From Inquiry to Receipt: Complete Procurement Process

A typical sourcing order goes through the following steps, each with trackable status:

1. Submit Inquiry (RFQ): Provide product name or factory link, specifications, quantity, and target delivery date.
2. Specialist Quote: The sourcing specialist verifies supply and provides a formal quote including unit price, minimum order quantity (MOQ), delivery time, and estimated shipping cost.
3. Pay Deposit: After confirming the quote, pay the deposit and we place the order with the factory.
4. Factory Production & Shipment: The factory produces according to the order and ships to our transit warehouse.
5. Transit Warehouse Inspection & Storage: The warehouse receives the goods, weighs, measures, performs basic inspection, takes photos, labels, and shelves them.
6. Consolidation (Optional): Combine goods from multiple factories or batches into one package to optimize volume and reduce international shipping costs.
7. Settle Balance & Shipping: Based on actual weight/volume and the chosen shipping method, the final international shipping cost is determined. Settle the balance and shipping fee.
8. International Logistics & Customs: Match air/sea/courier routes based on destination and lead time. Provide full tracking numbers. For DDP routes, we handle customs clearance.
9. Receipt: Goods are delivered to the destination. It is recommended to inspect the goods upon delivery and retain unboxing photos/videos.

Why split into deposit and balance? Because the final international shipping cost can only be calculated after the goods arrive at the warehouse and the actual weight and volume are measured. See 《Deposit and Balance: Why Pay in Two Stages》.