To start
$100
Deposit to start
Covers the sourcing work and the sample run. Refunded in full on your first shipment.
Fully refundable
CHINA SAN FRANCISCO
370+ factories.
One person on your side.
We get your project to real OEM factories. No Alibaba middlemen posing as factories, no language wall, no missed specs. Hardware, merch, finished goods. Sourced from China, on the ground.
40%
avg cost savings
⅓
the sourcing time
- Factory owner, SF founder
- 370+ factory relationships
- Native Mandarin
- Boots on the ground in Shenzhen
What founders say
AR
Arcwave Robotics“TJ saved us from an Alibaba supplier that turned out to be a trading company. Two weeks later we had real factory samples on our bench at half the unit cost we'd been quoted.”
Founder
Series A robotics startup
FK
Fieldkit“We needed 800 hoodies for a launch in 6 weeks. TJ had the samples in 10 days, production locked the same week. The whole thing felt like having a co-founder in Shenzhen.”
Co-founder
YC W25 consumer hardware
VS
Vessel“Every Friday I got photos from the factory floor. When something drifted on color we caught it before the run shipped. Don't think I've ever worked with a contract manufacturer who actually showed me the work.”
CEO
DTC drinkware brand
LM
Lumio“Quoted three suppliers in 5 days, samples at our office in two weeks. TJ handled every back-and-forth in Mandarin. We would have spent months on this alone.”
Head of Ops
YC-backed hardware startup
SL
Stackline“First order was 500 custom tumblers for our Series A close. They arrived on time, looked exactly like the mockup. Already planning the next run.”
Founder
B2B SaaS company
FM
Forma“We had a tight deadline for our trade show run. TJ got us 1,200 units of custom packaging from quote to our door in 19 days. Unreal.”
VP Marketing
Series B consumer tech
OR
Orin“The $100 deposit to start felt almost too easy. By the time we got to production I trusted TJ completely. The factory relationship he has is the whole product.”
Founder
Hardware startup, a16z-backed
SC
Sencio“Our last agency handed us a Alibaba link and called it sourcing. TJ showed up with three competitive quotes, floor photos, and a Mandarin spec sheet. Night and day.”
CTO
IoT startup, seed stage
AR
Arcwave Robotics“TJ saved us from an Alibaba supplier that turned out to be a trading company. Two weeks later we had real factory samples on our bench at half the unit cost we'd been quoted.”
Founder
Series A robotics startup
FK
Fieldkit“We needed 800 hoodies for a launch in 6 weeks. TJ had the samples in 10 days, production locked the same week. The whole thing felt like having a co-founder in Shenzhen.”
Co-founder
YC W25 consumer hardware
VS
Vessel“Every Friday I got photos from the factory floor. When something drifted on color we caught it before the run shipped. Don't think I've ever worked with a contract manufacturer who actually showed me the work.”
CEO
DTC drinkware brand
LM
Lumio“Quoted three suppliers in 5 days, samples at our office in two weeks. TJ handled every back-and-forth in Mandarin. We would have spent months on this alone.”
Head of Ops
YC-backed hardware startup
SL
Stackline“First order was 500 custom tumblers for our Series A close. They arrived on time, looked exactly like the mockup. Already planning the next run.”
Founder
B2B SaaS company
FM
Forma“We had a tight deadline for our trade show run. TJ got us 1,200 units of custom packaging from quote to our door in 19 days. Unreal.”
VP Marketing
Series B consumer tech
OR
Orin“The $100 deposit to start felt almost too easy. By the time we got to production I trusted TJ completely. The factory relationship he has is the whole product.”
Founder
Hardware startup, a16z-backed
SC
Sencio“Our last agency handed us a Alibaba link and called it sourcing. TJ showed up with three competitive quotes, floor photos, and a Mandarin spec sheet. Night and day.”
CTO
IoT startup, seed stage
How it works
Five steps. Two to eight weeks from spec to shipment. You stay in your day job.
01
Send a spec
02
I quote 3–5 factories
03
You receive samples
04
You decide
05
Shipment at your door
How you pay
Two numbers. No hourly rates, no minimums to talk, no surprise line items.
On shipment
8%
Of total shipment cost
Factory cost, freight, and customs are itemized on every invoice — you see exactly where every dollar goes.
No hourly rates
Factory cost + freight + customs + 8% = everything on the invoice.
Free resource
The sourcing checklist I send every founder before they spend a dollar.
Twenty-three questions you should answer about your project before talking to a factory. The same checklist I walk through on every intake call.
Founder note
My grandfather started a factory in southern China before I was born. My father runs it now. I grew up on that floor.
In San Francisco, I kept meeting founders, hardware teams, YC companies, DTC brands, startups ordering their first batch of company swag, all trying to source from China through Alibaba in English with no factory relationship. Most got months of runaround and shipments that didn't match the spec. The problem isn't China, it's that nobody on the founder's side speaks the language or knows the factory to foster the deal and push it through fast.
The factories I work with have known my family for years. They take my calls and tell me the truth. I started TJ Sourcing to be that person for more founders.
— TJ Ho
FAQ
Common questions
Got a part in mind?
$100 deposit · 8% on shipment · Deposit back to you when we ship.