Sourcing agent in Australia
A sourcing agent finds manufacturers, negotiates terms and manages the order for you, rather than leaving you to deal with suppliers directly. Open Dock acts as your agent in Australia while our sourcing takes place across China, Vietnam and other manufacturing regions, with one point of contact from brief to delivery.
What a sourcing agent actually does
A sourcing agent stands between you and the factory. We take your specification, shortlist manufacturers who genuinely produce that category, negotiate price and terms, and manage quality control and freight so you are not coordinating separate suppliers, inspectors and forwarders yourself.
Why use one instead of buying direct
- You get one accountable party instead of chasing several suppliers and a forwarder
- Quotes are compared like-for-like rather than trusting a single factory's number
- Someone with local market knowledge is negotiating on your behalf, not the factory's
- Quality control and dispute resolution sit with your agent, not offshore
How Open Dock is different from a trading company
A trading company buys stock and resells it with a markup baked in, often without disclosing the factory or the real cost. As a sourcing agent, we work on your brief, show landed cost in Australian dollars, and are accountable to you rather than to a factory relationship. See the guide on sourcing agents versus trading companies for the detail.
What we need from you to start
- A product description, drawing or reference sample
- Target quantity and rough budget
- Any Australian standards, labelling or certification requirements you already know about
- A rough deadline for when stock needs to land
Who this suits
Businesses ordering container-scale volumes who do not have an in-house sourcing team, or who have been burned by a factory relationship that lacked oversight. It is not a fit for one-off small parcel orders, which are better suited to existing retail suppliers.
What this costs
Sourcing fees are typically built into the landed cost we quote rather than charged separately, so the number you see is what you pay. Exact figures depend on category, volume and complexity.
See what it costs →Related category
Frequently asked questions
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Send your brief and we will come back with vetted supplier options and a landed cost.
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