Your sourcing team in China, working for you

The rate is lower on larger orders because InterBridge works for a long-term relationship with you, not a single sale.

For a very large order, how payment to sellers is handled is agreed in the quote, before you order. The exchange rate used for each payment InterBridge makes for you is shown in your payment record.

Factory visits, audits and inspections are quoted separately. Services without an order, such as interpretation, business setup, visit planning or dispute support, are quoted per scope.

Many good factories are not online, so the team also visits markets and factories in person when your order needs it.

Examples of manufacturing clusters and markets include furniture in Foshan, electronics in Shenzhen and its Huaqiangbei market, small commodities in Yiwu, cosmetics in Guangzhou's Baiyun district, bags in Shiling, toys in Dongguan and Shantou, and lighting in Zhongshan.

InterBridge compares quotes for the same specification and negotiates price, MOQ, payment terms, packaging and lead time with the factory.

InterBridge reads the supplier's records in Chinese from public sources, such as the national enterprise credit system, court enforcement and judgment records, and the customs credit platform. The registration number is the 18-character unified social credit code.

Not every court judgment is published, so "no records found" does not prove a clean history.

Registered activities and paperwork are signals of a factory, not proof. A visit to the production site is the strongest check.

The included check is made on the supplier you deal with, before you order. Checking a counterparty after a dispute starts is part of Trade Dispute Support, quoted per scope.

Trading margin: a reseller's own margin. Export services: English-speaking sales, export packing and documents. Platform costs: seller memberships and advertising on export platforms. Dollar pricing: US-dollar prices can include an exchange-rate buffer.

Both platforms date from 1999. Alibaba's China site was renamed 1688.com in 2010.

Trading companies can be useful, for example for mixed small orders. What matters is knowing who makes your product and what each step adds.

An Alibaba.com executive has advised buyers to check whether a supplier is a manufacturer, a trading company or a reseller. The InterBridge background check reads the signals; a visit to the production site is the strongest check.

1688 has been adding cross-border channels, but most sellers still work in Chinese, take Chinese payment methods and ship within China.

Factory visits, audits and inspections are quoted separately, so you choose the checks your order needs.

Each inspection follows criteria you approve before the visit, and the report records what was found on the day. A visit alone does not verify a supplier.

Travel outside Guangzhou, hotels and local transport are itemized in your quote. Flights and visas remain your own booking unless agreed.

Interpretation is English–Chinese as standard. Other languages are possible only when a suitable interpreter is confirmed for your dates.

At each milestone InterBridge checks progress with the supplier and tells you when something changes.

Inspection comes before the balance payment, so you can release the balance after the goods pass. When InterBridge pays a seller for you, each payment is made only on your instruction.

The partners are specialists InterBridge selects and coordinates for each step, not an in-house team.

Before you share a new design, ask a qualified adviser about registering your trademark or design in China, and ask the agent about confidentiality agreements with suppliers.

A reference product shows the style you want. It does not authorize copying a protected design.

The background check gives InterBridge the supplier's exact Chinese legal name and registration, and a claim in China starts from that exact name.

Chinese court rules treat emails, WeChat messages and transaction records as electronic evidence, and notarized records carry extra weight.

InterBridge can report suspected illegal conduct, such as counterfeits or false claims, to the market regulator or to the platform where the seller is registered.

For larger orders, ask a qualified lawyer about purchase terms in Chinese, under Chinese law, with a court or arbitration forum in China, a structure that China-law specialists recommend.

When formal action is needed, InterBridge briefs a qualified Chinese lawyer, with the record already organized.

Taking a problem up with the supplier is part of following your order. Formal dispute work, notarization and lawyers' fees are quoted separately.

InterBridge charges a commission of at most 5% of the goods value: the price of the products you buy through InterBridge. The rate is lower on larger orders, and InterBridge charges no minimum fee. Your exact rate is written in the quote before you order. The supplier background check is included. Samples, freight, duties and lab tests are listed separately, and services without an order are quoted per scope.

Alibaba.com and 1688.com both belong to Alibaba Group. Alibaba.com is the international marketplace, in English and mostly US dollars, with manufacturers and many trading companies that export. 1688.com is China's domestic wholesale market, in Chinese and priced in RMB (Chinese yuan), where factories and wholesalers sell to Chinese businesses. 1688 prices are often lower, but they are domestic prices that can leave out export packing and export documents.

Often, but not always. 1688.com shows domestic wholesale prices from factories and wholesalers selling inside China. An Alibaba.com price can include export services, platform costs and US-dollar pricing, plus a trading margin when the seller is a trading company. A 1688 price can leave out domestic delivery, the type of VAT invoice (fapiao) you need and export packing, so compare the landed cost. InterBridge compares quotes for the same specification before you order.

An agent in China can buy and pay for you. 1688 has some cross-border channels, but most sellers work in Chinese, take Chinese payment methods such as Alipay and deliver within China. InterBridge negotiates on 1688 in Chinese and checks the seller. InterBridge can pay the seller for you in RMB, at no extra charge for standard-sized orders. Each payment record shows the exchange rate used, and export shipping is quoted separately.

InterBridge shows you the factory's own quotation and its commission as a separate line, together with the agreement and the payment records. You can compare what the factory quoted with what you pay at every step of the order. Messages with the supplier are shared too, so the prices and commitments made for your order are on record.

Every InterBridge project includes a background check of the supplier company at no extra cost. The check covers the Chinese legal name, registration number, shareholders and paid-in capital, official warning lists, court and enforcement records, customs registration and signs of a factory or trading company. A background check cannot guarantee performance, and factory visits and audits are quoted separately.

Start with the company records, then confirm on site. Signals of a factory include production in its registered activities, enough insured employees for a production line, an industrial address, and patents or certificates in the company's own name. Signals are not proof: a visit to the production site is the strongest check. The InterBridge background check reports these signals at no extra cost.

InterBridge acts locally on orders it handles: an agent contacts the supplier in Chinese, visits if needed and uses your order record. If InterBridge bought the goods for you, it is the buyer of record and can raise the problem directly. A court judgment from outside China needs separate recognition in China. Legal action goes through a qualified Chinese lawyer, quoted separately. InterBridge is not a law firm and cannot guarantee a refund or recovery.