Sourcing route
Custom manufacturing and supplier sourcing in China.
Aura turns your product brief into supplier requirements, finds and compares factories and 1688 suppliers, arranges samples and revisions, and coordinates production milestones, inspection and delivery for apparel and footwear. You approve every supplier and fund each supplier payment before we commit.
What does the service include?
- Who it is for
- Brands, retailers and e-commerce sellers who know what they want made, and founders who need help defining it before ordering.
- Where
- Factories and suppliers across China, with in-person work concentrated in Quanzhou, Jinjiang and Shishi.
- 01What is included
- Your brief translated into written supplier requirements
- Factory and 1688 supplier research
- Quotations, MOQ, lead time, location and terms compared side by side
- Samples and revisions arranged and reviewed
- Deposits, production milestones and final balance coordinated
- Inspection, lab testing or specialist support coordinated when agreed
- Packaging, labelling and delivery requirements coordinated with third parties
- 02What you receive
- A written product brief and acceptance criteria
- A supplier comparison with evidence, prices and open risks
- A recommendation, with the final choice left to you
- Sample photos and revision notes
- Milestone updates through production and shipment
- 03What you provide
- Your product idea, specification, tech pack or reference item
- Target quantity, destination and timing
- Budget expectations and quality requirements
- Approval and funding at each supplier payment
- 04What is excluded
- Financing your order: you fund each supplier payment
- Acting as the manufacturer, freight forwarder or customs broker
- Guarantees of supplier performance, compliance or market demand
- Safety-critical, medical, PPE, toys, complex electronics or unfamiliar regulated goods
How does it run?
- 01
We qualify your request: product, use, destination, quantity, timing and budget.
- 02
We write the product brief and acceptance criteria with you.
- 03
We research suppliers and compare their offers, evidence and risks.
- 04
We arrange samples or a supplier verification visit.
- 05
You choose an option and fund the supplier payment, our remuneration and agreed expenses.
- 06
We place the order, manage milestones and run agreed quality checks.
- 07
We coordinate packaging and the handover to your carrier or forwarder.
What do buyers ask about this service?
Do you work with small order quantities?
Often, yes. Minimum order quantities depend on the factory, fabric and construction. We report each supplier's MOQ in the comparison so you can see which options fit your volume.
Who owns the relationship with the factory?
You do. You approve the supplier, and the factory supplies to your order. Aura manages communication and milestones on your behalf and takes no commission from the factory.
Can you help if I only have a reference product?
Yes. Send photos or a link to the reference item. We turn it into a written brief, confirm the details with you and use it to brief suppliers and check samples.
Do you handle footwear as well as apparel?
Yes. We source both. Jinjiang, a short drive from our base, is one of China's main footwear and sportswear manufacturing centres, and Shishi is known for apparel and fabrics.
Related pages
- How it worksThe ten steps from brief to delivery, and how payments flow.
- How we quoteWhat shapes your quote, and how Aura is paid.
- Verification VisitAn in-person visit that separates what we saw from what you were told.
- Pre-Shipment InspectionYour finished order checked against your spec before you pay the balance.
Request a quote
Tell us what you want made or bought.
Send a short brief. You get a reply within two business days, with scope questions or a written quote. Nothing is booked or bought until you approve.