Where to meet suppliers for your startup

Sourcing is mostly a trust problem. The supplier who can make your product well is often indistinguishable, online, from the agent who will resell your order to someone else.

Start with the category, not the country

Every country specialises by city: knitwear in Tiruppur, footwear in Aba and Novo Hamburgo, leather in Kano, packaging in Sharjah. Identify the cluster for your product first, then filter people by location.

Five questions that reveal a real supplier

Ask these in the first conversation, before pricing:

• What is your minimum order, and what does it cost to run one below it?
• Can you send photos or video of your line today?
• Which two current buyers can I speak to?
• What is your defect rate, and who pays for rework?
• What is the lead time in writing, from deposit to shipment?

Pay for a sample, always

A paid sample is the cheapest due diligence available. You are buying information about communication speed and quality control, not a product.

Keep the first order small

Place the smallest order the supplier will accept, even if the unit cost is worse. Scale only after one clean delivery. A good supplier relationship compounds; a bad first order can end a brand.