Frequently Asked Questions
Answers about working with MuseSourcing: how we charge, how we verify suppliers, inspection options, warehousing, dropshipping fulfilment and what we need from you to start.
Getting started
E-commerce brands, online sellers and importers buying from China — mainly in Europe and the United States. Most clients come to us for private-label or OEM products, or because they already buy from China and need verification, quality control or consolidation on the ground.
A product link or photos, your target market, an estimated quantity, any customisation you need (logo, packaging, specification changes), and your target timeline. With that, we can give you a useful answer instead of a generic one.
We reply with a customised sourcing strategy within 24–48 hours of a complete inquiry.
It depends on the product and the supplier. Many of our suppliers accept trial orders, and some products are workable at a few hundred units; others are not. Send the product and your quantity — we will tell you honestly whether it is workable rather than push you into an order that does not make sense.
We are based in Shenzhen and work across the Greater Bay Area's clusters — Shenzhen (electronics, smart devices), Dongguan (OEM production, plastics and moulds), Guangzhou (bags, apparel, beauty), Foshan (home, kitchen and furniture), Zhongshan (lighting) and Huizhou (batteries, audio, displays) — plus Zhejiang, including Yiwu for general merchandise. Being close enough to visit factories in person is the point.
Fees and payment
Product cost, our service fee and third-party costs are itemised separately, so you can see exactly what you are paying for. Our sourcing service fee is US$25–30 per hour, or a fixed fee agreed per project. A first inquiry is a flat US$200, including a customised sourcing strategy and supplier information for 3–5 suppliers matched to your product. Standalone inspection starts at US$200 per 8-hour day; warehousing beyond the free period and photography are quoted before you commit.
No. We earn our fee from you, openly. We do not accept undisclosed commissions or rebates from suppliers, and what a supplier charges is what you see in the quotation.
You pay the supplier directly for your goods — we never handle product payments or sit in the middle of them. Our service fee is invoiced by us, separately. The payment stages for the goods are agreed in writing before production starts — typically a deposit to begin production and the balance before shipment, after you have seen the inspection report. If paying a supplier directly is difficult from your country, tell us before you order — we can help coordinate a workable arrangement.
Suppliers and verification
A storefront is not evidence. For each shortlisted supplier we check the Chinese company registration and business scope, review the certificates relevant to your market (CE, FCC, RoHS, REACH, FDA/LFGB where applicable), check patents where they are claimed, and establish the real production arrangement — what is made in-house, what is outsourced, and to whom. Where it matters, we visit the factory in person. You receive verified facts and supplier claims labelled separately, so you decide with both in view.
Yes. If you ask, you get the supplier's name and contact details — that is what transparent means. You also receive the verification evidence behind the shortlist either way.
Yes. If you already buy from a factory, we can verify them, follow up production, inspect goods before shipment, and consolidate their goods with other orders — you keep your supplier; we are your team on the ground.
No. Many good suppliers are trading companies or hybrid operations, and that is fine when it is disclosed. We tell you what a supplier actually is — factory, trader, or a mix — based on what we checked, not on what their storefront says.
Quality control
Three levels. AQL sampling inspection before shipment suits most orders. During-production inspection catches problems while there is still time to fix them. Full piece-by-piece inspection suits high-value or defect-sensitive products. We recommend a level based on your product and order size — and explain the trade-off, because no sampling plan can guarantee every unit.
Before you pay the balance. You receive a written report with photos and video, and shipment only moves when you approve it.
You see the findings first, with evidence. The usual options are rework, replacement of defective units, a re-inspection, or a price/quantity adjustment — what is realistic depends on the defect and the supplier, and we tell you plainly which options are actually on the table before you decide.
Packaging, branding and photos
Yes — customised packaging, inserts and private labelling, coordinated with printing and packaging suppliers: dielines, proofs and print checks included, so the packaging you approved is the packaging that arrives.
Yes. Photography is provided through our partner studio in Shenzhen and quoted before you commit — we coordinate the shoot and check the results, but we do not pretend the studio is ours.
Shipping and warehousing
Yes. Warehousing is free for up to 30 days and up to 30 CBM. We consolidate orders from different suppliers into one shipment, which usually saves a significant amount of sea or air freight compared with shipping each order separately.
Yes — FNSKU labelling, bundling, carton requirements and delivery preparation for FBA warehouses.
We coordinate the handover to your freight forwarder, or to one we work with — either way, the shipping cost is shown separately from product cost and our fee.
No. Amazon ended its FBA prep and item-labelling services in the US store on 1 January 2026. Sellers must now prep units themselves or through a third party before shipping — FNSKU labels, poly bags, bundling and carton requirements all have to be right on arrival, or the shipment risks defect flags and per-unit fees.
Yes, and for China-made goods it is usually the cleaner and cheaper route: the prep is done at the factory, to a written specification, and confirmed with photos before the cartons are sealed — so the shipment goes directly to Amazon, with one handling step fewer and no extra warehouse move to pay for. We arrange FBA prep this way as part of sourcing projects; it is quoted in the project scope upfront.
Dropshipping and fulfilment
Yes — one-piece fulfilment for stores that are already selling: warehousing, neutral or branded packaging, and daily dispatch. Our operating experience runs at 2,000–3,000 parcels per day, with international small-parcel shipping lines for the main markets.
Honestly, usually not yet. One-piece fulfilment works when orders are already coming in. If you are still testing products, say so in your inquiry and we will tell you what we think the sensible first step is.
Working with us
A small, founder-led team. Caroline Kong, our founder, reviews supplier verification and inspection findings personally; Ken Yang (Logistics & Operations Specialist) and Lisa Mao (QC Manager / Lead Inspector) run day-to-day execution with her.
Yes — factory-visit accompaniment and Mandarin–English business support for visiting buyers are available. Mention your dates in the inquiry.
Send your product links, quantities and target market through the contact form. You will receive a customised sourcing strategy within 24–48 hours — and if we are not the right fit for what you need, we will say that too.