Choose the right channel
Three ways to source from Vietnam
There is no single best way to buy from Vietnam — only the right fit for your project. Here are the three channels laid out honestly, including the two archetypes where a consolidated aggregator like us is the wronganswer. We'd rather tell you that now than waste your tender.
| Sourcing agent | B2B directory | Manufacturer-aggregator (us) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who holds the risk | You — the agent advises; you contract each factory. | You — the platform introduces; you do everything else. | Us — one counterparty owns the order end to end. |
| How they're paid | 3–10% commission (or fixed fee). Commission rewards a bigger invoice. | Usually free to the buyer; no markup, but no service either. | A margin inside one consolidated price you approve — no hidden cut. |
| Multi-material BOM | Manageable, but you still sign and pay each factory. | Your job — multi-vendor coordination and consolidation. | The whole point — one contract, one container plan. |
| Quality control | Strong if the agent is good and fixed-fee. | You arrange your own third-party QC. | Built in — five-step vetting, AQL, backup factories. |
| Sub-tier factory visibility | Full — you know every factory. | Full — you deal with them directly. | Partial during quoting; full traceability ships with goods. |
| Best for | OEM, tooling, private-label, deep IP work. | Experienced teams sourcing one category, off-the-shelf. | Project buyers with a diverse construction BOM. |
Which one are you?
Match the channel to the buyer
Archetype 1
The SME / e-commerce buyer
Off-the-shelf goods, one category, smaller MOQs, comfortable with Incoterms and your own QC. → A B2B directory is your cheapest, most direct entry point.
Archetype 2
The brand / product developer
OEM tooling, proprietary IP, an iterative sampling cycle. → A dedicated fixed-fee sourcing agent gives you control and transparency without commission conflict.
Archetype 3 — us
The project / institutional buyer
A diverse construction BOM spanning several material groups, one site program, one deadline. → The manufacturer-aggregator collapses a dozen supply chains into one accountable proposal.
Where we're honestly not the answer
- ▸Outside our six building-material groups — apparel, consumer electronics, precision machining or automotive parts. That's specialist territory (e.g. Maslow for machining), not ours.
- ▸Deep, direct relationships with a single primary producer for proprietary product development — an OEM/tooling program is better served by a fixed-fee agent.
- ▸If you need the exact sub-tier factory named during quoting. We shield the network at the quote stage, then ship full mill-certificate traceability with the goods.
On intellectual property:if the sub-tier anonymity is your concern, we'll sign an NNN agreement (Non-Disclosure, Non-Use, Non-Circumvention) covering your specifications and drawings — the same protection the directory platforms recommend, built into our contract.
Archetype 3? That's the BOM we're built for.
One consolidated, duty-aware proposal across every material group your project touches — within 48 hours.