Sourcing & Procurement services

Determining the specifications

Before embarking on research or establishing an action plan, the most important thing is already to clearly define what you are looking for: this is what is called the specifications. This step allows you to clarify all of your needs and first analyze the feasibility of the project.

Your DocShipper consultant will accompany you throughout this process for, or even with you, the various points of your project. In particular, he / she will want to clarify the following elements:

Your products

• URL Link of the reference (Amazon, Alibaba, Aliexpress, etc.)
• Detailed specifications if the previous link is not enough.
• Photos, if the previous link is not enough.
• Other details, requests, needs
• Product customization if necessary

Additional details

• Your target price
• The MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity), Or rather the desired quantity
• The destination country (to analyze compliance needs)
• Additional services : Quality control, laboratory test...

Supplier search

Primary stage of procurement: the search for a supplier who can be in line with your requirements:

• The price of each reference
• Compliance with the directives of your destination country
• Possibility to customize products
• Respect for intellectual property
• Additional needs such as an exclusivity contract, a meeting with the supplier ...
• Subjective analysis of the quality of the supplier among our portfolio

Note DocShipper : Once this step has been completed, a shortlisting of several suppliers will be established so that we can move on to the next step

Verifications and standards

We work a lot with Western markets, and we know very well how essential the conformity of your products is. Quite simply because if the directives are not followed, your cargo will be blocked in customs and this will be the beginning of financial worries. We have a perfect command of international regulations (CE, ROHS, EEC, ISO, EN71 standards ...), a skill that is well recognized on the market, because it is simply very rare! This step requires close collaboration with the customs offices of the importing country to avoid unpleasant surprises on the D-Day.

Note DocShipper : This phase is all the more difficult as the legislative aspect is regularly updated. You will even find that some administrations are sometimes themselves late! This is for example the case with the European countries, which depend on certain subjects of European regulations.

Price negotiation

We found a supplier in line with your expectations? Now is the time to take the next step: price negotiation. A phase that we master perfectly since we have long-standing relationships with suppliers, both in terms of purchasing, but also in terms of international transport services. This phase will aim to clarify the following points:

• Products price
• Guarantees and general conditions
• Payment terms
• Production times and capacity

Sampling (optional but recommended)

This phase is not mandatory, but we strongly advise you not to skip it. There is nothing better than having a sample of the final product in hand to check by yourself the quality, functionality or any other aspects inherent to your product.

Note DocShipper : If the sample is sometimes free, in general there will be at least the transport fees of it to pay. The shipment will be made via an express company such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, TNT ...

Quality control (optional but recommended)

Again, this is not an essential step, but it is still highly recommended. In practice, this phase is to send one of our inspectors on site to check that the cargo is in line with what was initially contracted. Generally, you will pay 30% of your order to start production and the remaining 70% to be able to collect it. And that's when our teams come in!

Note DocShipper : When you contract with the supplier (and we assist you in this process), it is important to mention that if there is any defective product, the supplier will have to take them back so that it complies with what has been negotiated. This is undoubtedly the best way to protect yourself!