Sourcing process · sample to shipment
How We Work With Trade Buyers
We are a supply line, not a factory: the easels, boards, canvas and parts on this site come from workshops in Yunhe, Zhejiang, and our job is to hold the specification, the packing data and the dates, then answer for them. This page sets out how an order actually runs, what is agreed at each step and what the buyer is responsible for, so neither side is guessing about who confirms what. It is written for a buyer who has not ordered from China before as well as for one who has.
An order runs in six steps: shortlist, specification reply, sample, sign-off, production with inspection, and loading against a carton plan. Each step produces a written record - the specification sheet, the sample sign-off, the carton and artwork proof, the loading plan - and the quotation is built from the first of those.
At a glance
| What we do | hold the specification, source the model, plan packing and loading, inspect before shipment, answer for parts |
|---|---|
| What we do not do | own a factory, sell retail, publish prices, or make a compliance claim on the buyer's behalf |
| Typical lead time | 25-45 days production after sample sign-off, confirmed per model |
| Sampling | one sample per structure, typically 7-15 days for a stocked model |
| Minimum | quoted per model; a mixed container across the five lines is normal |
| Decision points | sample sign-off, carton artwork proof, loading plan sign-off |
How it runs
- Shortlist: you send models from the catalogue, or the line, size and channel you are buying for.
- Specification reply: we confirm size or height range, surface, fold, maximum canvas and load where they apply, material, carton data, MOQ, lead time and report status per model, and mark anything we cannot confirm.
- Sample: one sample per structure, checked for joinery, surface, fold and stability; sample notes become part of the specification record.
- Sign-off: sample, finish reference, carton artwork and label proof signed off in writing before production starts.
- Production and inspection: the run is made to the signed specification and inspected before packing, with photographs of the packed carton and the fittings bag.
- Loading and documents: carton plan and container loading confirmed, documents issued, goods shipped FOB Ningbo or Shanghai against the nominated forwarder.
What we confirm before a quotation
- The model data: open size or height range, surface, fold, maximum canvas and load where the facts apply, material and the parts that travel loose in the carton.
- The packing: carton dimensions, gross weight, units per carton where the workshop records them, and what is not recorded.
- The commercial terms: MOQ per model, lead time, payment terms and the shipping port.
- The limits: which models cannot be made in the finish or the carton you want, and which dates are not achievable.
What we do not do
- We do not own the workshops. We work with Yunhe workshops, hold them to the signed specification and inspect the run before it ships.
- We do not claim that a model has been cleared for any market. Reports are released per model where they exist and the import documents are the buyer's.
- We do not copy a branded design. A development is quoted against your specification, not against another company's product.
- We do not publish prices or quote against a photograph. A quotation needs a model, a quantity and a market.
What the buyer owns
- The import declaration and the conformity documents for the destination market, including any registration the market requires.
- The barcode and any marketplace-specific labelling, supplied current and correct at the artwork proof stage.
- The artwork, logos and design files supplied for a private label, including the rights to use them.
- The decision on the age grade where the destination market sets its own rules, taken on the data we supply per model.
How communication runs
- One named contact per order, by email, with the specification sheet and the sign-off documents kept in the same thread.
- Photographs at three points: pre-production sample, packed carton, loaded container. The photographs are the record when a claim is made later.
- A written answer to a written question. If a date or a specification changes, it changes on paper before production, not in a phone call after it.
- English throughout, with a Chinese-language copy of the specification kept for the workshop so nothing is lost at the bench.
FAQ
Do you own the factory?
No. We work with Yunhe workshops, in the same town as the wooden toy and easel trade, and we hold the specification, the sampling, the inspection and the documents for the buyer. That arrangement is deliberate: a supply line can move a model between workshops when a date or a finish requires it, and it can say honestly when a workshop cannot meet a specification. The accountability sits with us and the making sits with the workshop, so a claim is answered by us rather than passed along.
Who is responsible for customs and import documents?
The buyer, as importer of record, is responsible for the import declaration and for the conformity documents the destination market requires. We supply the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and origin paperwork, plus the product data for each model on the order: size or height range, material, carton data and the age band where it applies. Where a market requires a document the supplier does not hold, we say so before the order instead of promising it later.
How are changes handled after sign-off?
After sign-off, a change to the model, the finish or the carton is a new production decision and is quoted and dated as such. Small changes - a label position, an insert card, a sticker sheet - are usually possible inside the run if they reach us before packing. Changes to structure or finish after the parts are cut generally mean a new run and a new date. We confirm which category a change falls into before agreeing to it.
Start with the specification
Send the models and the market; we return the confirmed specification record and the gaps before any quotation.