Managed sourcing
Factory-direct savings, managed from brief to delivery.
You have the volume to buy direct. You may not have the in-country resource, compliance knowledge or sourcing team to do it safely. Viaty does, under three commercial models built for businesses that need landed cost savings without unmanaged sourcing risk.
For non-specialist volume buyers
- No subscription required for the trading-margin model
- A delivered price to compare with your UK supplier
- Compliance and QC included
The false-economy problem
Buying direct from overseas should save money, not create risk.
Many businesses buy enough product for factory-direct sourcing to make sense, but lack the time, experience or in-house resource to manage it. Marketplaces can show you suppliers; they cannot always tell you whether the factory suits your product, whether the quote is complete, whether the certificates are valid, or whether the goods will meet the rules of your market.
The cheapest product can quickly become the most expensive one if it leads to complaints, returns, failed inspections, rejected shipments, compliance exposure, missed campaign deadlines, or an urgent re-order from a UK supplier at a premium.
The real win is not the lowest unit cost. It is the right product, at the right landed cost, with the right compliance, delivered on time and fit for purpose.
Problem and solution
Where buyers get stuck, and what we do about it.
Seven things volume buyers tell us before their first factory-direct order.
- "We know we could buy cheaper, but we do not know where to start."
- Viaty converts your requirement into a structured sourcing brief, identifies suitable supply options and manages the process from supplier selection to delivery.
- "Alibaba gives us suppliers, but not certainty."
- We do not rely on listings, star ratings or claimed experience alone. We assess supplier fit, product capability, documentation, sample quality and commercial reliability.
- "The quote looks cheap, but we do not know what is included."
- We compare quotations properly — specification, materials, packaging, testing, freight, duty, VAT treatment, lead time, payment terms and delivery point all on a like-for-like basis.
- "We do not understand compliance."
- We identify the relevant certification, testing and documentation required for your product and target market — UKCA, CE, REACH, RoHS and category-specific rules.
- "We do not have anyone in China or the Far East."
- Our trusted partner office in China supports sourcing, communication, supplier checks, production follow-up and shipment readiness — boots on the ground without the overhead.
- "We cannot risk poor quality."
- Quality control is built into the process — clear specification, approved samples, in-line inspection and pre-shipment inspection before the goods leave the factory.
- "We just want a delivered price."
- We can provide an end-to-end delivered solution including sourcing, production, freight, duty and delivery, so you can compare true landed cost against your current UK supply.
Three commercial models
Pick the engagement that fits your business.
The trading-margin model is the simplest commercial comparison. Membership and partner-office models suit organisations with recurring requirements.
Managed sourcing (membership)
Higher-tier members access a sourcing desk. Viaty handles briefs on your behalf — product review, supplier search, factory shortlisting, quote negotiation, sampling, production and QC.
- Best for
- Recurring buyers who place multiple projects per year and want guidance without changing their commercial model.
- Pricing
- Included in Growth / Enterprise tiers. Add-on for Starter.
Trading margin (delivered price)
Viaty sources and sells the finished goods to you with a trading margin built into the delivered price. You get a clear landed or duty-paid figure, with no factory relationship to manage.
- Best for
- Businesses that want certainty over a unit price they can compare to their current UK supplier.
- Pricing
- Price on application, quoted as a delivered price you can compare with your UK supplier.
China partner office
Our trusted partner office in China acts as your local sourcing, verification and production-control resource — supplier communication, factory checks, sample review, inspection coordination and issue resolution.
- Best for
- Buyers who run their own commercial process but lack in-country presence.
- Pricing
- Retainer or per-project basis.
What is included
You give us the problem. We deliver the solution.
From the first brief review to duty-paid delivery, with a partner office in China on the ground.
Product brief review
We turn your requirement into a complete, factory-ready specification.
Supplier search and shortlisting
Across our network and partner office channels.
Quote negotiation
Like-for-like comparison on specification, packaging, lead time and Incoterms.
Compliance guidance
UKCA, CE, REACH, RoHS, food contact, toys, textiles: flagged before quotation.
Sampling coordination
Pre-production samples, fit samples, golden sample sign-off.
Production management
Status reporting, milestone tracking, photo evidence.
Quality inspection
Pre-production, in-line and pre-shipment inspections to your AQL.
Freight and duty-paid delivery
Sea, air, courier: EXW through to DDP with full landed-cost transparency.
In-country resource
Partner office in China for on-the-ground execution.
Send us your brief.
What the product is, roughly how many, where it will be sold and when you need it. We reply by email with the questions we need answered and whether managed sourcing makes sense for the order.
Common questions
Managed sourcing questions
Minimums, margin, importer of record and factory visits.
See subscription plansBusinesses that buy enough product for factory-direct sourcing to make commercial sense, but do not have an in-house sourcing team, compliance specialist or in-country resource. Marketing agencies, security firms, hospitality groups, retailers, franchise networks and corporate procurement teams typically fit this profile.
There is no fixed minimum. Managed sourcing makes sense once factory-direct pricing outweighs freight, duty, testing and QC for your order. Send us the brief and we will tell you plainly whether it does.
We quote a delivered or duty-paid price you can compare directly to your current UK supplier. The margin sits inside the delivered price. You are buying certainty, compliance, quality control and risk management — not just product.
On managed-sourcing engagements where you take delivery of unmodified factory goods, you are usually the importer of record. On the trading-margin model where Viaty acts as seller-of-record, Viaty's UK trading entity is the importer of record. We confirm this in the engagement agreement before any order is placed.
Compliance is built into the sourcing process from the start, not discovered at the end. We identify required certifications and testing before quoting, and the price includes the compliance work needed for your target market.
Yes. We can arrange supplier visits, factory audits and on-site quality control via our partner office in China and through approved third-party inspection providers.
Send us your brief.
Tell us what you buy, how many, where it's going and when you need it. We come back with a delivered price and a comparison against your current supplier.