• How do you tell a Chinese factory from a trading company?The checks that actually separate a manufacturer from a reseller — business licence scope, address, export documents — and the badges that prove nothing.
• DDP, FOB or EXW: which should you buy on when importing from China?What each Incoterm actually covers, where the surprise costs sit, and the question that decides whether a DDP quote is real.
• How do you ship lithium batteries or cells from China?Lithium cells move as Class 9 dangerous goods. What the UN numbers mean, the documents the factory has to produce, and why most forwarders decline the booking.
• What does a China sourcing agent cost?The three fee structures you will be quoted, which one hides the number, and why the structure matters more to your landed cost than the percentage.