Lightsail Sourcing

CHINA SOURCING FOR US BUSINESSES

China Sourcing Managed End-to-End — With a US-Based Partner

We find and vet factories, run samples, manage production & QC, and coordinate freight to the US. Flat, scope-based fees — no % commissions or hidden factory kickbacks.

How Lightsail is different:

  • Flat, scope-based pricing (not a % of your PO)
  • US-based team accountable for the full workflow
  • No hidden factory commissions — you see the real numbers
View the 7-Step Process

Free review. We reply within 1 business day. No obligation.

  • US Buyer
  • Lightsail
  • Factories
  • Inspection
  • Freight

Tell us what you're sourcing

A product, drawing, BOM or reference link is enough to start.

What you receive: supplier shortlist, RFQ comparison, sample plan, QC plan, timeline, and fixed scope fee.

NDA available. We can work from your drawings/BOMs and keep supplier identity controlled when needed.

No spam. We only use your details to respond to this request.

If unsure, choose a rough range — we won't hold you to it.

PDF, JPG, PNG, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX — up to 10 MB.

Next: we review your brief and reply with (1) recommended supplier route, (2) timeline, and (3) our scope-based fee.

Best fit for

  • US companies placing repeat orders (consumer, industrial, parts, packaging)
  • Teams that need supplier vetting, QC, and freight coordination — not just marketplace intros

Not a fit for

  • One-off personal purchases
  • Ultra-low MOQs / cheapest-possible sourcing only
  • US-Based & Registered
  • No % Sourcing Fee
  • Supplier Due Diligence
  • Quality Control
  • Freight Coordination

Based in Palo Alto, CA — US entity, US support hours.

Most sourcing failures happen after the quote: wrong supplier, spec drift, missed deadlines, and defects caught too late. We run the checks and follow-up that prevent that.

Finding a listing is not the same as building a reliable supply chain. Someone still has to verify the supplier, lock the specification, negotiate the commercial terms, chase production, inspect the goods and coordinate the journey to the US.

DO IT YOURSELF

  1. 1

    Find Supplier

    Factory or trading company?

  2. 2

    Verify

    Does the material match?

  3. 3

    Sample

    Will bulk match the sample?

  4. 4

    Negotiate

    Why did the MOQ change?

  5. 5

    Production

    Is production really on schedule?

  6. 6

    Inspect

    Who catches defects before payment?

  7. 7

    Ship

    Who owns the freight hand-off?

WITH LIGHTSAIL

  1. Send Brief
  2. Approve Supplier
  3. Approve Sample
  4. Approve Dispatch
  5. Receive Goods

LIGHTSAIL MANAGES THE WORK BETWEEN

Sourcing • Verification • Negotiation • Development • Production • QC • Freight Coordination

You approve supplier, sample, and dispatch. We handle factory outreach, vetting, negotiations, production follow-up, inspections, and freight coordination.

One process. One accountable partner.

  1. 1

    DEFINE

    Product, specification, quantity, target and destination.

  2. 2

    FIND

    Shortlist factories that fit the requirement.

  3. 3

    VERIFY

    Supplier checks, capability review and factory audit where needed.

    Your approval

  4. 4

    DEVELOP

    Samples, materials, packaging and revisions.

    Your approval

  5. 5

    PRODUCE

    Commercial terms, production scheduling and factory follow-up.

  6. 6

    INSPECT

    Quality checks before goods are released.

  7. 7

    DELIVER

    Consolidation, shipping documents, freight and broker coordination.

    Your approval

Your China procurement team, without building one in-house.

Use Lightsail for the whole process or bring us in around suppliers you already have.

  • Supplier Sourcing

    Find and shortlist manufacturers against your product, volume and commercial requirements.

  • Supplier Verification

    Business checks, capability assessment and factory audits where the project calls for them.

  • Product Development

    Coordinate samples, materials, packaging, revisions and manufacturing feedback.

  • RFQs & Negotiation

    Manage quotations, MOQs, unit pricing, payment terms and lead times.

  • Production Management

    Track milestones, manage factory communication and escalate issues before they become surprises.

  • Quality Control

    Coordinate the right inspection points for the product and production run.

  • Compliance Coordination

    Coordinate testing, documentation and specialist partners according to the product and destination.

  • Freight & Delivery

    Coordinate consolidation, international freight, shipping documents and customs-broker hand-off.

A DIFFERENT FEE MODEL

Our fee doesn't grow because your PO does.

Traditional percentage-based sourcing fees rise with order value. Lightsail prices the agreed scope instead. So our agency fee is not automatically tied to making your factory invoice bigger.

  • Price tied to scope, not spend

    You receive a fixed-scope proposal in writing before any work starts. No percentage fees. No factory-side commissions.

  • No percentage sourcing commission

    Increasing your purchase order does not automatically increase our sourcing fee.

  • No undisclosed supplier payments

    Our commercial relationship is with you, not hidden inside factory-side compensation.

  • Changes stay explicit

    If the specification, quantity, route or project scope changes, we agree the impact before proceeding.

Comparison of doing it yourself, a traditional percentage agent, and Lightsail Sourcing
 Do It YourselfTraditional % AgentLightsail Sourcing
PricingInternal time and resourcesOften tied to PO valueAgreed scope-based price
Supplier searchYouAgentIncluded
Supplier verificationYou arrangeVariesDefined in scope
Product developmentYou coordinateVariesIncluded when required
Production follow-upYouUsuallyIncluded
Quality controlArrange separatelyIncluded or extraDefined upfront
Freight coordinationYou / forwarderVariesCoordinated end to end
US-based point of contact—VariesYes
Agency fee automatically rises with PO value—OftenNo

Straightforward payment terms

  1. 30%Deposit to beginthen
  2. Productionthen
  3. Inspection / QC where includedthen
  4. 70%Before goods are dispatchedthen
  5. Dispatch

Typical factory payment terms: 30% deposit to start production, 70% before goods leave the factory (varies by supplier and product). We confirm terms in writing before you pay anything.

For teams that need predictable lead times, documented QC checkpoints, and one owner from brief to shipment.

  • “We were managing five suppliers ourselves. Lightsail gave us one workflow, caught a packaging issue before dispatch and made the total cost far easier to plan.”

    Linda, COO — Consumer Products (packaging & assembly in China)

  • “The biggest difference was accountability. We stopped chasing factories at night and had one US-based team owning the project from brief through shipment.”

    Kevin, Founder — DTC Brand (monthly reorders)

  • “We expected help finding a factory. The real value was everything afterwards — samples, production follow-up, inspection and freight stayed in one workflow.”

    Bruce, VP Operations — Industrial Distributor (custom components)

Performance metrics based on the last 12 months of active client projects (shared on request).

  • 2 days

    Median time to qualified supplier shortlist

  • 98.9%

    Production milestones completed on schedule

  • 11%

    Average landed-cost improvement

  • 93%

    Client satisfaction

Frequently asked questions

Tell us what you need sourced. We'll map the route from brief to delivery.

Send us a product, drawing, BOM, reference link or even an early idea. We'll review the requirement and outline the next steps.

Free review. We reply within 1 business day. No obligation.

Already have a factory? We can manage the rest.