Orderfolk

Fees and working terms

No sourcing black box.

You should know what is free, when paid work begins, who receives each charge, what requires approval, and what remains uncertain. This page sets out our default working rules before a specific quotation is issued.

01 / Free and paid work

The fee boundary follows the work.

Initial clarity is free. Research, access, execution, and responsibility are paid.

Free first look

Enough information to decide whether a paid project makes sense.

  • Review one product link, photo, sample brief, or current supplier problem.
  • Confirm the destination market, approximate quantity, and main commercial concern.
  • Tell you whether the request fits an existing supply relationship or needs new research.
  • Outline the likely next step, missing information, and obvious risk points.

The free review does not include factory identities, negotiated quotations, samples, testing, or a full supplier search.

Paid work begins

When the work requires supplier access, research, execution, or responsibility.

  • Supplier discovery, comparison, background checks, and quotation negotiation.
  • Sample purchase, consolidation, evaluation, and specification development.
  • Customization, packaging, private label, and document coordination.
  • Production follow-up, quality inspection, issue handling, and shipment preparation.

The scope, deliverables, fee basis, and approval points are confirmed in writing before paid work starts.

Outside costs

Samples, molds, laboratory tests, third-party inspections, freight, duties, platform fees, and other external charges are shown separately whenever possible. We request approval before incurring a new material cost on your behalf.

02 / Two supply routes

Existing access and new research are not the same service.

We state which route applies before an assignment begins.

Route A

Existing supply relationship

We already understand the factory, category, operating habits, or documentation history.

  • State the nature and limits of our existing relationship.
  • Check the fit with your market, quantity, specification, and timing.
  • Request a current quotation and identify what still needs verification.
  • Move to samples or execution only after commercial fit is confirmed.
Route B

New category or supplier search

Research time, uncertainty, and verification work increase because no controlled route exists yet.

  • Define the product, market, quantity, documents, target price, and hard requirements.
  • Build and screen candidates instead of forwarding marketplace results.
  • Compare quotations on the same specification and record differences.
  • State what was verified and what still depends on samples, tests, or a visit.

We promise a documented process and an honest confidence level. We do not present an unfamiliar category as an established capability or claim that any search guarantees the cheapest supplier in China.

03 / Ways to work together

Start with one product. Grow only when the work earns it.

Longer cooperation should reduce repeated work, not make the fee structure harder to understand.

Our transparency promise

01Our fee, supplier charges, and third-party costs are identified separately.

02Supplier, material, specification, or approved-version changes are recorded.

03Unverified information is labelled as uncertain instead of presented as fact.

04Client designs, quotations, supplier details, and commercial records remain private.

04 / Common questions

What small sellers usually need to know first.

Can I start without a complete specification?

Yes. A product link, photo, listing, sample, or current supplier problem is enough for the initial review. We identify the missing decisions before asking factories to quote.

Do you only work with large orders?

No fixed minimum applies to every category. We first check whether the quantity is realistic for the product, customization, packaging, and supplier. Small test orders may not receive mass-production pricing.

Will I know how you make money?

Yes. Our proposal states the service-fee basis and separates known supplier and third-party costs. Any supplier commission or related commercial relationship should be disclosed.

Can you guarantee the lowest factory price?

No responsible sourcing office can guarantee the lowest price across all of China. We compare like-for-like quotations and show where a lower price changes material, quality, documentation, or delivery risk.

What happens to my product information?

It remains private by default. We use need-to-know sharing, retain approval records, and do not publish client product work without explicit permission.

Start with one product

You do not need a complete brief.

Send us what you have