--- title: 'Product Sourcing from China 🇨🇳 | Best Strategy for E-Commerce' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=E4sgwj94MqQ' video_id: 'E4sgwj94MqQ' date: 2026-08-17 duration_sec: 543 channel: 'Meet Mughals' --- # Product Sourcing from China 🇨🇳 | Best Strategy for E-Commerce > Source: [Product Sourcing from China 🇨🇳 | Best Strategy for E-Commerce](https://youtube.com/watch?v=E4sgwj94MqQ) ## Summary The video discusses the limitations of AI in physical and human-centric aspects of e-commerce, particularly in sourcing and logistics. The speaker, who runs a sourcing service, explains why human verification, negotiation, and physical presence remain essential despite AI's growing role. He covers topics like LCL vs. FCL shipping, payment methods, and the importance of building supplier relationships. ### Key Points - **AI's Limits in Physical Tasks** [00:15] — AI cannot replace human experience in areas requiring physical verification, such as quality control, ensuring timely delivery, and confirming product specifications with suppliers. - **Sourcing and Logistics Need Humans** [01:40] — Tasks like moving physical products from China to other countries require human coordination and cannot be done by AI alone. Physical movement of goods will always need human oversight. - **Sourcing Services Explained** [02:25] — The speaker's company provides sourcing services, primarily from China and Japan, for Amazon sellers, shop owners, and industrialists. They help find suppliers and ensure product quality. - **LCL vs. FCL Shipping** [03:31] — LCL (Less than Container Load) is for smaller orders that don't fill a container, while FCL (Full Container Load) is for larger shipments. LCL has a higher per-unit cost but allows smaller businesses to import directly. - **Value of Physical Connections** [04:11] — The speaker has built a network of contacts in China and Japan over many visits, allowing him to verify quality and handle issues without being physically present. This personal network is a key part of his service. - **Shipping and Customs Are Buyer's Responsibility** [05:33] — The sourcing service does not handle shipping or customs clearance. They can arrange for goods to be delivered to a local warehouse, but the buyer must arrange international freight and handle customs, which can be complex in countries like Pakistan. - **Payment Systems and Security** [06:14] — The speaker recommends using secure payment methods like Alibaba's Trade Assurance for small buyers. He also mentions that proper payment systems (like LC) can reduce harassment from customs officials. - **AI's Role in E-commerce** [07:43] — AI is useful for product hunting, creating listings, and keyword research, but it cannot execute physical tasks like sourcing. Human experience and contacts are still crucial for execution. - **Advantages of Direct Factory Sourcing** [08:22] — Sourcing directly from factories, rather than through platforms like Alibaba, can result in better prices and quality. The speaker's physical contacts allow him to bypass intermediaries and get better deals for his clients. ### Conclusion While AI is transforming many aspects of e-commerce, it cannot replace the need for human experience and physical verification in sourcing and logistics. Building a reliable network of contacts and understanding the nuances of international trade remain essential for success. ## Transcript Assalam Walekum, hope you are well. which even AI may not be able to cover. Yes , as you can see nowadays, , as you can see nowadays, AI is overcoming everything. Be it content creation or e-commerce business. But there are still many places where you need human experience, human connection, human verification. There, if you just go to the AI ​​base, you will always suffer losses. Now let me give you an example, the name of this topic is, the name of this field is sourcing. Many people say, Sir, what is this issue of sourcing? We will get the tell us a good supplier and tell us this, tell us that. Brother, even if I give you a good supplier of any product, you cannot negotiate with him and get a good price and get good quality. Now AI will not verify your quality or not. For example, you are importing a sofa or anything else. No mouse mobile anything is being imported. AI will just find the supplier. Please tell me friend, this is its ranking. It exported to so many countries. He has done this, this, this. But when you get the item customized as per your requirement and get it prepared from that supplier, will he verify it? No. Who do you need here? You need a human child who can verify his qualities. Number two, will this supplier give me the goods on time as per the commitment ? Number three, the thing that he has committed to me , has he put all the accessories ? What this means is that AI will not work where there is physical involvement. Now it is exactly like this. There is another field which is very similar. There is a time where AI will not help you physically. For example, your product has to come China to Pakistan, India , Bangladesh. You give commands to the AI. Tell Cloud, please bring my products from China to my warehouse. Will AI do it? AI won't. So there has to be physical movements here. Now this is such a thing. Physical products are connected to humans. There will always be a need for this. Even if it is perishable items. There should be food items. For example, food, imported. So brother, shipping has to continue for this also. Shipping rates may vary. Can be fast. But the purpose of giving such a long lecture is that there are some places where humans are still needed and only human experience is useful there. This topic which I just told you in the beginning is called sourcing. Now sourcing you have found a very good product. I have done everything. The next thing is to execute it. Now many people here tell me that Sir, the world has reached Chandate. You are still providing sourcing services. Brother, this We get the products delivered to people. Whether they are Amazon sellers , whether they sell their products on the shop or they are industrialists and require any machinery for the industry, we provide them this service. Our main sourcing country is China or apart from this we source from Japan. We also import goods from other countries but not to such an extent. If there is a we have to go to other countries for it. So this is our job. Now many people who are already in e-commerce business already buy products from local suppliers. So brother, the local supplier earning the real profit and many people are afraid of importing themselves because they think that it will be very expensive. We will have to order the entire container. Doesn't happen like this. You should know that there are two types of terms brother. One we call LCL. One is called FCL. Meaning loose container and full container. Let me tell you in simple words. If you have to order such items which are not filling the entire container then you can order LCL. The cost is a little higher but you are not dependent on anyone. Your goods are coming on their own, instead of giving ₹100 to the distributor, you are importing it yourself. You yourself know what things you are ordering. Apart from this, many people have a concept that if you do sourcing then you should visit the factory yourself. Brother, I agree with this thinking. Now, if I have made 7, 8, 10 visits to China and invested in myself, the sole purpose was to build connections and come back. Alhamdulillah, now there are so many connections in China and Japan that if we source any product sitting here, we do not have to go to check its quality. We have so many connections there. We also get the quality checked sitting here. We have our own friends there, Chinese friends , Japanese friends who go to the spot and verify not only the quantity but also the quality. And this is why, Alhamdulillah, our many people might also have this question that Sir, do you provide door to door shipment. No brother, our work is sourcing. Sourcing does not include shipping and customs clearance. where things run smoothly and simply. Laws apply to S. But in some places where there is a system, you know, I cannot tell some things on air, then we do not come into this field there. Our job is to arrange good products from good suppliers and provide them to you job is to arrange good products from good suppliers and provide them to you at good prices. You tell us okay sir you have sourced us. We even found our shipping guy. His warehouse is in Gonju. This is the address. Kindly ask the supplier to deliver these products here with these labels. So we get their packing done, get all the labels done and then deliver their boxes to that warehouse. Further, our customer, to whom we are providing service, that you should get the shipping done from them, but we do not do it. This is totally the buyer's choice. Who do they want to ship to? There are suppliers also provide it. We do this for you in DDP. But India, Pakistan, Bangladesh are such countries tell you that brother, for example, you will get this at your doorstep for $10. When it reaches here, it lands at the airport. If it is a light [nasal sound] you have ordered it through ship, then the customs will stop it there. He won't do DDP. Of course, they will ask for all the contacts they have. problem arises that brother, the person who is importing should have his own company. Must be a PSW. they have created a complete portal of Pakistan Single Window. Earlier there used to be Vbook through which imports were done and now there is this new portal. It is all in one here. Here is your FBR. You also have banks here. Your custom clearance also takes place here. Things are becoming very easy and smooth. Earlier it would have been a very stressful job, but now it is a simple job. If you have opened proper LC. The bank has to upload the form from there. The customs officials already know that the goods are coming through LC. Customs officials always harass you when you do not have a complete source system for payments. Meaning you did not pay the money and the goods arrived. ? It is not possible that someone will send you goods for free. So whatever you want to order, you have to order it with a complete system. We will also arrange suppliers for you. We will ask you what payment terms you would like to order on? You say that Sir, we need a supplier who works only on LC. We will do it on that. If you say sir, you only work on TT then we will do it on that. Suppliers are available and they also have options. But for the small buyers who order products for Amazon or to sell products on Shobha or Daraz, I always recommend them to make the payment through Alibaba Ali's trade insurance platform. The problem with this is that the advantage is that if God forbid the product is delivered wrongly or late, then you this is not the product that I ordered and you get your money refunded. Hope things make sense. I have clarified many things because reached the moon. AI has everything covered. There's no doubt about it, friend. We also work for Amazon. We get product hunting done through AI only. Get the listing prepared by AI. We get the keywords done by AI. But there comes a point where we stop and that is sourcing. AI also helps us in sourcing but does not allow execution. We have to work properly for execution. After this, when the products arrive, AI also helps us a lot in order fulfillment. AI also helps us a lot in order fulfillment. physical work only, brother. For that, we have to improve our own experience and contacts. And let me tell you something interesting, most of my sourcing is not from Alibaba. I have physical contacts in China, Japan and we source through them. Because you know that one thing which you have to buy directly from the factory and the price and quality of the products sold on Alibaba cannot match yours. There are a lot of That's why they offer you less quantity. We try to manage and give you less quantity than the factory. You must have understood things. You can ask any question in the comment section. If you have any queries, the number is below. You can also inquire about it from us. Inshallah, I will meet you in the next video. Till then take great care of yourself. Long live Pakistan.