Updated February 2026 | Multi-country sourcing
It's not just tariffs anymore.
It's Taiwan. Uyghurs. Japan trade restrictions. Europe banning Chinese EVs. Israel blocking Chinese cars near military bases.
Every week brings news that signals: continuous decline in trust, increasing tensions.
And every week, more importers say the same thing:
"We need to get out of China. Or at least have a Plan B before something serious happens."
The problem?
Finding real factories outside China is nearly impossible.
In China, you have infrastructure:
Outside China?
None of that exists.
There's no "Vietnam 1688."
Google "Vietnam factory" and you get:
You can't verify who's real.
You can't see transaction history.
You can't compare factories side-by-side.
You're flying blind.
India has exporters. Lots of them.
But finding the actual factory?
You'll talk to:
The real manufacturer is three layers deep.
And they don't deal with foreigners directly because they don't know how.
Indonesia is the wild west.
You'll find:
There's no rating system. No business verification. No transparency.
Just trust and hope.
Here's what importers don't understand:
The playbook you learned in China is useless in Vietnam, India, and Indonesia.
Chinese factories respond to:
They're used to it. They expect it. They built their entire service model around it.
That's why China is expensive - but reliable.
Vietnamese suppliers value harmony over confrontation.
If you push too hard:
Your China tactics destroy the relationship before production starts.
Indian suppliers expect flexibility.
What you think is "final terms" is just the opening position.
If you demand rigid contract terms:
Your China-style contracts become endless negotiation cycles.
Indonesian culture avoids direct confrontation.
If you push too hard:
Your China enforcement tactics look aggressive and destroy trust.
Here's the insight most importers miss:
Chinese factories are expensive because they know how to service foreigners.
They've spent 30 years learning:
That service capability costs money.
But it saves you time, stress, and mistakes.
When you find a real factory in Vietnam, India, or Indonesia:
The apples-to-apples price is often cheaper than China.
But they don't know how to:
So one of two things happens:
Option 1: You work through middlemen
Middlemen know how to talk to foreigners.
They add 15-30% markup for "service."
You end up paying MORE than China - even though the factory price is cheaper.
Option 2: You work direct with factories
You get the cheap price.
But you spend months:
You save money on price, lose money on time and mistakes.
Let's say you decide: "Okay, I'll move to Vietnam."
Here's what actually happens:
Week 1-4: Sourcing
You search online. Everything looks like a factory. Nothing is verifiable.
You contact 20 suppliers. 15 are trading companies. 3 are real but overbooked. 2 respond.
Week 5-8: Negotiation
They say yes to everything. Price looks great. Timeline looks tight but doable.
You think: "This is going well."
Week 9-12: Pre-production
Samples are late. Communication slows. "Yes, we can do this" becomes "maybe we have a problem."
You're 3 months in and realizing: they can't actually deliver what they promised.
Week 13-16: Crisis
Production is behind. Quality is inconsistent. They're not answering tough questions.
You fly to Vietnam. The "factory" is smaller than they showed in photos. Equipment is limited. They're clearly not equipped for your volume.
Week 17-20: Restart
You're back to searching. 5 months burned. Deposit gone or tied up in negotiation.
This is why importers give up and go back to China.
To make Vietnam, India, or Indonesia work, you need:
1) Real factory identification
Not platforms. Not Google.
Physical verification:
2) Cultural bridge
Someone who understands:
3) Service layer
Teaching the factory how to work with you:
4) Legal framework adapted to local jurisdiction
Not copy-paste China contracts.
Contracts that:
5) Local enforcement presence
Someone in their city who can:
This infrastructure doesn't exist on Alibaba.
You either build it yourself (and spend 12-18 months learning), or you work with someone who already has it.
We're not a sourcing platform.
We're boots on the ground in each hub.
We teach factories how to work with international buyers:
We make direct relationships work - without middlemen markup.
What works in China doesn't work in Vietnam.
We operate differently in each hub:
Not copy-paste contracts.
Not coordinating from Hong Kong or Singapore.
When production breaks:
No middlemen.
No trading companies.
Direct contracts. Direct payment. Direct accountability.
And we make sure the factory can actually service you - or we build that capability before production starts.
Geopolitical risk isn't going away.
Taiwan tensions. Trade restrictions. Supply chain weaponization.
You need a Plan B.
But "move to Vietnam" without infrastructure is gambling.
"Try India" without local presence is hope.
"Explore Indonesia" without cultural understanding is chaos.
What you actually need:
Multi-country infrastructure that lets you operate outside China without learning everything from scratch in each location.
That means:
And you need it before geopolitical events force your hand.
Because when everyone's scrambling at once:
Q: Why can't I just use Alibaba for Vietnam or India suppliers?
Alibaba Vietnam/India listings are mostly trading companies, not factories. There's no verification system like China's. You can't check business licenses, transaction history, or actual capacity. It's a lead generation platform, not a factory verification system.
Q: What if I hire a local agent in Vietnam/India?
Most "local agents" are sales reps or small trading companies. They don't have legal infrastructure, enforcement capability, or multi-hub experience. When problems emerge, they're coordinating remotely just like you would be - they just speak the language.
Q: Isn't it risky to work directly with factories that aren't set up for international buyers?
Yes - if you do it alone. That's why we build the service layer first. We teach factories how to work with international buyers, install communication protocols, set up quality systems, and create enforcement mechanisms before production starts.
Q: How long does it take to set up production in Vietnam/India vs China?
China: 2-3 months if you know what you're doing. Vietnam/India/Indonesia without infrastructure: 6-12 months of trial and error. With our boots-on-the-ground infrastructure: 3-4 months because we've already built the factory relationships and service capability.
Q: What if geopolitical issues hit Vietnam or India next?
That's why we operate in multiple hubs. If Vietnam gets hit with trade restrictions or India faces sanctions, we're not starting from zero elsewhere. We already have legal framework, factory relationships, and local teams in China, Vietnam, India, and Indonesia.