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The Dutch Merchant

Services

From finding the right factory to the documents travelling with the goods. Take what you need; most clients start with the first two.

  1. Supplier selection and assessment

    I look for manufacturers that actually produce your item, not the trading houses sitting in between. Every candidate is visited and assessed, by me in Taiwan and by me or a partner I trust elsewhere in Asia.

    • On-site visit covering production, testing and finishing
    • Review of certification, capacity and references
    • Verification of the real country of origin

  2. Quotation and negotiation

    I put your specification to several factories and run the negotiation, in Mandarin when the factory is in Taiwan.

    • RFQ on your drawing, standard or sample
    • Comparison on landed cost, not ex-works price alone
    • Negotiation on volume breaks, payment terms and lead time

  3. Quality assurance

    Quality is agreed before production starts and verified before anything ships.

    • Samples and first-article inspection
    • Pre-shipment inspection by SGS, TÜV or QIMA
    • Test reports and material certificates, such as EN 10204 3.1 for steel

  4. Certification and compliance

    Every market has its own rules, and they are not a footnote. The paperwork is right before the goods leave.

    • CE marking, declarations of performance and ETA approval, where Europe requires them
    • Food safety, labelling and import documents for food and drink
    • Origin documentation, plus guidance on duties, anti-dumping measures and CBAM

  5. Logistics and documentation

    Coordination from booking to arrival, by sea or air, with an established forwarder in Kaohsiung.

    • Freight quotation, booking and scheduling, FOB or on your own terms
    • Full document set: invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin
    • Consolidation of several buyers into one container for smaller volumes

  6. Ongoing account management

    After the first shipment I remain your point of contact, so you are not bridging the time difference and the language yourself.

    • Repeat orders, price revisions and new items
    • Handling of claims and deviations with the factory
    • Alerts on regulatory changes that affect your sourcing

How I am paid

You always know who pays me. One order has one payer, and it is never a secret.

The manufacturer pays, by default
For most orders the factory pays me a commission of at most five per cent, and only once you have paid them. Your price is the one the factory gives its direct customers at the same volume, and that is written into my agreement with every factory.
Or you engage me to negotiate
If you already buy an item and want a better price, you can hire me for your side of the table. We first agree your current price in writing. You then pay me a share of what I save you on the next twelve months of orders, and no factory pays me on those orders. No saving, no fee.

A fee you pay me for representing you is a buying commission, invoiced separately.

What I trade today

Fasteners are where I go deepest, with a page for each category below. The other lines run through manufacturers I know in Taiwan and partners elsewhere in Asia. If your product is not listed, ask.

LineExamples
Fasteners and hardwareBolts, nuts, construction screws, anchors, stainless, parts to drawing
Memory and storageSSDs, memory modules and flash, under your own brand if you want
Industrial computingIndustrial PCs, embedded boards and edge AI servers
Food and drinkTea, coffee, snacks and ingredients from Taiwanese producers
Anything elseTell me what it is. I will say plainly whether I can find it

Fasteners