What a sourcing agent actually charges — and what the fee hides.
Three charging models are common in China. They produce very different behaviour when a problem appears, and they are almost never quoted on the same basis — which is why the cheapest proposal is often the most expensive one.
Short answer: sourcing agents in China charge in one of three ways — a percentage of order value, a monthly retainer, or a fixed fee per order or per task. The percentage model is the most common and the least transparent, because the agent's income rises with the price you pay the factory. A fixed fee removes that conflict but leaves the agent exposed if the project runs long. Comparing proposals means converting all three to the same number: total cost to you for a named scope, at a named order value.
The three models, side by side
| Model | How it works | Typical range | Where the conflict sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of order value | A commission added to the factory price, usually invisible on the invoice | 3–10% of FOB value | Income rises with the price you pay — nobody is rewarded for negotiating the factory down |
| Monthly retainer | A fixed sum per month covering an agreed scope and volume | Varies widely; usually for ongoing programmes | Volume is capped by the retainer — heavy months get less attention per order |
| Fixed fee per order or task | A quoted price for a defined scope: sourcing, sampling, inspection, a factory visit | Quoted before work starts | Scope creep — work outside the definition becomes a change order |
Why the percentage model is the one to interrogate
A percentage commission is not dishonest by itself, and many established agents use it. The problem is structural: if the agent earns 5% of what the factory charges, the agent earns more when the factory charges more. That does not automatically produce bad behaviour, but it means the incentive is absent at exactly the moment it matters — when a factory quote should be pushed down, or when a cheaper qualified factory should be proposed.
The practical test is not whether a percentage is used, but whether it is disclosed. Ask three questions: Is the commission visible on the quotation I receive? Does the agent disclose the factory's own price separately from the agent's fee? And if a cheaper factory is found after the quote, does the agent's fee fall with it? An agent who answers all three in writing is safe to work with even on a percentage. An agent who cannot answer the second one is not telling you where the money goes.
What the fee usually does not cover
Almost every dispute about sourcing fees comes from a cost line nobody named in advance. Before comparing proposals, confirm whether each of these is included, excluded, or passed through at cost:
- Factory visits and travel — how many, how far, billed how
- Sampling: the sample cost, the courier cost, and repeat rounds
- Third-party laboratory testing
- Inspection: per visit, per man-day, or per container
- Tooling and mould ownership, and what happens to it if you leave
- Consolidation, warehousing and re-packing at origin
- Documentation, certification of origin, and any legalisation
- Payment handling: who holds the money, and what the transfer costs
A proposal that lists these is longer than one that does not. It is also the only one you can compare.
Converting proposals to one number
To compare a percentage proposal against a fixed-fee proposal, model a real order rather than a hypothetical one. Take a live requirement — say 300 windows, or 40 bathroom pods — and ask each agent to quote the full scope on that requirement. Then add up: agent fee + sampling + testing + inspection + travel + consolidation, and divide by the order value. The result is a single percentage you can compare, and it usually surprises people: fixed-fee proposals look expensive per hour and cheap per order, while percentage proposals look free and become expensive at volume.
Do the same exercise at half the order value. A model that only works at one order size is not a pricing model, it is a fit to one number.
The fee is not the main cost
On a first order in an unfamiliar category, the fee is rarely the largest number on the table. The larger numbers are a specification that was never closed, a material grade that was quietly substituted, and a load that fails inspection after the balance has been paid. A 3% commission on a shipment that has to be reworked is more expensive than a 7% fee on one that does not.
This is not an argument for paying more. It is an argument for reading the fee as a signal: an agent who cannot explain what the money buys, line by line, is unlikely to be able to explain what went wrong in a factory either.
Questions worth asking before signing
Is your fee a percentage of what I pay the factory?
+Ask for a yes or no in writing, then ask to see it on a sample quotation. A disclosed percentage is workable. An undisclosed one means the agent's margin and the factory's price are the same number, and you cannot tell which is which.
Do you take anything from the factory?
+Factory commissions, rebates and referral payments are common in this market and are usually invisible to the buyer. If an agent takes money from both sides, no fee structure can make the recommendation independent. The answer should be specific, not reassuring.
What happens if the order is cancelled or the factory fails?
+Ask what is refundable, what is already spent, and who carries the loss if a deposit is at risk. Vague answers here are the ones that turn into disputes.
Can I see the factory's own quotation?
+This single question separates most agents. If the factory price and the agent fee are shown as separate lines, the structure is auditable. If you only ever see one blended number, you are being asked to trust rather than check.
Read next
采购代理到底怎么收费——费用背后藏着什么。
中国市场上常见三种收费模式。它们在出问题时的行为完全不同，而且几乎从来不在同一个基准上报价——这正是为什么会看起来最便宜的那份方案，最后往往是最贵的。
一句话结论：采购代理的收费方式基本有三种——按订单金额的百分比、按月固定费、按单或按任务的固定费。百分比模式最常见，也最不透明，因为代理的收入随您付给供应商的价格一起上涨。固定费消除了这个利益冲突，但项目一旦拖长，代理要自己承担。要比较方案，只能把它们换算成同一个数：在明确的范围、明确的订单金额下，您总共付出多少。
三种模式摆在一起看
| 模式 | 怎么收 | 常见区间 | 冲突点在哪 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 按订单金额百分比 | 加在供应商价格上的佣金，通常不在发票上单独显示 | FOB 货值的 3–10% | 您付得越高，代理收入越高——没有人因为把价格谈下来而得到奖励 |
| 按月固定费 | 每月固定金额，覆盖约定的服务范围与工作量 | 差异很大，多用于长期项目 | 工作量被固定费封顶——某个月集中出货时，每单分到的注意力会下降 |
| 按单或按任务固定费 | 对明确范围报一个价：找厂、打样、验货、走访一次 | 开工之前报价 | 范围蔓延——定义之外的工作会变成变更单 |
为什么百分比模式最该追问
百分比佣金本身并不等于不诚实，很多老牌代理都用这种方式。问题在结构上：如果代理赚的是供应商报价的 5%，那么供应商报价越高，代理赚得越多。这不必然导致坏行为，但它意味着在最关键的那一刻——当一份报价该被压下来、或者当一家更便宜且合格的供应商该被提出来时——激励恰好缺席。
真正该测的不是「用不用百分比」，而是「百分比有没有摊开」。问三个问题：这个佣金在我收到的报价单上看得见吗？供应商出厂价和代理费是分开列出的吗？如果后来找到更便宜的供应商，代理费会跟着降吗？三个问题都能书面回答清楚的，用百分比也可以合作。第二个问题答不上来的，就是没告诉您钱去哪了。
费用通常不包含什么
几乎所有关于采购费的争执，都来自一条事先没被点名的成本。比较方案之前，先逐项确认下面这些是包含、不包含，还是按成本实报实销：
- 走访工厂与差旅——几次、多远、怎么计费
- 打样：样品费、快递费，以及反复打样的轮次
- 第三方实验室检测
- 验货：按次、按人天，还是按柜
- 模具与模具归属，以及您终止合作后模具怎么处理
- 产地拼柜、仓储与重新包装
- 单证、原产地证，以及需要的领事认证
- 款项处理：谁持有资金，转账成本怎么算
把这些列出来的方案，比不列的要长。但也是唯一能拿来比较的那一份。
把方案换算成同一个数
要比较百分比方案和固定费方案，别用假设单，用一个真实需求。拿一个正在进行的项目——比如三百樘窗，或者四十台卫浴模块——让每家按这个需求报完整范围。然后把代理费、打样、检测、验货、差旅、拼柜加在一起，除以订单金额，得到一个可以横向比较的百分比。
结果通常出人意料：固定费方案按小时看很贵，按单看很便宜；百分比方案看着像免费，订单一上量就变贵。再用一半的订单金额算一遍——只在某一个订单规模上成立的模型，不是定价模型，只是对一个数字的拟合。
费用本身不是主要成本
在陌生品类做第一单，代理费很少是桌上最大的那个数。更大的数是一份始终没关掉的规格、一个被悄悄替换的材料等级，以及一批在尾款付完之后才验出问题的货。一笔需要返工的货，收 3% 也比一笔顺利交付的货收 7% 更贵。
这不是在劝您多付钱，而是在说：费用结构本身就是一个信号。一个连「这笔钱买到什么」都拆不清楚的代理，大概也解释不清楚工厂里出了什么问题。
签约之前值得问的问题
您的费用是按我付给供应商的金额抽成吗？
+先要一个书面的「是」或「否」，再要求在一份样例报价上看出来。明示的百分比是可以接受的；没有明示的，意味着代理的利润和供应商的价格是同一个数字，而您分不清哪个是哪个。
您会从供应商那边再拿钱吗？
+工厂返点、介绍费在这个市场很常见，而且通常对买方不可见。如果一个代理两头都拿钱，再漂亮的费用结构也换不回独立的推荐。这个问题的答案应该是具体的，不是安慰性的。
订单取消或者工厂出问题，怎么算？
+问清楚什么可退、什么是已经花掉的、定金有风险时谁来承担。这里含糊其辞的部分，就是将来变成纠纷的部分。
我能看到工厂自己的报价单吗？
+这一个问题就能筛掉大多数代理。工厂价和代理费分成两行显示，结构就是可审计的；如果您永远只看到一个混合后的总数，那是要您相信，而不是让您核对。