Frequently asked questions

Yes.

Library of Trade is always free to use for buyers. You pay no membership fee, no subscription fee and no sourcing service fee.

Suppliers pay Library of Trade an agreed administrative fee when a successful transaction is completed through our network.

So we are only paid when we save you money. You contract directly with the supplier.

Suppliers pay Library of Trade an agreed administrative fee when a successful transaction is completed through our network. Buyers pay no sourcing service fee, and nothing is added on top of your order value.

Suppliers get access to qualified demand from several buyers; buyers get access to pre-negotiated supplier relationships and collective purchasing power.

That is what keeps the model transparent on both sides: we are paid when a sourcing transaction succeeds.

No.

There is no traditional sourcing fee and no service commission on your order value.

Suppliers pay Library of Trade a pre-agreed administrative fee for the transactions and qualified volume generated through the network.

You contract directly with the supplier and keep visibility into the commercial relationship.

It depends on your current supply chain.

Savings vary with your existing suppliers, materials, order volumes, manufacturing country, freight setup, duties and the other components of landed cost.

As a target, Library of Trade looks for opportunities to reduce total landed cost by roughly 20% where meaningful optimization potential exists.

Actual savings depend on the product and the starting point, so 20% is the opportunity we look for and not a guarantee.

By optimizing the complete landed cost, not only the factory unit price. Savings can come from:

• collective purchasing power
• supplier negotiation
• material purchasing and material optimization
• better-fit factories
• the right manufacturing country
• freight consolidation
• logistics optimization
• duties and tariff considerations

Because we bring them qualified demand from several buyers rather than a single sourcing opportunity, which can mean larger and more consistent commercial opportunities.

In return, suppliers can offer pre-negotiated commercial terms, collective pricing, improved access to capacity and other network benefits.

It also removes part of their sales and customer-acquisition effort, because the sourcing opportunities arrive qualified.

Traditional sourcing models usually charge a fee or commission on top of a buyer's purchasing spend. Buyers pay Library of Trade no sourcing service fee; suppliers pay an agreed administrative fee when a successful transaction is completed through our network.

Because we bring demand from several buyers, we can negotiate supplier agreements and collective pricing an individual brand may not be able to reach on its own.

That purchasing power sits alongside sourcing expertise, supplier intelligence, AI, material optimization, quality management and logistics coordination. We do not just help find a factory. We help build a better supply chain.

You do.

Your designs, tech packs, specifications, samples and proprietary product information remain yours.

Library of Trade does not acquire ownership of your product intellectual property by helping develop, source or manufacture the product.

Suppliers are permitted to use your confidential product information only to produce your orders. Where appropriate we use contractual protections including:

• confidentiality provisions
• non-use provisions
• non-circumvention provisions
• manufacturing agreements
• supplier confidentiality requirements

For China-based manufacturing this can include NNN-style agreements. In other countries, equivalent protections adapted to the relevant jurisdiction.

Access to sensitive product information is limited to the suppliers and partners who genuinely need it.

No.

Suppliers may not reuse, share or commercially exploit your confidential designs, specifications or proprietary product information for another customer.

Contractual protection and controlled information sharing work together here, through product development, sourcing and production.

What is protected is your confidential and proprietary work. A generic construction or a commonly available material is not something any brand holds exclusively.

NNN stands for:

• Non-Disclosure
• Non-Use
• Non-Circumvention

It goes further than a standard confidentiality agreement: a manufacturing partner is restricted from disclosing confidential information, from using that information for its own commercial benefit, and from circumventing the buyer in the business relationship.

For China-based manufacturing, Library of Trade can use NNN-style protections where appropriate. For Vietnam and other manufacturing countries, we can use equivalent confidentiality, non-use, intellectual-property and manufacturing provisions adapted to the relevant jurisdiction.

The goal is practical protection of your design, specifications and commercial information rather than one generic contract used everywhere. This describes how these agreements are commonly used; it is not legal advice for a specific situation.

On a need-to-know basis. Material suppliers, component suppliers, factories, quality partners and logistics providers each need only the information required for their part of the supply chain.

Sensitive designs and commercial information do not need to be distributed across the whole network, and are not.

Where appropriate, the relevant partners are subject to confidentiality and non-use requirements.

Yes.

This is normal in global manufacturing: a strong factory usually produces for several customers.

What matters is that each buyer's confidential information, designs, specifications and production data stay protected.

Library of Trade separates customer information and uses contractual and operational protections to keep proprietary information from being reused or shared between buyers.

Very little.

A sourcing project can start from:

• a product idea
• reference images
• an existing product
• a physical sample
• a current supplier quote
• basic specifications
• a complete tech pack

Library of Trade helps structure whatever you have into the information needed for sourcing, quoting, sampling and production.

No.

A complete tech pack is useful, but it is not required to begin.

Library of Trade can start from an idea, reference images, an existing product or a sample, and help translate that into the specifications and technical documentation suppliers quote and produce from.

Yes.

Product development can start before sourcing does:

• product requirements
• specifications
• materials
• components and trims
• manufacturability
• technical documentation
• sampling
• revisions

The goal is to turn an initial concept into a product that can be manufactured reliably, at the right cost and quality.

No fixed minimum.

We work with companies ranging from early-stage brands to larger ecommerce businesses and retailers.

Individual factories and material suppliers may have their own MOQs, depending on the product, the production process and the materials.

Library of Trade looks for the best-fit production setup for each situation — a supplier comfortable with smaller initial runs, or a manufacturing partner suited to larger-scale production.

From early-stage consumer brands to established ecommerce companies and retailers.

The right sourcing approach depends on the product, volume, category and stage of the business.

Library of Trade adapts the supplier network and production strategy to each sourcing project rather than applying one fixed production model to every buyer.

Not by collecting factories from directories. Suppliers are evaluated on:

• manufacturing capabilities
• relevant product experience
• production history
• quality performance
• certifications
• capacity
• reliability
• communication
• audit information
• physical verification where appropriate

The goal is the best-fit manufacturing partner for the product, not the lowest quoted factory.

By combining several sources of evidence:

• company and factory documentation
• production history
• certification verification
• product and category experience
• references
• audits
• factory assessments
• physical visits
• ongoing performance data

How far verification goes depends on the supplier, the product and the sourcing risk.

The point is to understand the actual manufacturing operation behind a supplier profile rather than to rely on an online listing.

By measuring the supplier's capabilities against the product requirements:

• previous production of similar products
• machinery and manufacturing processes
• material experience
• technical capabilities
• quality systems
• available capacity
• MOQ
• lead times
• certifications
• delivery performance

Supplier selection is based on fit, not on availability.

By evaluating the complete sourcing outcome rather than the lowest unit quote:

• landed cost
• product quality
• lead time
• capacity
• reliability
• compliance
• communication
• manufacturing capability
• supply-chain risk

The best supplier is the one that creates the strongest overall outcome for the product.

Library of Trade's supplier network can include manufacturers with experience producing for established international brands and retailers.

That experience can be valuable, because those suppliers often have mature manufacturing processes, quality systems and category expertise.

Access still depends on product fit, order size, capacity and the commercial requirements of each supplier.

Many of the biggest sourcing opportunities are created before mass production begins. We can help optimize:

• product specifications
• materials
• components
• manufacturability
• supplier selection
• target cost
• production strategy

Making those decisions well early improves cost, quality and lead time before the product reaches mass production.

Using proven materials or components across several products or sourcing opportunities, where that makes commercial and technical sense. It can create:

• greater purchasing volume
• better material pricing
• lower effective MOQs
• improved material availability
• fewer supplier changeovers
• proven quality performance

It is an option, not a requirement.

Yes.

You remain in control of your product and its specifications.

Library of Trade can source exactly to your existing requirements, or propose alternative materials where they may improve cost, quality, availability or performance.

You decide whether any material change is approved.

Yes.

In many product categories, materials are a significant share of total product cost.

Where it produces a better sourcing outcome, Library of Trade can evaluate material suppliers and manufacturing partners separately.

That can improve pricing, material consistency, availability and purchasing leverage.

Quality starts before mass production. It is supported through:

• supplier capability evaluation
• clear product specifications
• sample development and approval
• golden or sealed samples where appropriate
• production monitoring
• during-production checks
• final inspection
• quality reporting
• supplier performance tracking

AI helps structure information and surface potential issues, while sourcing and quality experts make the important judgment calls.

Manufacturing issues are best handled early. Library of Trade helps coordinate:

• supplier communication
• production updates
• quality issues
• delays
• corrective actions
• rework or replacement plans where appropriate

The goal is to identify a problem quickly, understand its impact and coordinate the best available solution before it becomes a larger supply-chain issue.

Yes.

Depending on the product requirements, we can coordinate:

• pre-production checks
• sample inspections
• during-production inspections
• final pre-shipment inspections
• measurement checks
• workmanship checks
• AQL-based inspections
• photographic and quality reporting

The inspection plan is adapted to the product and the production risk.

A golden or sealed sample is the approved physical reference that defines what production should match. It can establish agreed:

• dimensions
• materials
• colors
• trims
• workmanship
• construction
• finishing

An approved reference sample removes ambiguity between the buyer and the factory, and gives quality teams a clear benchmark during production and final inspection.

Yes.

Library of Trade can support the full journey from factory to destination, including:

• freight coordination
• export documentation
• customs documentation
• import requirements
• delivery coordination

How much of that we handle depends on what you already have in place.

Yes.

Library of Trade works around your existing setup.

You can keep your own freight forwarder and customs broker, or have us coordinate freight as part of the wider sourcing work.

Landed cost is what a product actually costs once it reaches your warehouse. It normally includes:

• product cost
• materials
• packaging
• freight
• duties and import charges
• handling and inland transport
• quality and compliance costs

Two quotes with the same unit price can end up meaningfully different once all of that is counted. Comparing landed cost instead of factory price is what makes a sourcing decision comparable.

Freight and duty are often the least examined part of a supply chain. Improvements can come from:

• better packing and carton efficiency
• consolidating shipments
• choosing the right transport mode and route
• correct product classification
• clearer incoterms
• better planning and fewer rush shipments

What is available depends on your volumes, product and current setup, so this is examined per case rather than promised up front.

Yes.

Library of Trade is not a marketplace that hides suppliers, and it does not buy and resell your products. You know who manufactures for you and you contract directly with that supplier.

What Library of Trade improves is the economics, the visibility and the coordination around those relationships.

Yes.

Existing suppliers often stay exactly where they are. Library of Trade can:

• improve terms and cost structure with your current partners
• add capacity or a second source where a single supplier is a risk
• take on new products or categories your current partners do not cover

The goal is a better outcome, not a change of supplier for its own sake.

Library of Trade extends what your team can do rather than replacing it. In practice that means we can take on:

• supplier identification and evaluation
• sample and development coordination
• cost and quotation analysis
• production follow-up and quality coordination
• freight and landed-cost work

Your team keeps product strategy, brand decisions and final approvals.

Physical products where supply-chain expertise can improve cost, quality or reliability. Common examples are:

• apparel
• accessories
• bags and leather goods
• home and lifestyle products
• consumer goods
• packaging

Fit is confirmed per product rather than assumed. If a category is outside what we can genuinely support well, we say so.

Yes.

One product is a normal way to begin. It is also the cheapest way to judge whether the way Library of Trade works suits your business.

You decide afterwards whether more products follow. Nothing obliges you to move an entire range.