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Sourcing · Shipping · Customs · Quality · Offshore teams

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Supplier vetting, freight, tariffs, quality control and offshore teams — practical reporting for the Western businesses buying from and shipping out of Asia.

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◆ Sourcing 7 min read New UFLPA Entity List 2026: How to Check Your China Suppliers ◆ Offshore Teams 7 min read How to Pay a Sourcing Agent or QC Inspector in Asia From the US ◆ Tariffs & Customs 7 min read How to Find Your HTS Code and When to Ask CBP for a Binding Ruling ◆ Quality Control 7 min read CPSC eFiling Is Live: The Test Data You Need From Your Factory ◆ Shipping 7 min read Detention and Demurrage Invoices: How to Check and Dispute Them ◆ Tariffs & Customs 4 min read How to Work Out Landed Cost Before You Order From China ◆ Quality Control 3 min read What an AQL Inspection Report Actually Tells You ◆ Offshore Teams 3 min read Hiring a Sourcing Agent in China: What to Pay and What to Check

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Sourcing Finding, vetting and negotiating with factories and trading companies before any money moves. 2 stories Read Sourcing Shipping Ocean, air and rail freight out of Asia: Incoterms, forwarders, lead times and what a quote leaves out. 3 stories Read Shipping Tariffs & Customs Duty rates, classification, landed cost and the paperwork that decides whether a shipment clears. 2 stories Read Tariffs & Customs Quality Control Inspections, AQL sampling, golden samples and what to do when the goods are not what you ordered. 2 stories Read Quality Control Offshore Teams Hiring and running sourcing agents, QC staff and remote operators on the ground in Asia. 2 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

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Sourcing · 7 min UFLPA Entity List 2026: How to Check Your China Suppliers Offshore Teams · 7 min How to Pay a Sourcing Agent or QC Inspector in Asia From the US Tariffs & Customs · 7 min How to Find Your HTS Code and When to Ask CBP for a Binding Ruling Quality Control · 7 min CPSC eFiling Is Live: The Test Data You Need From Your Factory

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Shipping Detention and Demurrage Invoices: How to Check and Dispute Them Federal rules say a detention or demurrage invoice missing key details does not have to be paid. Here is what a valid invoice must show, what a 2025 court ruling changed, and how to push back.
  6. Tariffs & Customs How to Work Out Landed Cost Before You Order From China The factory price is only the first line. Freight, insurance, duty, import VAT and a handful of fees decide what a unit really costs you on your shelf. Here is how to add them up before you commit.
  7. Quality Control 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.
  8. Offshore Teams Hiring a Sourcing Agent in China: What to Pay and What to Check A good agent saves you trips, mistakes and money. A bad one quietly takes a cut from both sides. How agents charge, where the conflicts of interest hide, and the checks to run before you sign.
  9. Shipping FOB, EXW or DDP? Incoterms Explained for First-Time Importers The three letters on your supplier's quote decide who pays for what, and who carries the risk if something goes wrong in transit. Here is what each common term means when you are buying from Asia.
  10. Shipping Air Freight or Ocean Freight From Asia? How to Choose Air is fast and expensive, ocean is slow and cheap, and the right answer depends on weight, volume, value and how much a late shipment would cost you. A practical way to decide shipment by shipment.
  11. Sourcing How to Vet a Supplier in China Before You Pay a Deposit A polished catalogue and a quick reply prove very little. Here is the order of checks we run on every new factory, from the business licence to a third-party audit, before any money moves.

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