The sourcing route, in order

Direct answer

There are eight decisions between deciding to source fishing tackle and receiving it, and they have an order — choose the types, choose the model, write the specification, take a quotation, compare it, settle the MOQ, set the colour standard, and know what to do when a sample fails. Three of the eight are made before any factory is contacted, and four of the eight cost nothing if you stop.

Key facts

Three of the eight decisions are made before a factory is contacted: types, model, and specification.
Four of the eight are reversible - you can stop after the quotation or after the sample.
The commitment point is sample approval, not the first enquiry.
Two of the eight are about writing something down: the specification and the colour standard.
Every step links to the page that carries its detail; nothing on this page is new information.

The eight decisions

Each one narrows the next. The first three happen before any factory is contacted.

Which types to stock. A type is a shelf decision; the form is the product decision. Pick by the width of the band inside each type, not by the headline price of one listing. How to choose which lure types to stock
Which working model. Spot order, programme sourcing, or verification only — who holds the factory contract, and who carries the risk. The three working models
The specification. The field-by-field sheet a factory can quote from. A photograph is not a specification. Starting a private label lure brand · Specification builder
The first order, end to end. Eight process steps, what has to be in writing at each, and where you can still stop. A first order from China, step by step
Comparing the quotations. Five fields to normalise before two prices can be read side by side. How to compare two factory quotations
The MOQ conversation. MOQ is a setup cost divided by a run length. Four levers move it, and each one has a price. How to negotiate MOQ without losing the price
The colour standard. Three lines on the order: the approved sample, the light it is checked under, and the tolerance. How to set a colour standard
When something goes wrong. Three causes for a failed sample, three different responses — and only one of them is a factory problem. What to do when a sample fails

Where the route meets the process

The six steps are the process a factory and an agent run. The eight decisions above are what a buyer settles inside it — and three of them are settled before the process starts.

Process step	What happens	Which decisions sit here
1. Specification	The buyer states the product	Decisions 1-3
2. Factory matching	Verified factories are checked against the requirement	Decision 4
3. Written quotation	Price basis, MOQ, lead time, tooling, validity	Decision 5
4. Sample	A physical unit, tested against the specification	Decision 7
5. Sample approval	The commitment point	Decision 8
6. Production and inspection	Checkpoints, then pre-shipment inspection	Documents and compliance

The six-step process page carries the detail on each; this page carries the decisions.

Two decisions are about writing something down

Decisions 3 and 7 are the only two on the route where the output is a document rather than a choice. They are also the two that a repeat order depends on.

The specification (decision 3) is what makes a second order match the first.
The colour standard (decision 7) is what stops two acceptable batches being rejected against each other.

Everything else on the route is a decision you make once. These two you live with.

The route as a plain list

For printing, or for pasting into an enquiry.

Which types to stock — how-to-choose-which-lure-types-to-stock
Which working model — working-models
The specification — how-to-start-a-private-label-lure-brand
The first order — first-order-from-china-step-by-step
Comparing quotations — how-to-compare-two-factory-quotations
The MOQ conversation — how-to-negotiate-moq-without-losing-the-price
The colour standard — how-to-set-a-colour-standard
When something goes wrong — what-to-do-when-a-sample-fails

What this route does not cover

Everything on this page is the buyer's side of the work. The supplier side — how a factory is verified before it is published — is on the verification page, and the documents that travel with a shipment are on the documents page.

Our factory directory is empty until factories pass verification. We do not fill it with records we cannot evidence, which is why this route stops at the process and does not name suppliers.

Where to go next

How sourcing works — the six process steps
Where programmes go wrong — the four failure modes and the control for each
The whole column — all 49 pages, filterable
Send a specification

Frequently asked questions

Where do I start?

With the type, not the supplier. Choosing which types to stock decides the shelf; choosing a supplier before that means the range is decided by whoever answered the enquiry first. Three of the eight decisions on this page are made before a factory is contacted at all.

What order should I read these pages in?

The order on this page is the order the decisions have to be made in, and each one narrows the next. That said, the pages are written to stand alone - if you already know your types, start at the specification. Read the route when you are planning; read a single page when you have a specific question.

Which steps cost money?

Steps one to four cost nothing but your time and the sample. The tooling and the deposit are at step five and beyond. The route is built so that the commitment point is late and visible, which is why sample approval is the step that matters rather than the first enquiry.

Can I skip steps if I have sourced before?

You can skip reading them, but not making them. Every step on this page is a decision that will be made by default if you do not make it deliberately - which is the same as not making it. The one that gets skipped most often is the colour standard, because it looks like a detail.

How does this route relate to the six-step process?

The six steps (in How It Works) are the process a factory and an agent run. The eight decisions on this page are what a buyer has to settle inside that process. Three of the eight are settled before the process starts, which is why a buyer who only reads the six steps usually arrives at step two without a specification.

What is not on this route?

Anything that depends on a factory we have not published. Our directory is empty until factories pass verification, so this route covers the buyer's side of the work and links to the process pages for the supplier side. We do not fill the gap with invented factory records.

Sources 3 cited

Every figure on this page traces to one of these. The same list is declared in the page structured data (schema.org citation) and in the Markdown twin.