If you’re importing from Pakistan for the first time, you’ve probably already found ten “sourcing agents” on LinkedIn or Alibaba who all say the same three things: reliable, trusted, 24/7 support. None of that tells you anything.
Here’s what actually matters. Ask these five questions before you send anyone money.
1. “Can you walk me through exactly what you check during an inspection?”
A real answer sounds like a process: AQL sampling levels, what they check at the pre-production stage vs. final random inspection, how they document defects (photos, measurements, not just “looks fine”). A vague answer — “we make sure everything is good quality” — means they either don’t do inspections themselves or don’t understand what they’re inspecting for.
If they can’t explain the difference between a pre-shipment inspection and a during-production inspection, they haven’t done many.
2. “Do you visit the factory yourself, or do you rely on the supplier’s word?”
This is the single biggest gap between agents who protect you and agents who just forward emails. Some “sourcing agents” have never set foot in the factories they claim to source from — they’re reselling contacts they found online, with no independent verification.
Ask directly: who physically goes to the facility, how often, and what do they check while they’re there. If the answer is fuzzy, that’s your answer.
3. “What’s your commission structure, and when do I pay it?”
Legitimate sourcing agents work on a percentage of the order value, usually in the 4-5% range, paid once the deal is confirmed or on agreed milestones — not a big upfront “registration fee” before any work happens. If someone wants a large payment before they’ve sourced anything, that’s a red flag, not a standard practice.
Also ask if they take a hidden margin from the factory on top of your commission. A straight answer here tells you a lot about how they operate.
4. “How long have you been doing this, and how do you handle it if you’re new?”
Every agent was new once. The problem isn’t a short track record — it’s someone pretending they’ve done fifty deals when they’ve done none. A newer agent who’s straight with you about it, and who backs that up with a clear process (see questions 1, 2, and 5), is often a safer bet than someone padding their story.
Ask this directly and see how they answer. Confidence without exaggeration is what you’re listening for.
5. “What happens if the shipment fails inspection or the factory misses the deadline?”
This question separates people who’ve actually managed production from people who are guessing. A real agent will describe what leverage they have with the factory — contract terms, penalty clauses, backup suppliers, how they escalate issues — not just “we’ll handle it.”
If they can’t describe a real scenario where something went wrong and how they fixed it, they probably haven’t been through one.
None of this is about finding someone with the most experience on paper. It’s about finding someone who can actually explain their process in specific terms, because that’s the only way you can tell if they know what they’re doing before your money is on the line.
If you’re sourcing from Pakistan and want someone who’ll answer all five of these honestly, reach out — We’re building ProQ Sourcing specifically because too many buyers get burned by agents who couldn’t answer question #2.