The internet will give you a thousand factories in an afternoon. That abundance is the trap: a directory listing tells you nothing about capacity, quality systems or whether the company will still answer your emails after the first order.
Start with a tight brief — product spec, target cost, volumes and the quality standard you will not compromise on. Shortlist against that brief, then verify the strongest candidates in person. A factory audit that checks equipment, certifications and working conditions is worth more than any number of glossy PDFs.
Negotiate the whole relationship, not just the unit price: tooling, MOQs, payment terms and what happens when a batch fails. The cheapest quote is rarely the cheapest supplier.
