Introduction:
Small-batch procurement can be tricky. Even orders under 1 ton can eat up your time and money if you source from multiple factories.
Our one-stop sourcing service handles everything for you:
- Find the best factories across China
- Track production and quality
- Consolidate shipments into one port to save on freight and charges
Last year, we handled a shipment to the EU consisting of CNC machined parts and metal fabricating parts. The factories were located in two different cities in China: Dalian and Ningbo.
- Metal fabricating parts: 590kg
- CNC parts: 200kg
- Total: less than 1 ton
These are two completely different product categories, requiring two different types of factories. Metal fabricating parts need a metal fabrication shop; CNC parts need a machining workshop. Under the traditional procurement model, an overseas customer would need to find both types of factories, place separate purchase orders, track production separately, and arrange shipments independently.
The result: two separate LCL shipments – two sets of origin fixed charges and two sets of destination fixed charges.
But this time was different. The customer chose to work with us. Why? Because they weren’t just buying goods – they were buying a “hassle-free” process. Let’s break it down.
Step 1: The customer doesn’t need to find factories on their own
Sheet metal and CNC machining are two very different production processes.
A good sheet metal shop may not be good at CNC machining, and a good machine shop may not have metal equipment. If the customer searched on their own, they would need to research, audit, and negotiate with each type of factory – a significant investment of time and energy.
But our customer didn’t need to do any of that.
Because we have years of deep experience in both the CNC and metal industries, and we know the best suppliers across China’s supply chain. The customer only needs to tell us their requirements. We then take geographical locations into consideration – where the factories are located, how far they are from the port, whether multiple suppliers can be easily consolidated – all of these factors are part of our supplier selection process.
Our goal is simple: create the conditions for consolidated shipment from the very beginning, avoiding excessively high inland transport costs caused by factories being too far apart.
What the customer saved #1: Finding factories on their own.
Step 2: The customer doesn’t need to chase production progress
Two factories, two purchase orders, two production schedules.
If the customer handled it themselves, they would need to contact each factory’s production department repeatedly to confirm:
- Have materials arrived? Is the quality acceptable?
- What stage of production are we at?
- When will it be finished?
These communications are time-consuming and tedious.
But in this collaboration, our customer didn’t need to do any of this. Throughout production, we proactively shared real-time updates with the customer via photos and videos – not asking the customer to chase us, but reporting to them proactively.
What the customer saved #2: Chasing production progress.
Step 3: The customer doesn’t need to worry about quality
After production, there is another critical step – quality control.
If the customer handled it themselves, they would need to arrange inspection or rely on the factory’s own quality checks. But factories under production and delivery pressure sometimes cut corners on quality.
In this collaboration, we conducted strict quality inspections on products from both factories before shipment. We sent inspection reports to the customer, and only after confirmation did we proceed to arrange shipment.
What the customer saved #3: Worrying about quality.
Step 4: The often-overlooked “freight and port charges” in small-batch procurement – we help you save
With the first three steps complete, the goods were ready.
Now came the shipping stage.
Two batches of goods, totaling less than 1 ton, stored at factories in two different cities. Traditional approach: each factory ships separately → two LCL shipments → two sets of origin fixed charges + two sets of destination fixed charges.
Our approach: transport both batches via inland logistics to the same port, consolidate into a single LCL shipment.
Total weight didn’t change, but both the ocean freight and fixed charges went from two payments to one.
| Cost Item | Factory A (Dalian) | Factory B (Ningbo) | Consolidated (Ningbo) |
| Ex-works price | USD 2,100 | USD 8,900 | USD 11,000 |
| Weight | 200kg | 590kg | 790kg |
| Shipping city | Dalian | Ningbo | Ningbo |
| Ocean freight | USD 50 | USD 50 | USD 50 |
| Origin fixed charges | USD 300 | USD 300 | USD 300 |
| Destination fixed charges | USD 340 | USD 350 | USD 350 |
| Destination inland delivery | USD 60 | USD 60 | USD 70 |
| Origin inland freight | — | — | USD 110 |
| Total | USD 2,850 | USD 9,660 | USD 11,880 |
Note: Consolidated shipment requires transporting the Dalian goods to Ningbo port via inland logistics, incurring an origin inland freight of USD 110. The destination inland delivery fee for the consolidated shipment is USD 70, which is lower than the combined USD 120 for separate shipments, because delivering one shipment to a single address is more economical than delivering two separate shipments.
Cost Comparison:
- Separate shipments total: USD 12,510
- Consolidated shipment total: USD 11,880
- Savings: USD 630 (5%)
Look closely: the ex-works price didn’t change (11,000 = 2,100 + 8,900), but the total cost decreased by USD 630 – a full 5%.
The numbers above prove that for small-batch procurement, if you share your purchasing needs with us, we can find factories across China – even in different regions – consolidate them at a single port via inland transport, and reduce your procurement costs by 5 percentage points.
Why are freight and port charges so significant in small-batch procurement?
Many buyers fall into a common trap: thinking that freight and port charges are “small money” not worth optimizing. But the data tells us:
- The per-unit cost of small-batch LCL shipments is much higher than FCL
- Multiple suppliers mean multiple sets of freight and port charges for the customer
- Every shipment has fixed export operation fees (documentation, customs clearance, LCL handling)
- Separate shipments can also lead to frequent “less-than-container” surcharges
An easily overlooked fact:
When the total order value is between USD 5,000 and USD 15,000, freight and port charges often account for 5-10% of total cost – whereas for FCL shipments, this proportion is typically only 2-3%.
Those fixed charges hidden in “per-shipment” fees – origin handling fees, customs clearance fees, documentation fees, destination handling fees – these “fixed costs” in small-batch, multi-supplier procurement are quietly eating into your profits.
What does this story tell us?
We can summarize it with a table:
| Procurement Stage | Traditional Model (Customer handles) | Our Model |
| Finding factories | Customer researches, audits, and negotiates | We connect to quality factories in our areas of expertise |
| Placing orders | Multiple purchase orders, multiple contracts | One request to us, we handle everything |
| Tracking production | Customer contacts each factory repeatedly | We proactively update production status with photos/videos |
| Quality control | Customer arranges inspection or takes risks | We inspect before shipment and provide reports |
| Shipping | Multiple LCL shipments, multiple fixed charges | Consolidate to one port, one LCL shipment, one set of fixed charges |
The customer did only one thing: told us their procurement needs.
Everything else – finding factories, placing orders, tracking production, quality control, arranging shipping – we handled.
That is one-stop sourcing.
And the savings aren’t just about money. Our customer didn’t have to research factories, chase production progress, or worry about quality control. The time and energy saved is also a significant “management cost” saving.
Conclusion
The real case above proves that for small-batch procurement – even when goods come from two different types of factories in two different cities – you only need to share your procurement needs with us.
We can connect you with quality factories across China, track production and quality in real time, and consolidate shipments at a single port via inland transport – reducing your procurement costs.
In international sourcing, product price is the most obvious cost, but freight and port charges are the most easily underestimated. More often than not, there is a portion of what you pay that you “don’t need to pay.” Through one-stop consolidated sourcing, we help make these “hidden costs” transparent, controllable, and reduce them by a full 5 percentage points.
Our experience tells us: truly smart sourcing doesn’t just look at unit price – it looks at total landed cost. And one of the most effective ways to reduce total landed cost is to hand over the integration of your China supply chain to people who know this land well.
Three things you don’t need to do:
- Find factories on your own
- Chase production progress
- Worry about quality
One thing you do need to do:
- Tell us your procurement needs
Leave the rest to us.
