Questions, answered plainly.

Under $700: upfront by secure payment link or card, after your invoice. Larger missions: bank transfer on your Proforma — larger sourcing runs 30% deposit / 70% balance, due after the inspection report when QC is in the mission. Every NovaLink payment instruction must match the company invoice or approved payment link. If anything differs, verify it with NovaLink on WhatsApp before paying.

We reply to a request within 24h, in writing. Supplier verification follows a deadline confirmed on your Proforma. Production lead times depend on the product — your quote includes a realistic timeline.

Yes. Trial orders from around $2,000 are welcome. The sourcing commission has a $300 minimum; on very small orders we will tell you upfront whether sourcing or a one-off supplier check is the better-value option for you.

Worldwide. We ship from China's major ports — Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai and more — to Europe, MENA, Africa, the Americas and Asia.

English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese — on WhatsApp, by email and on calls.

On the EX-Works product value only — never on freight, never on duties. It is marginal, tiered like income tax: the first $10,000 at 8% (with a $300 minimum), the $10,000–$50,000 portion at 5%, and anything above $50,000 at 3.5%. Because each rate applies only to its own slice, a bigger order never pays a smaller total commission.

At Proforma signature — the commission is a line on the Proforma you sign. Larger missions then follow the Proforma schedule: a 30% deposit at signature and a 70% balance; when quality control is part of the mission, the balance is due after the inspection report reaches you.

From $250 per man-day, covering the inspector’s full day and travel within Guangdong. The report — photos and pass/fail per checkpoint — arrives to a deadline confirmed on your Proforma. If NovaLink misses that deadline, the inspection service fee is refunded — excluding supplier-access delays, incomplete information, client changes, force majeure, or delays outside NovaLink’s control.

Yes. The $99 Import Strategy Session is credited 100% toward any mission within 90 days. Supplier Verification, from $199, is credited toward a sourcing mission within 90 days.

DDP is quoted per shipment as one fixed all-in total — duties and import taxes depend on your destination, your product and its HS code, so each shipment is priced on its own facts. The quote is built from the product details, declared value, HS code, destination, number of cartons, weight, volume and documents you provide; the total is fixed once confirmed on your Proforma. Incorrect or incomplete information, or a change in destination duty rates, may require a revised quote before shipment. The Full Package combines sourcing, quality control and logistics, and the scope differs by project — so the quote is built per project. All customs values are declared according to the signed Proforma and compliant shipping documents.

Freight is charged at cost, from real carrier quotes — sea LCL/FCL, air, rail, and express. Our handling fee appears as a separate, disclosed line, so you can verify every cost on your quote.

On your Proforma Invoice — the only place they are issued. Every NovaLink payment instruction must match the company invoice or approved payment link. If anything differs, verify it with NovaLink on WhatsApp before paying.

A supplier verification, a single inspection or a sample pack is paid upfront through a secure payment link or card, once you have the invoice. One small payment, then the work starts.

Larger missions run on the Proforma Invoice: a 30% deposit at signature and a 70% balance. When quality control is part of the mission, the balance is due after the inspection report reaches you.

NovaLink receives USD and EUR by international SWIFT transfer. Where a local receiving account is available for your currency, we set it out on your Proforma Invoice; otherwise you pay by SWIFT in USD or EUR. Either way, the final instructions come from NovaLink, on your Proforma.

Your payment details appear on your Proforma Invoice or approved payment link — nowhere else. If a message ever asks you to pay differently, verify it with NovaLink on WhatsApp before paying.

Yes — missions under $700 are paid by card or through the secure payment link that arrives with your invoice. Larger missions are paid by bank transfer based on your Proforma Invoice.

The Proforma Invoice is the quotation you sign before anything is produced or shipped: it fixes the goods, the prices, the payment schedule and the payment instructions, and it is the only document that carries them. The Commercial Invoice is issued afterwards for the shipment itself and is the value document customs reads at both ends.

Yes. Tell us one product and one destination, and we come back with a written cost read and the right path. The $99 Import Strategy Session and the Supplier Verification (from $199) are both credited toward a mission within 90 days.

Yes. Your shortlist and verification report carry the supplier's full legal identity, licence details, and our call notes. You stay in control of the relationship — we negotiate as your representative.

On the EX-Works product value written on your Proforma — and the schedule is marginal: 8% on the first $10,000 (minimum $300), 5% on the portion between $10,000 and $50,000, and 3.5% on anything above $50,000. Each rate applies only to its own slice, so a larger order never pays a smaller total fee. Freight and duties are separate lines, never part of the commission.

Missions under $700 are paid upfront via a secure payment link after the invoice. Larger missions follow your Proforma — typically a 30% deposit and a 70% balance, and when inspection is part of the mission, the balance is due after the report. Every NovaLink payment instruction must match the company invoice or approved payment link. If anything differs, verify it with NovaLink on WhatsApp before paying.

You walked away from a bad order for a fraction of its cost, with the reasons in writing. The fee is credited toward a sourcing mission within 90 days, so it carries full value into your next, stronger candidate.

No. We are based in Guangdong and source across all of China. Your goods depart from the best-fit hub: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, or Xiamen by sea, CAN, HKG, or PVG by air, or China–Europe rail.

Yes. The Full Package covers sourcing, quality control, and logistics on one file, with one accountable partner and one final Proforma. It is quoted per project, because every product, volume, and destination is different.

Yes. We negotiate your OEM / private-label specs — logo, colours, materials and custom packaging — directly with the factory, and coordinate packaging and branding with local studios. It's handled inside the sourcing mission, not a separate fee. We coordinate it; the factory and studios produce it.

A factory owns the production lines and makes the product; a trading company buys from factories and resells, adding a margin and sometimes hiding which factory made the goods. Neither is wrong in itself, but the price, the lead time and the accountability differ, so check number five of our supplier verification establishes which one you are dealing with.

Yes. We are based in Guangdong and inspect across China's manufacturing regions. Travel within Guangdong is included in the man-day rate; for other provinces, travel is quoted as one visible line before you confirm.

The report shows exactly what failed, with photos and counts. You choose the next step: rework and re-inspection, sorting, or renegotiation — and when the inspection is part of a NovaLink mission, the balance stays in your hands until you decide.

Yes. The default is AQL Critical 0 / Major 2.5 / Minor 4.0 at General Inspection Level II — the consumer-goods standard, with zero tolerance on critical defects. You can tighten it for premium or regulated products. Whatever you choose is fixed in writing before the visit.

No — and that is the standard. AQL inspects a statistical sample and applies acceptance numbers to that sample, never to the full lot. For stricter control, tighten the AQL or add man-days to inspect a larger sample.

Each SKU gets its own sample pull, so the man-day count can rise. You see the count on the quote and approve it before anyone is booked.

Yes. Inspection is a standalone service. Send the factory contact, your PO, and your specification — we agree the checklist with you and attend as your representative.

Order online or on WhatsApp with the factory city and the date goods will be ready. We confirm the man-day count and date on your invoice; standalone inspections under $700 are paid through a secure payment link before the visit. The report is in your hands fast, after the visit.

On-site inspection and AQL quality control are run by our own team in Guangdong. Accredited laboratory testing (RoHS, REACH, CE, EN71…) and formal certification are arranged through CNAS-accredited partner laboratories — we coordinate it, and never claim it as in-house.

A pre-production inspection checks raw materials, components and the first finished pieces before the lines run. A during-production inspection pulls units from the line at 20 to 50 percent completion to catch a systematic defect while it is still one batch. A pre-shipment inspection draws an AQL sample from sealed cartons once everything is produced and at least 80 percent packed.

Yes. We are based in Guangdong and work across all of China. Your shipment departs from the gateway best placed for your factory and destination: Shenzhen/Yantian, Guangzhou/Nansha, Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin or Xiamen by sea; Guangzhou (CAN), Shenzhen (SZX), Hong Kong (HKG) or Shanghai (PVG) by air; or China–Europe rail (Xi'an, Chongqing, Chengdu → Duisburg).

Usually around 15 CBM. Below that, LCL lets you pay only for the space you use. Above it, a 20ft container often costs about the same — and your goods travel sealed, alone. When your volume sits near the line, your verified logistics quote shows both options.

We request quotes from carriers for your route and cargo, then pass the chosen one through at the carrier's price. Our handling fee is a separate, disclosed line on your quote — you read both numbers side by side.

Yes. Consolidation handling is from $200 per consolidated shipment file, under our own export licence. Multiple supplier orders are grouped into one export file. Your goods are stored free for 14 days while the orders arrive, then $2/CBM/day. Everything leaves as one shipment with one set of export documents; freight is quoted separately, at cost.

Because duties and taxes depend on your product's HS code, your destination and the declared value. We quote DDP per shipment as one fixed all-in total, with the calculation visible. All customs values are declared according to the signed Proforma and compliant shipping documents.

Commercial invoice, packing list, coordinated certificates (product certificates and certificate of origin where required) and the export customs paperwork. Each document matches your signed Proforma.

Missions under $700 are paid upfront via a secure payment link after the invoice. Larger missions are split 30/70 — 30% to start, the 70% balance after the report when quality control is included. Final payment instructions are always confirmed on your Proforma Invoice or approved payment link. Every NovaLink payment instruction must match the company invoice or approved payment link. If anything differs, verify it with NovaLink on WhatsApp before paying.

LCL (less than container load) means your cargo shares a container with other shippers and you pay per cubic metre for the space you use, typically under about 15 CBM. FCL (full container load) means a 20 ft or 40 ft container is yours alone at a flat rate, sealed at origin and opened at destination.

DDP, Delivered Duty Paid, is the incoterm under which the seller carries the goods to the buyer's door and pays export clearance, main carriage, import duties and taxes on the way. On a NovaLink DDP shipment those duties are quoted as one fixed figure per shipment, declared according to the signed Proforma.