Eastern Plays — Sourcing and shipping from Asia, for the people buying from it
Sourcing · Shipping · Customs · Quality · Offshore teams
Buy from Asia, without the guesswork .
Supplier vetting, freight, tariffs, quality control and offshore teams — practical reporting for the Western businesses buying from and shipping out of Asia.
◆ Offshore Teams 7 min read New Philippines Minimum Wage Orders in Fall 2026: What Offshore Team Employers Must Update 
◆ Shipping 7 min read Fuel Surcharges in Q4 2026: How to Read the Line Items on Your Freight Quote 
◆ Sourcing 7 min read CBP Heightened Import Disclosures: How Asia Importers Can Build a Supplier File Now 
◆ Shipping 6 min read Suez Return: How Gemini's Route Shift Changes Asia-Europe Lead Times 
◆ Offshore Teams 7 min read 13th Month Pay for Offshore Teams: Philippines Deadline and Vietnam Tet Bonuses 
◆ Quality Control 7 min read EU Product Liability Directive 2026: What Importers From Asia Must Document 
◆ Sourcing 7 min read US-China Tariff Cut List: 77 Chinese Product Categories and How Importers Should Prepare 
◆ Sourcing 7 min read Section 301 Forced Labor Duties: Rates by Country for Asia Sourcing in 2026 Five ways into Eastern Plays.
- ✓ 31 stories
- ✓ 5 desks
- ✓ 3 writers
Sourcing Finding, vetting and negotiating with factories and trading companies before any money moves. 8 stories
Read Sourcing 
Shipping Ocean, air and rail freight out of Asia: Incoterms, forwarders, lead times and what a quote leaves out. 7 stories
Read Shipping Tariffs & Customs Duty rates, classification, landed cost and the paperwork that decides whether a shipment clears. 6 stories
Read Tariffs & Customs Quality Control Inspections, AQL sampling, golden samples and what to do when the goods are not what you ordered. 5 stories
Read Quality Control 
Offshore Teams Hiring and running sourcing agents, QC staff and remote operators on the ground in Asia. 5 stories
Read Offshore Teams 
Shipping Ocean, air and rail freight out of Asia: Incoterms, forwarders, lead times and what a quote leaves out. 7 stories
Read Shipping Tariffs & Customs Duty rates, classification, landed cost and the paperwork that decides whether a shipment clears. 6 stories
Read Tariffs & Customs Quality Control Inspections, AQL sampling, golden samples and what to do when the goods are not what you ordered. 5 stories
Read Quality Control Offshore Teams Hiring and running sourcing agents, QC staff and remote operators on the ground in Asia. 5 stories
Read Offshore Teams 
The cover story What an AQL Inspection Report Actually Tells You A pre-shipment inspection that says "pass" does not mean the order is defect-free. Here is how AQL sampling works, how to read the numbers in the report, and which limits to set before the inspector arrives.
Read the story The archive
Every story, searchable by desk.
Editor's spotlight
Four we couldn't stop thinking about.
Hand-picked by our editors — the pieces most worth your next twenty minutes.
See the latest Philippines Minimum Wage Orders in Fall 2026: What Offshore Team Employers Must Update Fuel Surcharges in Q4 2026: How to Read the Line Items on Your Freight Quote CBP Heightened Import Disclosures: How Asia Importers Can Build a Supplier File Now Suez Return: How Gemini's Route Shift Changes Asia-Europe Lead Times The Friday Edition
One email a week. Nothing you'll regret opening.
Every Friday our editors send the week's most useful reporting on suppliers, freight and customs, one short note on the story behind it, and nothing else. No spam.
Recent stories Every Friday
- Philippines Minimum Wage Orders in Fall 2026: What Offshore Team Employers Must Update
- Fuel Surcharges in Q4 2026: How to Read the Line Items on Your Freight Quote
- CBP Heightened Import Disclosures: How Asia Importers Can Build a Supplier File Now
- Suez Return: How Gemini's Route Shift Changes Asia-Europe Lead Times
The archive
Find your next read.
- Offshore Teams Philippines Minimum Wage Orders in Fall 2026: What Offshore Team Employers Must Update Metro Manila, Central Visayas and CALABARZON all have new wage rules this fall. Here is what changed and how to check your offshore team's pay.
- Shipping Fuel Surcharges in Q4 2026: How to Read the Line Items on Your Freight Quote With U.S. diesel above $6 a gallon, carriers are raising inland and bunker charges. Here is how to read, compare and check them on an Asia import quote.
- Sourcing CBP Heightened Import Disclosures: How Asia Importers Can Build a Supplier File Now CBP wants comment by December 1 on new supply chain disclosures. Here is what the proposal asks, what it could mean for Asia sourcing, and how to prepare.
- Shipping Suez Return: How Gemini's Route Shift Changes Asia-Europe Lead Times Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are sending more Gemini services back through Suez. Here is what changes for importers, and what to keep on the slower timeline.
- Offshore Teams 13th Month Pay for Offshore Teams: Philippines Deadline and Vietnam Tet Bonuses Philippine 13th month pay is due by December 24 and Vietnamese staff expect a Tet bonus. Here is how to calculate, accrue and pay both.
- Quality Control EU Product Liability Directive 2026: What Importers From Asia Must Document From December 9, 2026, an EU importer can be sued first for a defect made in an Asian factory. Here is the quality file, contract and inspection plan to build now.
- Sourcing US-China Tariff Cut List: 77 Chinese Product Categories and How Importers Should Prepare The U.S. and China agreed to cut tariffs on about $30 billion of goods each. Here is what is known, what is not, and how to protect your next order.
- Sourcing Section 301 Forced Labor Duties: Rates by Country for Asia Sourcing in 2026 A 10% or 12.5% duty now sits on goods from 60 economies. Here are the rates for China, Vietnam, India and more, how they stack, and what to change in your costing.
-
Tariffs & Customs Customs User Fees for FY2027: How the New MPF Minimum and Maximum Hit Landed Cost CBP raised the merchandise processing fee floor to $34.58 and the cap to $670.86 on October 1. Here is the math, the split-shipment trap and who is exempt. -
Sourcing Section 232 Furniture and Cabinet Tariffs in January 2027: A Sourcing Calendar Duties on upholstered furniture and cabinets are due to rise on January 1, 2027. Here is how to count back from the entry date and decide what to rush. -
Tariffs & Customs EU €3 Customs Duty on Low-Value Parcels: What Asia-Based Sellers Must Change The EU now charges €3 on parcels worth up to €150. Here is how it works, what it does to small orders and how to keep direct shipping profitable. -
Shipping Container Freight Rates From China After Golden Week 2026: Budget Your Landed Cost Shanghai to Los Angeles is near $7,900 per container. Here is what it does to your cost per unit and how to protect margin on Q4 orders. -
Tariffs & Customs Section 301 Exclusions Expire November 2026: What Importers Should Do Now Roughly 178 China tariff exclusions are set to lapse on November 9 and 10. Here is how to find out if your products are on the list and what a lapse would cost. -
Quality Control Chinese New Year 2027: A Production and Inspection Timeline for Importers Chinese New Year falls on February 6, 2027, eleven days earlier than this year. Work backward from that date to lock your orders, inspections and shipments. -
Sourcing China Plus One in 2026: How to Vet a Vietnam Factory So Your Goods Keep Their Origin Moving orders to Vietnam no longer cuts your tariff bill the way it did. Here is how to check a factory, its inputs and its paperwork before you pay a deposit. -
Offshore Teams Vietnam Minimum Wage 2027: What It Means for Your Offshore Team Budget Vietnam plans a 7.8% minimum wage rise from January 1, 2027. Here are the proposed rates, who they really affect, and how to budget for your team and your suppliers' price requests. -
Tariffs & Customs IEEPA Tariff Refunds in 2026: How to File Through CBP's CAPE Tool CAPE Phase 3 opened October 6. Here is who can claim IEEPA tariff refunds, which entries qualify, how ACH payment works and the refund scams CBP is warning about. -
Quality Control FCC Plans to Drop China Test Labs by 2028: A QC Plan for Electronics Importers The FCC votes October 29 on ending recognition of test labs in mainland China. Here is what the draft says, which grants stay valid, and how to build the lab question into your QC program. -
Shipping China Ship Fees Return November 2026? What Importers Should Check The pause on US port fees for Chinese-owned and Chinese-built ships ends November 9. Here is who pays, what it could cost per container, and which contract clauses to read now. -
Sourcing Canton Fair 2026: How to Tell a Real Factory From a Trading Company The 140th Canton Fair runs through November 4. Here is how to check whether a booth is a factory or a trader, when a trader is fine, and what to verify before paying a deposit. -
Sourcing UFLPA Entity List 2026: How to Check Your China Suppliers DHS just added 43 companies to the UFLPA Entity List. Here is how to find out whether any of them sit behind your factory, and what to ask before your next deposit. -
Offshore Teams How to Pay a Sourcing Agent or QC Inspector in Asia From the US Paying people on the ground in China or Vietnam is mostly simple, but a few steps protect you on tax, sanctions and conflicts of interest. Here is the setup I use. -
Tariffs & Customs How to Find Your HTS Code and When to Ask CBP for a Binding Ruling Your HTS code sets your duty rate, your extra tariffs and half the paperwork on an entry. Here is how to classify a product properly and when a free CBP ruling is worth the wait. -
Quality Control CPSC eFiling Is Live: The Test Data You Need From Your Factory Since July 8, 2026, importers of regulated consumer products must file certificate data at entry. Most of that data starts at the factory, so here is what to collect and when.
No stories match — try another word or desk.
Fresh off the desk
The Latest
- Philippines Minimum Wage Orders in Fall 2026: What Offshore Team Employers Must Update Metro Manila, Central Visayas and CALABARZON all have new wage rules this fall. Here is what changed and how to check your offshore team's pay.
- Fuel Surcharges in Q4 2026: How to Read the Line Items on Your Freight Quote With U.S. diesel above $6 a gallon, carriers are raising inland and bunker charges. Here is how to read, compare and check them on an Asia import quote.
- CBP Heightened Import Disclosures: How Asia Importers Can Build a Supplier File Now CBP wants comment by December 1 on new supply chain disclosures. Here is what the proposal asks, what it could mean for Asia sourcing, and how to prepare.
- Suez Return: How Gemini's Route Shift Changes Asia-Europe Lead Times Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are sending more Gemini services back through Suez. Here is what changes for importers, and what to keep on the slower timeline.
- 13th Month Pay for Offshore Teams: Philippines Deadline and Vietnam Tet Bonuses Philippine 13th month pay is due by December 24 and Vietnamese staff expect a Tet bonus. Here is how to calculate, accrue and pay both.
- EU Product Liability Directive 2026: What Importers From Asia Must Document From December 9, 2026, an EU importer can be sued first for a defect made in an Asian factory. Here is the quality file, contract and inspection plan to build now.
- US-China Tariff Cut List: 77 Chinese Product Categories and How Importers Should Prepare The U.S. and China agreed to cut tariffs on about $30 billion of goods each. Here is what is known, what is not, and how to protect your next order.
- Section 301 Forced Labor Duties: Rates by Country for Asia Sourcing in 2026 A 10% or 12.5% duty now sits on goods from 60 economies. Here are the rates for China, Vietnam, India and more, how they stack, and what to change in your costing.
- Customs User Fees for FY2027: How the New MPF Minimum and Maximum Hit Landed Cost CBP raised the merchandise processing fee floor to $34.58 and the cap to $670.86 on October 1. Here is the math, the split-shipment trap and who is exempt.
- Section 232 Furniture and Cabinet Tariffs in January 2027: A Sourcing Calendar Duties on upholstered furniture and cabinets are due to rise on January 1, 2027. Here is how to count back from the entry date and decide what to rush.
- EU €3 Customs Duty on Low-Value Parcels: What Asia-Based Sellers Must Change The EU now charges €3 on parcels worth up to €150. Here is how it works, what it does to small orders and how to keep direct shipping profitable.
- Container Freight Rates From China After Golden Week 2026: Budget Your Landed Cost Shanghai to Los Angeles is near $7,900 per container. Here is what it does to your cost per unit and how to protect margin on Q4 orders.
Help keep trade reporting independent.
Members keep Eastern Plays independent, ad-free and unhurried. Cancel anytime.
Get the Friday edition in your inbox.
One considered email a week, with the best sourcing and shipping reporting hand-picked. No spam, one-click unsubscribe.