Intelligence · free guides
Sourcing guides, written from the factory floor.
Straight answers to the questions buyers ask when they source from India and China: how to find and check factories, how many units to inspect, what a part should cost and what it costs landed. Each guide links to a free tool so you can run the numbers yourself.
- 16
- evergreen guides
- 5
- topics, from sourcing to compliance
- 30
- free tools linked from the guides
- 48 h
- free sourcing teardown
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Three guides to start with
- Sourcing · 7 min read How to find manufacturers in India: a six-step method that works To find a good manufacturer in India, start from the manufacturing process your product needs, go to the cluster where that process is done at scale, and screen named factories on evidence: registrations, equipment, customers and a sample made to your drawing. Read the guide
- Quality · 8 min read AQL sampling explained: how many to check and when to reject An AQL sampling plan tells your inspector how many units to pull from a lot and how many defects the sample may contain before the lot is rejected. Read the guide
- Costing · 7 min read Landed cost: how to calculate what an import really costs Landed cost is the total cost of getting a product into your warehouse: the supplier's price plus freight, insurance, import duty, customs fees, port charges and delivery, divided by the units in the shipment. Read the guide
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Showing all 16 guides
- Sourcing7 min How to find manufacturers in India: a six-step method that works How to find and vet manufacturers in India: start from the process, pick the right cluster, check GST and IEC records, run an RFQ, audit, and approve samples.
- Sourcing7 min China plus one sourcing: how to add a second source without losing the first A practical China plus one guide: which products move well, India versus Vietnam, tooling transfer, landed-cost comparison and a realistic 12 to 20 week plan.
- Sourcing6 min Payment terms with Asian suppliers: how to balance risk on both sides Payment terms for buying from India, China and Vietnam: 30/70 deposits, balance after inspection, letters of credit, collections, escrow and open account.
- Sourcing7 min Tooling and mould ownership: how to protect the tools you pay for How to own and control moulds, dies and fixtures made by suppliers in India and China: tooling agreements, payment, marking, shot life and safe transfer.
- Quality8 min AQL sampling explained: how many to check and when to reject How AQL sampling works under ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 and ISO 2859-1: inspection levels, code letters, accept and reject numbers, and a worked plan for a 3,500-unit lot.
- Quality7 min Pre-shipment inspection checklist: what your inspector should check A pre-shipment inspection checklist for goods from India and China: timing, quantity, packing, AQL workmanship, measurements, on-site tests and the report.
- Quality6 min Factory audit checklist: how to judge a supplier on site A factory audit checklist for India and China suppliers: legal checks, capacity, equipment, calibration, process control, traceability and CAPA, with scoring.
- Quality6 min Golden samples and sample approval: how to lock in the standard How sample approval works with Asian suppliers: first article, pre-production, golden and top-of-production samples, what to record and how to seal them.
- Logistics7 min Incoterms 2020 for importers: which rule to use and why Incoterms 2020 for buyers in India and China: all 11 rules, where risk passes, who pays freight and duty, and why FCA often beats FOB for containers.
- Logistics6 min India festival production calendar: plan orders around the holidays Plan production around Indian festivals from October 2026 to December 2027: Diwali, Dussehra, Chhath, Pongal, Holi, Eid and regional holidays by cluster.
- Compliance6 min HS codes explained: how to classify a product correctly HS codes explained for importers: the 6-digit Harmonized System, national digits in the EU, US, UK and India, the interpretative rules and a worked example.
- Compliance7 min CBAM for EU importers and Indian exporters: what applies now CBAM from 2026: covered goods, the 50-tonne exemption, authorised declarants, certificate prices and the 2027 deadlines, plus what Indian exporters need.
- Compliance9 min Rules of origin and CAROTAR 2020 for Indian imports and FTA claims CAROTAR 2020 explained: what importers claiming FTA duty cuts in India must declare and hold, Form I, timelines, and how UK and EFTA buyers prove Indian origin.
- Compliance8 min Organic certification for food ingredients from India: NPOP, USDA NOP and EU organic Organic food ingredients from India: NPOP, USDA NOP and EU organic rules, scope and transaction certificates, how to verify them and the lab tests to ask for.
- Costing6 min Should-cost modelling: how to work out what a part should cost How to build a should-cost model for a manufactured part: material, machine time, labour, setup, overhead, profit and tooling, with a worked moulding example.
- Costing7 min Landed cost: how to calculate what an import really costs How to calculate landed cost per unit: EU and UK duty on CIF value, US duty on transaction value, FY2026 MPF and HMF, import VAT and a worked example.
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Five topics, one sourcing program
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Sourcing
Finding, qualifying and contracting the right factories.
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Quality
Samples, audits, inspections and the numbers behind them.
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Logistics
Shipping terms, production calendars and getting goods moving.
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Compliance
Classification, customs and EU and US rules for importers.
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Costing
What a part should cost and what it really costs landed.
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The Sourcing Brief
One short email a month: rule changes that affect importers, festival and holiday shutdowns to plan around, and one practical sourcing lesson from the factory floor. Written by a principal, not a content team.
- EU and US rule changes, with dates and official sources
- India, China and Vietnam production calendar alerts
- New guides and tools, before anyone else
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Guides last reviewed 28 September 2026.