Broker, sourcing agent or marketplace: what is the difference?
Three ways to buy in China. Only one where you carry neither the contract, nor the stock, nor the risk.
"Sourcing agent", "buying office", "platform": the words look alike, the responsibilities do not. The real question is not who finds you a supplier, many can, but who signs, who pays and who answers the day a container arrives non-compliant. That is where your risk sits, and where the three models diverge.
| Marketplace | Sourcing agent | Brokerage house, Sorva | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who signs the contract | You, with the factory | You, with the factory | We do, in our own name |
| Who pays the supplier | You (deposit to a factory you never met) | You | We do, from our account |
| Who carries the risk | You, alone | You (the agent keeps the commission) | We do, through to delivery |
| Stock to front | Yes | Yes | No |
| Presence on the ground | None | Variable | Permanent, in Guangzhou |
| How they earn | Hidden margin / ads | Commission | Pack + fee + commission, shown |
| Your counterpart | An algorithm | An intermediary | A partner |
The marketplace introduces you, then leaves you alone
A platform is a directory with a search engine. It shows you factories, takes a margin or ad revenue, and steps aside the moment you message the supplier. The contract, the deposit, quality control, any dispute: all of it falls on you, facing a workshop you have never seen. Handy to explore, dangerous to commit money.
The agent represents you, but the contract stays yours
A sourcing agent is real progress: they know the ground, negotiate, sometimes inspect. But in the classic model you still sign with the factory and pay it; the agent takes a commission and keeps a distance from the outcome. If the goods drift, the contract is not theirs. Their interest is closing the transaction, not necessarily carrying the delivery.
The broker puts its name on it, you buy a result, not a risk
A brokerage house contracts in its own name, pays suppliers from its own account and answers for the delivered result. You wire no deposit to a stranger, carry no stock, manage no factory relationship: you deal with a single counterpart, a partner, who put their name on the contract. That is the Sorva model, and it is what sets us apart from the crowd of "agents".
- Is a broker necessarily more expensive?
- Not mechanically. You pay a stated fee instead of a hidden margin, but you save the costly mistakes (lost deposits, non-compliant containers, disputes) that the agent/platform model leaves you to absorb alone.
- Can I keep my own suppliers?
- Yes. We can take over an existing relationship, secure and frame it, or source new ones. Putting our name to the contracts does not lock you in, it protects you.
- What if I just want a one-off sourcing?
- Possible, but that is exactly where the risk is worst covered. We prefer to frame it, even lightly, rather than introduce you and disappear.