No mystery. No jargon. No hidden fees. This page walks you through exactly what happens when you work with Epic Sourcing — from the first conversation to goods arriving at your door in New Zealand. We think transparency builds better business relationships. So here it all is.
Epic Sourcing was founded in 2019 by TK — Chinese-born, New Zealand-based, and holding an International Trade degree from Hangzhou, China. The business was built to solve a specific problem: Kiwi businesses were getting burned by opaque, commission-based sourcing agents whose incentives didn’t align with their clients’.
Our model is different. We charge an project-based rate. That means we have no financial incentive to push you towards more expensive products or larger orders. We make money when we do good work. Full stop.
Our team is bilingual — Mandarin and Vietnamese-speaking — with on-the-ground relationships in China and Vietnam built over years of active sourcing work.
Every engagement starts with a 30-minute call. You tell us about your product, your business, your budget, and your timeline. We ask the right questions and give you an honest assessment.
We put together a clear scope of work and a fixed cost estimate. You know exactly what you’re paying for before anything starts. No surprises.
Our team searches our verified supplier database, trade show records, and industry contacts to identify the best-fit manufacturers for your product in China or Vietnam.
Every shortlisted supplier goes through our verification process: legal registration, business licence, export certification, production capacity, and reference checks.
We present you with a shortlisted set of verified suppliers, a clear recommendation, and our reasoning. You make the final decision.
We request samples on your behalf, review them against your spec, and arrange delivery to you in New Zealand. We give you our honest assessment before you commit.
We negotiate pricing, MOQs, payment terms, packaging specifications, and lead times. Our bilingual team negotiates in the supplier’s language — which changes the dynamic significantly.
We place the order on your behalf with all specifications, quality standards, and delivery requirements clearly documented.
For larger orders, we monitor production progress and flag any issues before they become problems. You get regular updates so you’re never left wondering.
Before your goods are packed for shipment, our team conducts a pre-shipment inspection at the factory. We check quantity, quality, packaging, and labelling against your approved spec.
We coordinate sea or air freight from China or Vietnam to New Zealand. We work with trusted freight partners and manage the full logistics chain.
We manage MPI biosecurity documentation and NZ Customs clearance — correct tariff classification, duty calculation, and any required import permits. Your goods clear the border without drama.
Your goods arrive at your nominated NZ address or 3PL warehouse. We provide all relevant documentation — commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and customs entry.
We debrief on how the order went — what worked, what could be better — and start planning for the next one. Good sourcing is a long game, and each order should get smoother.
We charge a flat rate, we don’t have that problem. Our fee is the same whether your order is NZD $5,000 or NZD $500,000. We make money by doing good work, efficiently. That’s it.
Our Customiser Package for private label product development starts at NZD $4,999, for white label product starts at NZD $2,499. For other services — sourcing, QC, freight, verification — we provide a fixed quote after the discovery call. You always know what you’re paying before we start.
We check your product’s materials against MPI requirements before the order is placed. If treatment or documentation is required, we arrange it as part of the freight process.
We ensure your goods are correctly classified under the right HS tariff codes from day one. Misclassification is a common and avoidable cost.
We structure your orders to take advantage of preferential duty rates under New Zealand’s trade agreements with China and Vietnam where applicable.
If your product has NZ safety or certification requirements — electronics, children’s products, food contact materials — we flag these early and help you source compliant products.
Finding and importing products for online stores — from sampling to delivery.
Building branded product lines from scratch — design, sampling, manufacturing, and launch.
Sourcing wholesale products for physical retail stores across New Zealand.
Guiding new importers through their first order from start to finish — safely.
Supporting growing businesses as their sourcing needs become more complex and high-stakes.
Helping New Zealand businesses source components or finished goods to support their own export operations.
From discovery call to goods arriving in New Zealand, a typical first order takes 10–16 weeks. This breaks down as: 1–2 weeks supplier finding, 2–4 weeks sampling, 1–2 weeks negotiation, 3–5 weeks production, and 3–5 weeks freight.
No. We handle everything on the ground. Some clients choose to visit factories as part of their due diligence — we can arrange that — but it’s not required.
Yes. Some clients engage us for supplier finding only. Others bring us in just for quality control inspections. We’re flexible — use us for as much or as little as makes sense.
Most Chinese factories require a 30% deposit with order and 70% balance before shipment. We advise on payment terms and help structure payment to reduce your risk. We never handle your payment to suppliers directly.
We can still help. We can vet your existing supplier, manage quality control, handle freight and compliance, or negotiate better terms. You don’t have to start from scratch.
There’s no hard minimum, but we’re best suited to businesses placing orders of meaningful commercial value. Very small one-off orders may not justify the cost. We’ll be honest about this on the discovery call.
Book a 30-minute discovery call and we’ll walk you through exactly how we’d approach your product and your situation. No obligation. No hard sell. Just clarity.