01
Travel Time
Distance and transportation time required to reach the supplier or factory.
Pricing & Commercial Structure
Know the scope before you commit.
ImporterDesk pricing is built around the work actually required — not a forced package. Start with one supplier, one PO, one inspection, a defined sourcing problem, ongoing procurement support, or a custom operating scope.
Before paid work begins, we define the agreed scope, operating assumptions, included field activity, reporting cadence, and any known travel or third-party costs in writing. If the scope changes, we confirm the commercial impact before proceeding.
No supplier kickbacksNo unapproved scope expansionThird-party costs identified separately
Choose the engagement structure that matches the work.Select a path to update the scope sheet.
Scope defines the work, not a guaranteed outcome. ImporterDesk coordinates, documents, verifies against agreed requirements and available records, and surfaces exceptions within the agreed scope. Supplier performance, inspection results, regulatory approval, customs clearance, compliance outcomes, and shipment timing are not guaranteed.
In short
Discuss your scopePricing follows scope, not seat count
- What you pay for
- Coordination capacity, evidence and decision support — not a headcount rental.
- How fees are built
- A scope-based operating fee, plus outside costs quoted and approved before spend.
- Two structures
- Recurring support for ongoing programs, or defined support for one bounded problem.
- Where work happens
- Remote coordination by default; on-site fieldwork planned by province and lead time.
What Drives Pricing
The fee follows the work — not the package name.
Two sourcing engagements can involve similar purchase values and still require very different levels of work. Pricing is shaped by the operating scope — how many suppliers and SKUs are involved, where the work takes place, how much field activity is required, how frequently your team needs reporting, and whether outside specialists or third parties are needed.
Scope Anatomy
Operational variables converge into one agreed scope.
SuppliersCount + parallel work
SKUs & SpecsComplexity + revisions
Field ActivityOn-site execution
LocationTravel + access
ReportingCadence + audience
UrgencyLead time + recovery
Third PartyOutside services
Commercial Basis
Agreed ScopeWhat work is required, where it happens, how often, and what sits outside the core fee.
Supplier & Workstream Count
More suppliers, POs, factories, or parallel workstreams usually require more coordination, follow-up, documentation, and exception management.
Scope change controlCommercial impact is reviewed before added work proceeds.
01
Scope changes
02
Commercial impact reviewed
03
Buyer approval
Scope first. Commercial impact second. Approval before added work.
If the operating scope changes materially, we discuss the effect on timing, staffing, field activity, or outside cost before the additional work proceeds.
Tell Us What You're Managing We can help translate your current workload into a defined commercial scope.
The ImporterDesk Fee
You're paying for an operating layer — not access to a software plan.
Within the agreed scope, our fee covers the people, coordination, documentation, follow-up, and buyer-facing visibility required to keep the sourcing work moving. Exact activities vary by engagement, but the operating model stays consistent.
Exploded Operating Stack
Four layers of work. One buyer-ready operating picture.
Selected Operating Layer
CoordinateWe help keep suppliers, requirements, open items, milestones, and handoffs moving across the agreed workstream.
The workspace supports the service. It is not the service.
Your ImporterDesk workspace helps organize records, milestones, reports, and exceptions in one place. Update timing depends on the underlying work, supplier responses, field activity, and available information — it should not be interpreted as guaranteed real-time factory data.
Supplier recordIdentity, communication, decisions, open itemsOrganized
Milestone viewSamples, production, inspection, shipment prepUpdated by activity
ExceptionsIssues that need buyer attention or escalationBuyer-facing
Reports & recordsStructured documentation across the agreed workstreamTraceable
Execution follows the written scope. Final decisions remain with the buyer.
ImporterDesk can coordinate, document, verify against agreed requirements and available records, conduct or coordinate approved field activity, and surface exceptions.
Buyer / qualified-professional authority
Supplier selection, payment authorization, product acceptance, legal and compliance decisions, customs determinations, and shipment release remain with the buyer or the appropriate qualified professional.
Engagement Fit
There isn’t a “best plan.”There’s a right fit for the workload.
We look at the pattern of work first: whether the need is isolated or recurring, how many suppliers and SKUs are active, how much field involvement is expected, and how frequently your team needs decisions or reporting.
That operating reality determines whether the work is better handled as a defined project, an ongoing retainer, or a custom scope — and how deep the support needs to be.
What we read before quoting
- 01Work patternIsolated need or recurring workload
- 02Supplier complexityActive suppliers, SKUs, and factory sites
- 03Field involvementOn-site checks, loading supervision, escalations
- 04Decision cadenceHow often your team needs decisions or reporting
No automatic upgrade path. No “Most Popular” default.
A larger engagement is not automatically a better engagement. The goal is to define enough support for the work you actually need — without paying for operating capacity you are unlikely to use.
Commercial Fit Assessment
Start with the workload. Then define the engagement.
This assessment is designed to help organize the operating picture — not generate an automatic quote. Select the conditions that most closely reflect your current sourcing workload.
Defined Project
Need one defined task instead of ongoing support?One supplier issue, inspection, sourcing project, PO, or shipment-control need can be quoted to a defined scope.Commercial Structure
Quoted to ScopeOngoing Retainer · Monthly Support Depth
Prices stay visible while the assessment helps indicate fit.
Starter
$3,999
USD / month
Stable supplier base · lighter coordination · lower reporting and field intensity.
Likely fit
Growth
$6,999
USD / month
Multiple moving parts · recurring samples / production · more frequent follow-up.
Integrated
$9,999
USD / month
Multi-supplier · multi-workstream · deeper coordination and operating visibility.
Custom
Custom Quote
Tailored commercial terms
Multi-region, multi-category, high-field-intensity, or cross-functional procurement work.
Which operating depth fits the workload?
Five factors shape the preliminary fit.
The assessment does not hide pricing or replace a commercial review. It simply helps organize whether the workload is better treated as a defined project, an ongoing retainer, or a custom operating scope.
01
Work Pattern
Is this a defined need with a clear finish, or an operating workload that continues month after month?
02
Supplier & Workstream Load
How many suppliers, factories, POs, or parallel workstreams need active coordination?
03
SKU & Requirement Complexity
How much product variation, specification change, sampling, packaging, or acceptance-criteria management is involved?
04
Field Involvement
How much on-site activity is likely to be required?
05
Reporting & Decision Cadence
How quickly and how often does your team need structured updates, exception alerts, or decisions prepared?
Preliminary Structure
Ongoing RetainerLikely Support Depth
Growth · $6,999 / moRecurring work · Multiple active workstreams · Field activity at key milestones
This is a preliminary fit indication, not a quote. Final scope and commercial terms are confirmed after review.
Commercial Structures
Three ways the work can be structured.
The assessment organizes the conversation. The commercial structure is confirmed only after the workload, assumptions, field activity, and scope boundaries are reviewed.
Defined Project
For work with a clear objective, defined scope, and identifiable finish.
Commercial structure
Quoted to the defined scopeOngoing Retainer
For recurring procurement work where continuity, follow-up, reporting, and an established operating rhythm create value.
Commercial structure
$3,999 / $6,999 / $9,999 per monthCustom Operating Scope
For multi-region, multi-category, high-field-intensity, or cross-functional procurement work that does not fit a standard operating rhythm.
Commercial structure
Custom Quote · Tailored commercial termsThe assessment organizes the conversation. It does not create a quote or guarantee capacity. Final scope, staffing, field activity, timing, availability, third-party costs, and commercial terms are confirmed separately in writing.
Fee Boundary
Your ImporterDesk fee and outside costs stay separate.
The monthly fee pays for the agreed ImporterDesk operating scope. Product costs, government charges, third-party services, and work outside that scope are treated separately so you can see what you’re approving.
Outside-Cost Ledger
Separate from the ImporterDesk service feeNo Surprise Add-Ons
No added work should be a surprise.
When a separately chargeable cost becomes necessary, we identify the requirement and its commercial impact before the additional work proceeds whenever practical. You decide whether to approve it.
01
Requirement identified02
Commercial impact clarified03
Buyer approvalSeparately identified costs do not change who holds the final decision.
Supplier payments, legal and compliance decisions, customs determinations, product acceptance, and shipment release remain with the buyer or the appropriate qualified professional.
Fieldwork Geography
Location affects fieldwork logistics — not whether we can support you.
ImporterDesk supports supplier and factory work across Mainland China and Taiwan. The commercial difference is usually not whether we can reach a location, but what it takes to put the right person on site at the right time.
Mainland China Fieldwork
Province map, with clearer fieldwork guidance.
Hover or tap a province to see its fieldwork planning category.
GuangdongStandard Fieldwork Region
What Can Change the Fieldwork Cost?
Geography is only one part of the fieldwork equation.
The same supplier location can require very different operating effort depending on timing, staffing, site access, and the work that needs to happen on site.
02
Timing
Short-notice, weekend, holiday, or tightly scheduled field activity may require different arrangements.
03
Staffing
Some inspections or loading activities may require more than one person or additional time on site.
04
Access
Special site access, overnight stays, restricted transportation, or unusual local arrangements can affect execution.
Regional classification is a planning guide, not a guaranteed travel quote or service-time commitment.
Actual fieldwork arrangements depend on supplier location, timing, access, staffing, and the approved scope. Any separately chargeable travel or fieldwork requirement is handled through the commercial approval process described above.
Before Work Begins
We turn the workload into a written operating scope.
Whether the engagement is a defined project, an ongoing retainer, or a custom operating scope, we align what needs to be done, how the work will run, and what the commercial boundaries are before paid execution begins.
Raw Workload
The sourcing reality comes in pieces.
We review the suppliers, POs, products, current production status, open issues, expected field activity, reporting needs, and the decisions your team is trying to make.
- 4 suppliers
- 2 active POs
- sample revision
- inspection milestone
- weekly reporting
- open quality issue
The goal is to turn those moving parts into a scope both teams can actually operate against.
Scope Review
Operating Scope
What gets aligned before execution.
Ready to Start
01
WorkstreamsWhat needs active support02
Field ActivityWhat is included or requires approval03
ReportingCadence and decision rhythm04
HandoffsWho provides, approves, or decides05
Outside CostsKnown third-party or travel requirements06
Change ControlWhat happens if the scope movesScope-to-Launch
Four commercial stages before paid execution.
The work moves from understanding the operating picture to documenting the scope and commercial assumptions both sides will use.
01
Understand the Operating Picture
We review the suppliers, POs, products, current production status, open issues, expected field activity, reporting needs, and the decisions your team is trying to make.
02
Define the Working Scope
We identify the workstreams that need active support, what can be handled remotely, where field activity may be required, the expected reporting rhythm, and the key handoffs between your team, suppliers, and outside specialists.
03
Confirm the Commercial Structure
We align whether the work is better handled as a defined project, an ongoing retainer, or a custom operating scope, together with the applicable fee structure and any known separately chargeable requirements.
04
Put the Assumptions in Writing
Before paid work begins, we document the agreed scope, operating assumptions, reporting cadence, included field activity, known outside costs, and the areas that require buyer approval if the scope changes.
Launch
Then the work can start with fewer unanswered questions.
Execution begins against the agreed scope. If the workload changes materially, we review the operational and commercial impact before expanding the work whenever practical.
Discuss Your Scope →A written scope defines the agreed work and commercial assumptions; it does not guarantee supplier performance, inspection outcomes, regulatory approval, customs clearance, or shipment timing.
Supplier selection, payment authorization, product acceptance, legal and compliance decisions, customs determinations, and shipment release remain with the buyer or the appropriate qualified professional.
When Ongoing Support Makes Sense
A retainer should solve recurring operating friction — not create a new fixed cost.
Ongoing support is most useful when the same operating problems recur across suppliers, orders, production milestones, field activity, or reporting cycles. If the need has a clear objective and a clear finish, a defined project may be the better commercial fit.
Recurring Operating Load
When continuity creates real operating value.
01
Continuity Actually Matters
Your suppliers, specifications, open issues, and order history carry from one cycle into the next, so repeatedly re-briefing a new provider creates unnecessary friction.
02
Several Things Are Moving at Once
Multiple suppliers, POs, samples, production milestones, inspections, or shipment handoffs need active coordination at the same time.
03
Exceptions Need a Repeatable Escalation Rhythm
Your team needs open issues, missed milestones, specification changes, inspection findings, or supplier responses organized consistently so the right decisions can be made without rebuilding the context each time.
04
Your U.S. Team Needs Local Execution Without Giving Up Control
Your team keeps final decision authority, while ImporterDesk provides the agreed local coordination, documentation, follow-up, and approved field execution in China and Taiwan.
Recurring Operating Load
Ongoing Retainer may make senseContinuity · recurring coordination · reporting rhythmClear Objective + Clear Finish
Defined Project may be enoughOne bounded assignment · quoted to scopeNonstandard Operating Load
Custom Operating ScopeMulti-region · high-intensity · cross-functionalCommercial Principle
Start with the operating need, not the commitment length.
If a defined project solves the problem, we can scope it that way. If the workload keeps recurring, an ongoing retainer may create more operating continuity.
Not sure which structure fits? Discuss Your Scope →Engagement fit is based on the expected operating pattern, not a guarantee that a particular structure will prevent supplier, quality, compliance, customs, or shipment problems.
ImporterDesk provides the coordination, documentation, verification, reporting, and approved field execution defined in the written scope. Final commercial, payment, product-acceptance, legal, compliance, customs, and shipment-release decisions remain with the buyer or the appropriate qualified professional.
Commercial FAQ
Clear answers before you approve the scope.
Most pricing questions come down to three things: what structure fits the work, what the ImporterDesk fee covers, and which decisions remain with you. The answers below are designed to make those boundaries easier to understand before an engagement begins.
01
Engagement Structure
How the work is structured.
Yes. If the work has a clear objective and a clear finish — such as a supplier investigation, factory visit, inspection, loading supervision, or defined sourcing assignment — it can be scoped as a standalone project. A retainer is more appropriate when the operating workload keeps recurring.
The commercial term depends on the engagement. Defined projects are scoped around the assignment. Ongoing retainers may use an agreed initial operating period when continuity is needed to establish the working rhythm, but the applicable term is confirmed in writing before you commit.
We first determine whether the change fits within the agreed scope. If it materially changes the workstreams, field activity, staffing, urgency, or reporting requirements, we review the operational and commercial impact before expanding the work whenever practical.
02
Fee & Outside Costs
What you are paying for — and what stays separate.
The fee covers the agreed ImporterDesk operating scope — the people, coordination, documentation, follow-up, reporting, and approved execution defined for the engagement. The exact activities depend on the written scope rather than a universal list of tasks.
Supplier and product costs, freight, duties, taxes, government charges, independent testing or certification, outside professional services, and field activity beyond the agreed scope remain separately identifiable unless the written scope says otherwise.
They can be, when the specific field activity is included in the written scope. Additional inspections, extra staffing, short-notice travel, overnight travel, special access, or work beyond the agreed field scope may require separate commercial approval.
ImporterDesk operates on a buyer-paid fee-for-service model. We do not accept undisclosed supplier commissions, factory rebates, or referral kickbacks that would create a hidden commercial interest in the supplier relationship. Any alternative fee arrangement, if applicable to a specific engagement, must be disclosed and agreed in writing.
03
Decision Rights
What ImporterDesk does — and what remains yours.
Yes. ImporterDesk can work with existing suppliers as well as support new supplier evaluation. The operating scope can begin wherever your current sourcing problem actually is — supplier communication, production follow-up, quality issues, inspection, shipment control, or another defined workstream.
We can coordinate payment milestones, documentation, supplier communication, and the information your team needs before authorizing a payment. Unless a separate lawful payment arrangement is explicitly agreed, ImporterDesk does not automatically act as your bank, escrow provider, or payment authorizer, and your team retains payment approval.
Your team retains final authority over supplier selection, commercial approval, payment authorization, product acceptance, legal and compliance decisions, customs determinations, and shipment release. ImporterDesk provides the coordination, documentation, verification, reporting, and approved field execution defined in the written scope.
No. We can help verify information, document findings, coordinate agreed actions, surface exceptions, support negotiations, and execute approved fieldwork, but supplier performance and external outcomes remain dependent on the supplier, product, logistics, regulatory requirements, and other conditions outside ImporterDesk’s direct control.
Still Outside the Examples?
Some sourcing situations do not fit a standard FAQ.
If your supplier structure, fieldwork needs, payment process, compliance environment, or operating workload is unusual, we can review the situation directly and define the appropriate scope.
Have a situation that doesn’t fit these examples? Discuss Your Scope →These answers explain the commercial model at a general level. The written scope for your engagement controls what is included, what is separately chargeable, and how the work will be executed.
Where legal, tax, customs, regulatory, insurance, or other licensed professional judgment is required, the relevant qualified professional or authority retains that role.
Start With the Situation
Bring us the sourcing situation — not a package choice.
Tell us what is happening with the supplier, PO, production run, inspection, shipment, or recurring workload. We’ll help determine whether the right next step is a defined project, an ongoing retainer, or a custom operating scope.
You do not need a finished scope before you contact us.
A current supplier problem, an upcoming inspection, a sourcing requirement, or a recurring coordination workload is enough to start the conversation.
You share the situation. We review the operating need. The scope, availability, and commercial terms are confirmed before execution begins.
Discuss Your Scope
No package selection required before the conversation.
Scope first. Commercial terms second. Paid work only after the engagement is defined.
- 01Scope First
- 02Commercial Terms
- 03Approval
- 04Paid Execution
An initial discussion does not create an engagement, reserve field capacity, or authorize paid work. Scope, availability, commercial terms, and any separately chargeable requirements are confirmed before execution begins.