Find the right supplier
We shortlist factories that make your product, collect quotes and samples, and tell you which ones are worth your time.
China sourcing agent
Your China sourcing agent, from factory to door.
Importing from China, or anywhere else, and need someone on your side? Gateway represents you. We find and check suppliers, negotiate price and terms, price the duties before you commit, then ship the order and deliver it to your door. As a licensed NVOCC and freight forwarder, we do the sourcing work at no extra cost: no commission on your order.
One team for the supplier, the freight and the customs entry.
- No commission on your orderThe sourcing work comes with your freight. Your quote shows one flat Gateway fee.
- Duties priced before you buyClassification and the full tariff stack, from our own engine.
- Our own bill of ladingA licensed NVOCC contracts the ocean move.
- Delivered to your doorCustoms entry by licensed broker partners, then the truck.
01 / What your agent handles
Everything a sourcing agent does. Then the shipping, too.
Most sourcing agents hand you off once the goods are made: to a forwarder, a customs broker and a trucker. We stay with the order from the first supplier call to your loading dock.
Check them before you pay
Before a deposit leaves your account we look at the supplier's business license, its export record to the United States and its samples.
Negotiate price and terms
Unit price, minimum order, payment terms, packaging and Incoterms, negotiated on your behalf and written into the proforma invoice.
Price the landed cost
Your product classified and its duty priced by our tariff engine, Section 301, Section 232 and antidumping screening included, with freight from our live rate board.
Ship it and clear it
Full container or shared container, on our own bill of lading. The ISF and the customs entry are filed by our licensed broker partners.
Deliver it to your door
Drayage from the port to your dock, with the empty container returned. Cargo insurance on request.
02 / What it costs
No commission. Here is how that works.
Most sourcing agents charge a percentage of your order, so the more you spend, the more they earn. That is the wrong incentive when the job is to bring your price down.
Gateway earns on the freight. When your order ships with us, the supplier search, the checks and the negotiation are included. You pay your supplier directly for the goods, and your shipment quote shows the freight, the expected duties and one flat Gateway fee, itemized before you book. A lower unit price is simply a better deal for you.
What you payItemized before you book
- 01Direct
Your goods
Paid to your supplier, at the price we negotiate.
- 02Quoted
Ocean freight
Quoted for your lane, container and sailing.
- 03Estimated
Duties and Customs fees
Estimated before you order, paid at entry.
- 04Flat
One flat Gateway fee
Stated separately in your shipment quote.
- 05No charge
Sourcing and negotiation
Included when the order ships with Gateway.
No commission on your order.
03 / Before you order
Know the landed cost before you place the order.
A factory quote is only the first line. We add the ocean freight, the duties and the fees Customs charges on every entry, so you compare suppliers on what the goods cost delivered. Two of those numbers, live:
Duty stack, priced by our tariff engine
Women's cotton T-shirts, HTS 6109.10.00.40, from China, $10,000 declared
| General rate of duty (Column 1)6109.10.00.40Official rate: 16.5% | 16.5% | $1,650 |
| Section 301 China (List 4A) | 7.5% | $750 |
| Section 301 forced labor9903.05.31 | 12.5% | $1,250 |
| Effective duty rate | 36.5% | $3,650 |
Planning estimate, not a customs ruling.
See the full worked exampleSpot market rate, read Sep 18, 2026
Shanghai to Long Beach, 40' high cube
$8,612
Transit on this sailing: 14 days
Not a Gateway rate. Gateway quotes below spot for confirmed shipments.
See the live rate boardCheck the numbers yourself
04 / Cutting the cost
Where the money goes. And how to keep more of it.
Knowing how freight and customs work is where most of the savings are. These are the moves we make with every order.
- 01
Buy FOB, not CIF or DDP
On CIF terms the supplier picks the forwarder and builds the freight into your unit price, where you cannot see it or compare it. DDP goes further and buries the duty in the price too. Buying FOB puts the freight in your hands, so you see what the move really costs and the entry is filed in your own name.
- 02
Get the classification right before you order
The HTS code decides the duty rate. Similar products can land on codes with very different rates, and a code chosen at the port is too late to plan around. We classify with you while you are still choosing the supplier.
- 03
Compare origins, legally
Duty depends on where goods are made, not where they ship from. Moving real manufacturing to another country can change the origin and the duty. Relabeling Chinese goods or routing them through a third country does not, and Customs treats it as evasion. We price each origin side by side so the comparison is honest.
- 04
Screen for antidumping duties first
Some products carry antidumping or countervailing duties that are set exporter by exporter and can exceed the price of the goods. We screen your product against active orders before you commit, not after the container lands.
- 05
Fill the container, or share one
Below roughly 12 cubic meters, sharing a container usually costs less. Above roughly 25, a full container usually wins. In between we price both, and our 3D load planner shows how much of a box your order fills.
- 06
Combine orders from several suppliers
Buying from several factories near the same port? Ask us about bringing their goods together into one shipment instead of several small ones.
- 07
Pay in stages, and verify bank details
A deposit to start production and the balance against the shipping documents is the norm. Never pay the full amount up front, and confirm any change to a supplier's bank details by phone before you send money.
05 / Other origins
Sourcing outside China? Same service.
Many importers now split orders between China and a second country. Our live rate board currently prices lanes to the United States from 41 origin countries. The main sourcing origins:
OriginPorts on our rate boardTo the US West CoastTo the US East Coast
ChinaDalian, Fuzhou, Nansha, Ningbo-Zhoushan and 6 moreWest CoastAbout 19 daysEast CoastAbout 36 days
VietnamHaiphongWest CoastAbout 18 daysEast CoastAbout 36 days
IndiaChennai, Cochin, Hazira, Kolkata and 4 moreWest CoastAbout 48 daysEast CoastAbout 40 days
ThailandLaem ChabangWest CoastAbout 26 daysEast CoastAbout 44 days
IndonesiaJakarta, SurabayaWest CoastAbout 29 daysEast CoastAbout 40 days
MalaysiaPort Klang, Tanjung PelepasWest CoastAbout 30 daysEast CoastAbout 41 days
TaiwanKaohsiung, KeelungWest CoastAbout 21 daysEast CoastAbout 39 days
South KoreaBusanWest CoastAbout 12 daysEast CoastAbout 28 days
Median port-to-port transit on current carrier schedules, from our rate board. Your quote gives the exact sailing.
06 / How it works
From your first message to your loading dock.
- 01
Tell us what you need
The product, the quantity, your target price and when you need it.
- 02
We source and shortlist
Quotes and samples from suppliers worth your time, checked before you pay anything.
- 03
You approve the landed cost
Goods, freight, duties and fees on one page, before you place the order.
- 04
Production and paperwork
Deposit, proforma invoice, commercial invoice and packing list, followed by us.
- 05
Ship, file and clear
Our own bill of lading, ISF before loading, customs entry by our licensed broker partners.
- 06
Delivered to your door
The truck to your dock, and the empty container returned.
What does a China sourcing agent do?
A China sourcing agent represents the buyer: finding suppliers for your product, checking that they are real and capable, negotiating price and terms, following production and arranging the shipment. Gateway does all of that and also ships the goods on our own bill of lading, coordinates the customs entry and delivers to your door.
How much does Gateway charge to source from China?
There is no sourcing fee and no commission on your order. When the order ships with Gateway, the supplier search, checks and negotiation are included. You pay your supplier directly for the goods, and your shipment quote shows the freight, the expected duties and one flat Gateway fee, itemized before you book.
Do I need a sourcing agent to import from China?
Not always. If you already have a reliable supplier and know your costs, you may only need freight and customs, which we also handle. An agent earns its keep when you are choosing a new supplier, negotiating, or buying something where the duty, the paperwork or the supplier is still an open question.
Can you work with a supplier I already found?
Yes. We can check them, renegotiate terms if you want, price the landed cost and take over the shipping from their factory or port.
Do you handle customs clearance and duties?
Yes. Our licensed customs broker partners file the ISF before loading and the customs entry on arrival, coordinated by us. You see the estimated duty before you place the order, and the duties are paid at entry in your name as the importer.
Can you source from countries other than China?
Yes. Vietnam, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea are common alternatives, and we ship from dozens of origin countries. We can price the same product from two origins side by side, duty and freight included.
Is it legal to route Chinese goods through Vietnam to avoid tariffs?
No. Country of origin is where goods are made or substantially transformed, not the port they sail from. Relabeling or transshipping Chinese goods through another country to avoid duties is evasion, and Customs enforces it with penalties and back duties. Moving real production to another country is legal, and we can price that option honestly.
How long does shipping from China to the US take?
Port to port, roughly two to three weeks to the West Coast and about five weeks to the East and Gulf coasts, depending on the service. Allow extra time for production, trucking to the origin port, customs clearance and delivery. Your quote shows the exact sailing.
What is the minimum order?
Factories set their own minimums, and we negotiate them where we can. On the shipping side there is no minimum: smaller orders can share a container and larger ones take a full container.
How do I pay my supplier safely?
You pay your supplier directly, by bank transfer to the company's account. The usual terms are a deposit to start production and the balance against the shipping documents. Never pay a personal account, and confirm any change of bank details by phone before you send money.
Get started
Tell us what you are sourcing
Share what you need and where it should end up. You do not need a supplier yet. An account executive replies by email with the next steps, and there is no commitment.
What helps us start
- 01
The product
A description, a link or a photo of what you want made.
- 02
The quantity
Units per order and how often you reorder.
- 03
Your target price
Per unit, if you have one in mind.
- 04
Where it should end up
Your warehouse, store or fulfillment address.