Flat fee per order
Some agents charge a fixed fee per order or per container, regardless of order value — straightforward to budget for, and common for buyers with fairly consistent order sizes.
Percentage of FOB value
A percentage-based fee, commonly in a range agreed upfront, scales with order size — more common for larger or more variable orders, and often preferred by agents handling a wide range of client order sizes.
What's typically included vs billed separately
Factory sourcing and negotiation are usually included in the base fee; inspection, consolidation and freight coordination may be included or billed as separate line items depending on the agent — worth clarifying exactly what a quoted fee covers before comparing it against another agent's number.
Why the cheapest fee isn't always the best deal
A lower agent fee sometimes means less inspection rigor, less factory vetting, or fewer included services — the total cost of a cheap agent fee plus a failed inspection or a quality dispute later usually exceeds what a more thorough, slightly higher fee would have cost upfront.
What actually drives the fee level
Two orders of similar value can attract quite different fees, because the work behind them differs. An order of one product from one factory is straightforward; an order spanning casegoods, upholstery and outdoor furniture from four workshops involves four sets of sampling, four production schedules and a consolidation step. Category count, number of factories, specification complexity and how many revision rounds the project needs all move the fee.
This is why comparing headline percentages between agents in isolation is misleading. A lower rate applied to a more complex order may still cost more in total than a higher rate applied to a simple one.
What a fair quote itemises
A quote that can be evaluated should separate the factory FOB price from the agent fee, and list what the fee includes — sourcing and negotiation, sample coordination, production follow-up, inspection stages, consolidation, and documentation. Where inspection or freight sits outside the fee, that should be stated rather than discovered later.
Costs that sit outside the agent's fee
Several costs are usually payable by the buyer regardless of which agent is used: physical samples and courier charges, product testing or certification fees, bank and currency transfer costs, freight and insurance, destination duties and taxes, and any storage or demurrage charges at the far end. Budgeting only for goods plus fee tends to understate the true landed position.
Comparing two quotes properly
Line up the same scope before comparing numbers: the same specification, the same inspection stages, the same consolidation arrangement, and the same delivery terms. If one quote bundles a service the other lists separately, resolve that before treating the difference as a price gap — otherwise you are comparing two different products.