The first time I sourced a product, I thought the hardest part would be coming up with the initial ideas. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t! The hardest part was finding a supplier I could trust and avoiding an expensive beginner’s mistake. I’ve now sourced products in many different categories and countries, and I’ve learned a few things along the way.

The simplest way to put it is:

“Your job is not to find a supplier.” Instead, your job is to build a small and reliable supply chain that you understand.

Supplier Triangle

Let me start with the framework I actually use now, because this would have saved me so much time.

It’s a three-step process that you can imagine looking like a triangle.

  1. price
  2. quality
  3. communication

Here’s the thing about this triangle: you are aiming to hit all 3 points. It’s not always possible to do that, though, so before you even start this process, you need to decide which one point you might be willing to negotiate on. This can vary from product to product and person to person. There is no correct answer.

If the price is amazing and the quality is great, but communication is slow or confusing, you will pay for that later in delays and mistakes. If communication is excellent and the price is low, but quality is inconsistent, you’ll pay for it in returns and bad reviews. Every supplier I work with now gets evaluated through this lens before I place a substantial order, and often I must think hard about where my negotiation will end up.

For instance, my wool ball garland is 100% a quality product. I will never compromise on quality, so at times I end up going out of stock and shipping slower than I’d like. There are other products, like our paper garlands, where the market dictates that the price must be non-negotiable.

Sourcing Platforms

When it comes to finding suppliers, most people go straight to Alibaba. This is often a good place to start your sourcing journey, and it can absolutely work. I’ve used the platform successfully, especially when sourcing from countries outside of China. Often, these manufacturers are trying to build relationships and can be more flexible on smaller runs.

I’ve also had one of my worst experiences there. I paid in advance for my business planners’ first run this past year, and the shipping wasn’t at all what was agreed upon. I ended up missing what I had hoped would be my first selling season. Fixing it turned into a long, frustrating back-and-forth that cost time, money, and energy. So here’s how I approach Alibaba now in a very practical way:

  • Only work with Verified Suppliers
  • Always request a pre-production sample (and pay for it)
  • Keep your first order small, even if the pricing isn’t ideal
  • Get everything in writing, including materials, sizing, packaging, and specific timelines
  • If a supplier pushes back on any of this, just move on quickly.

Even though Alibaba is a great place to start, the best suppliers I’ve found didn’t come from a search bar; they came from other product creators.

One of my most valuable connections came through a friend who had already been through the process. Her introduction led me to an agent who helped bridge communication, manage production, and catch issues before they became expensive problems for me.

If you’re serious about launching products, start asking people in your space: Who are you using? What’s been good? What hasn’t? This one conversation can shortcut months of trial and error.

The Case For USA Production

There’s also a bigger shift happening right now that you need to be aware of. Between tariffs, shipping delays, and global politics, international manufacturing is not as predictable as it used to be. This is why you’re seeing more creators move toward smaller batch production and micro-manufacturing, even if the margins are a little tighter. When the Strait of Hormuz closes or the President uses tariffs as a political strategy, international shipping is significantly affected.

I’ve personally started testing suppliers in new regions and looking more seriously at U.S.-based options. Although I haven’t cracked this perfectly yet, it is worth trying for your own product ideas.

If you want an easy place to start today looking into US product suppliers, or finding an overseas manufactorer I walk my coaching clients through this exact process, and it’s why I put together a simple supplier vetting checklist and a first outreach script as a part of my product launch coaching, because this step is not overwhelming when you know what you’re looking for and have a friend who’s done it before walk alongside you. Check out the program here.

-Victoria