Eastern Plays — Sourcing and shipping from Asia, for the people buying from it
Sourcing · Shipping · Customs · Quality · Offshore teams
Buy from Asia, without the guesswork .
Supplier vetting, freight, tariffs, quality control and offshore teams — practical reporting for the Western businesses buying from and shipping out of Asia.
◆ Tariffs & Customs 4 min read New How to Work Out Landed Cost Before You Order From China 
◆ Quality Control 3 min read What an AQL Inspection Report Actually Tells You 
◆ Offshore Teams 3 min read Hiring a Sourcing Agent in China: What to Pay and What to Check 
◆ Shipping 4 min read FOB, EXW or DDP? Incoterms Explained for First-Time Importers 
◆ Shipping 3 min read Air Freight or Ocean Freight From Asia? How to Choose 
◆ Sourcing 4 min read How to Vet a Supplier in China Before You Pay a Deposit Five ways into Eastern Plays.
- ✓ 6 stories
- ✓ 5 desks
- ✓ 3 writers
Sourcing Finding, vetting and negotiating with factories and trading companies before any money moves. 1 story
Read Sourcing 
Shipping Ocean, air and rail freight out of Asia: Incoterms, forwarders, lead times and what a quote leaves out. 2 stories
Read Shipping Tariffs & Customs Duty rates, classification, landed cost and the paperwork that decides whether a shipment clears. 1 story
Read Tariffs & Customs Quality Control Inspections, AQL sampling, golden samples and what to do when the goods are not what you ordered. 1 story
Read Quality Control 
Offshore Teams Hiring and running sourcing agents, QC staff and remote operators on the ground in Asia. 1 story
Read Offshore Teams 
Shipping Ocean, air and rail freight out of Asia: Incoterms, forwarders, lead times and what a quote leaves out. 2 stories
Read Shipping Tariffs & Customs Duty rates, classification, landed cost and the paperwork that decides whether a shipment clears. 1 story
Read Tariffs & Customs Quality Control Inspections, AQL sampling, golden samples and what to do when the goods are not what you ordered. 1 story
Read Quality Control Offshore Teams Hiring and running sourcing agents, QC staff and remote operators on the ground in Asia. 1 story
Read Offshore Teams The cover story What an AQL Inspection Report Actually Tells You A pre-shipment inspection that says "pass" does not mean the order is defect-free. Here is how AQL sampling works, how to read the numbers in the report, and which limits to set before the inspector arrives.
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- Tariffs & Customs How to Work Out Landed Cost Before You Order From China The factory price is only the first line. Freight, insurance, duty, import VAT and a handful of fees decide what a unit really costs you on your shelf. Here is how to add them up before you commit.
- Quality Control What an AQL Inspection Report Actually Tells You A pre-shipment inspection that says "pass" does not mean the order is defect-free. Here is how AQL sampling works, how to read the numbers in the report, and which limits to set before the inspector arrives.
- Offshore Teams Hiring a Sourcing Agent in China: What to Pay and What to Check A good agent saves you trips, mistakes and money. A bad one quietly takes a cut from both sides. How agents charge, where the conflicts of interest hide, and the checks to run before you sign.
- Shipping FOB, EXW or DDP? Incoterms Explained for First-Time Importers The three letters on your supplier's quote decide who pays for what, and who carries the risk if something goes wrong in transit. Here is what each common term means when you are buying from Asia.
- Shipping Air Freight or Ocean Freight From Asia? How to Choose Air is fast and expensive, ocean is slow and cheap, and the right answer depends on weight, volume, value and how much a late shipment would cost you. A practical way to decide shipment by shipment.
- Sourcing How to Vet a Supplier in China Before You Pay a Deposit A polished catalogue and a quick reply prove very little. Here is the order of checks we run on every new factory, from the business licence to a third-party audit, before any money moves.
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The Latest
- How to Work Out Landed Cost Before You Order From China The factory price is only the first line. Freight, insurance, duty, import VAT and a handful of fees decide what a unit really costs you on your shelf. Here is how to add them up before you commit.
- What an AQL Inspection Report Actually Tells You A pre-shipment inspection that says "pass" does not mean the order is defect-free. Here is how AQL sampling works, how to read the numbers in the report, and which limits to set before the inspector arrives.
- Hiring a Sourcing Agent in China: What to Pay and What to Check A good agent saves you trips, mistakes and money. A bad one quietly takes a cut from both sides. How agents charge, where the conflicts of interest hide, and the checks to run before you sign.
- FOB, EXW or DDP? Incoterms Explained for First-Time Importers The three letters on your supplier's quote decide who pays for what, and who carries the risk if something goes wrong in transit. Here is what each common term means when you are buying from Asia.
- Air Freight or Ocean Freight From Asia? How to Choose Air is fast and expensive, ocean is slow and cheap, and the right answer depends on weight, volume, value and how much a late shipment would cost you. A practical way to decide shipment by shipment.
- How to Vet a Supplier in China Before You Pay a Deposit A polished catalogue and a quick reply prove very little. Here is the order of checks we run on every new factory, from the business licence to a third-party audit, before any money moves.
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