I tell you what I saw, including the parts they did not want me to see.

• Photos and video of the workshop, warehouse and machines.
• Headcount, lines, and whether they are busy or idle.
• Ten minutes with the owner about capacity and lead time.
• Written report the next day.

$79 inside Zhejiang. Outside the province I quote the travel at cost first.

Find the maker — from $49

You know what you want but not who makes it. I find the factories, ask the awkward questions, and put the answers side by side.

• Three factories minimum, not three listings of the same factory.
• Quotes at your quantity, with MOQ and lead time.
• A comparison table and my recommendation.

From $49 per product. Samples and factory visits are separate.

Talk to your supplier — $15 per call

Chinese calls, WeChat voice messages, and the polite version of “where is my order”. I do the talking and send you a summary in English.

Free when it is part of a visit, inspection or buying job you already booked. On its own, $15 per conversation.

Receive and repack — $6 per shipment

Your parcels come to my place instead of six different sellers. I check each one, consolidate them, and repack so nothing arrives crushed.

• Up to two weeks of storage, free.
• One tracking number instead of six.
• Photos of the packed box before it goes.

Send a sample — $5 handling

To you, or straight to your customer. I photograph it before it leaves, so nobody argues later about what was in the box.

$5 handling plus the courier at cost, with the receipt.

Test it and write about it — free

If you make something and want an honest write-up, send a sample. I use it for a few weeks, photograph it, and publish what I actually think — including the parts that are not good. You do not get to approve the text.

Free, because the writing is mine and it stays mine.