Why “introductions” are usually worthless. A free introduction is paid for by the person being introduced. The candidate you meet is the one who signed up to a database or paid a finder, not the one who moves the most product in your category. Ours is paid for by you, which is why it can end with “none of these are good enough.”
What comes out of it
A qualified shortlist
5–8 candidates with a profile each: registered capital, real scope, years trading, categories genuinely carried, channels, footprint and who they already represent.
Registry & standing checks
Business licence, shareholders, legal representative, litigation and enforcement records, abnormal-operations listings — the checks that catch a shell before you ship to it.
Qualification calls
Every candidate called in Mandarin against your criteria: volumes, terms, exclusivity expectations, and whether they have handled an imported brand before.
Introduction meetings
Video or in-person meetings arranged and interpreted, with a written read-out afterwards of what was said and what it meant.
How it runs
- Brief (week 0). Your product, target channel, margin structure, exclusivity position and the criteria a partner must meet. We tell you here if your category is too thin for a search to be worth it.
- Longlist & screen (weeks 1–2). 40–80 candidates from registry, association, trade-fair and platform data, cut to the ones whose registered scope and trading history match reality.
- Qualify (weeks 3–4). Direct contact in Mandarin, interest tested, capability probed, obvious brokers removed.
- Shortlist & introduce (weeks 5–6). Reference checks, profiles delivered, meetings arranged and interpreted.
Before you sign
A shortlist is not a deal. Two things reliably go wrong after the handshake, and both are cheaper to prevent than to fix:
- Your trademark. China is first-to-file, and a distributor registering your brand in their own name is one of the most common ways foreign companies lose it. File before you appoint anyone — see Trademark & brand protection.
- Exclusivity. Exclusive national rights granted on day one, with no volume commitment and no exit, is how a brand ends up frozen out of its own market for three years. Get the distribution agreement reviewed by a qualified Chinese lawyer before it is signed.
Indicative pricing
| Item | Typical basis |
|---|---|
| Partner / distributor search | from US$2,400 per project, fixed fee |
| Extended search (multiple regions or categories) | Quoted on scope |
| Introduction meetings & interpreting | Included for the shortlist; further meetings from US$150/day |
| On-site visit to a candidate’s premises | Quoted; travel at cost |
Buying rather than selling? If you need a factory instead of a distributor, that is a different job — see supplier due diligence and product sourcing & interpreting.
