Decision guide
You think you are asking which factory. You should be asking who takes you to buy. A local with 19 years in the trade explains.
Lecong and Longjiang form one of the largest furniture belts in the country, with thousands of factories. Most only do wholesale and do not receive walk-in retail buyers—the gatekeeper may stop you at the door. A single retail order is too small and after-sales too fragmented, so you will not get the ex-factory price on your own.
So “who to buy from” really means: find someone with local factory access who stands on your side, opens factory doors, inspects the goods and negotiates for you.
Type 1: the sourcing guide (dipei). You come in person, they accompany you the whole day. Fixed service fee only; you pay the factory directly; they never touch your money and earn no spread. Their interest is aligned with yours.
Type 2: the buying agent (daigou). They place orders or pay on your behalf—money passes through their hands, and the “factory price” they quote usually has a margin baked in. You trade oversight for convenience; they will not bargain to the floor.
Type 3: the tout. They pull you from the roadside into a “partner factory” for a kickback. The quote looks low; the rebate is already inside, and whether the goods match the sample is not their problem.
1. Whose account does the payment go to? If it goes to a personal account, there is hidden margin—walk away.
2. Is there a fixed, openly stated day fee? Only a fixed-fee operator can be neutral.
3. Will they take you into the workshop? A real factory is happy to show you cutting and stitching lines; a middleman hiding behind a showroom is not.
4. Will the contract name the materials? Verbal promises mean nothing. If any answer fails, change your guide.
We have worked in Foshan furniture for 19 years and know 200+ source factories in the Lecong–Longjiang belt personally. Our service: plan a route around your budget, shortlist factories to your style, verify materials on site, negotiate, and get the contract signed in one day. We never touch your payment, never take kickbacks—only a fixed fee of RMB 800 per day (about US$110, rate as of Oct 2026), car transport within the belt included. How the service works →
Most factories in the belt only do wholesale and do not receive walk-in retail buyers. Without an introduction you will neither get in nor get ex-factory pricing.
A sourcing guide charges a fixed fee and never touches your payment; a buying agent pays on your behalf and builds margin into the price.
Ask whose account the payment goes to. Money must go directly to the factory's corporate account, never to the guide's personal account.
No. They earn kickbacks from the factories they pull you into, and the quoted low price already contains their rebate.
Talk to us
Message us on WeChat or call. We will tell you honestly whether a sourcing trip to Foshan makes sense for you.