What's actually different between working direct with a factory, buying off Alibaba, and hiring a sourcing agent?
Alibaba is fastest to start but you're often talking to a trading company, not the factory floor, fine for standard products, riskier for anything custom. A sourcing agent (5-15% of order value) earns their fee on your first complex or high-value order by vetting factories and standing on the ground for inspections. Go direct-to-factory only once you have enough volume and product knowledge to negotiate and audit without help.
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A DTC-focused sourcing overview that's useful precisely because it treats freight and customs as part of sourcing strategy, not an afterthought.
A DTC-specific playbook that frames the real decision every founder faces: stay on Alibaba, build a direct factory relationship, or hire an agent, and when each makes sense.
