Sourcing agent · Taiwan
Sourcing agent for Taiwan: from supplier search to shipment
Taiwan is where many buyers go for precision, electronics and small-batch work, and the questions that decide a Taiwanese project are mostly about documents: what the drawing says, who owns the design and the tooling, and whether the item needs an export permit. We act as your sourcing agent for Taiwan from our office in Ho Chi Minh City and settle those questions before the first order.
- Taiwanese supplier search
- Company registry check
- Drawings and first-article approval
- Export control checked
Buyers often ask us about electronic assemblies, precision-machined parts, prototypes and low-volume runs, machinery parts and car accessories from Taiwan. These are examples, not limits — whatever you want to buy from Taiwan, we look for the suppliers that make it.
Three things make Taiwan different from its neighbours. Taiwan is not a member of ASEAN or a party to RCEP, so goods from Taiwan do not travel on the ASEAN certificates of origin, and the landed-cost comparison with ASEAN suppliers has to include that. Under Taiwanese law, a commissioned design belongs to the developer unless the contract says otherwise, so design and tooling ownership must be written down. And items on Taiwan’s strategic high-tech commodities list need an export permit whatever the quantity.
We run the work in writing and by video, and where a supplier has to be seen or a lot inspected on the spot, we agree with you beforehand whether we travel or appoint an independent inspector in Taiwan. A Taiwanese supplier can be compared with suppliers in Vietnam, Thailand or Malaysia on the same specification and terms.
What is specific to Taiwan
| Often sourced (examples, not limits) | Electronic assemblies, precision-machined parts, prototypes and low-volume runs, machinery parts, car accessories |
|---|---|
| Checking a supplier exists | Company registration records of the Ministry of Economic Affairs |
| Product standards | Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) — mandatory inspection for designated commodities, through schemes such as RPC and TABI |
| Certificate of origin | International Trade Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, or the organisations it approves, such as chambers of commerce |
| Trade agreements | Not an ASEAN member and not an RCEP party — ASEAN and RCEP certificates do not apply to goods from Taiwan |
| Main container ports | Kaohsiung, Taichung, Keelung, Taipei |
Checked against the issuing authorities’ own published pages on 17 October 2026. Rules and lists change; we confirm the current position for your product before an order is placed.
Sourcing from Taiwan — the step-by-step buyer guideWhat this includes
Shortlist of Taiwanese suppliers
Candidates from Taiwan’s trade-promotion platform and from direct enquiry, filtered for the process and the volume you need.
Company registry check
Each candidate confirmed against the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ company registration records.
Drawings, first articles and inspection reports
An RFQ package the shop can quote line by line, a first article inspection against your drawing, and material and process certificates where they apply.
Design and tooling ownership in writing
Who owns the design files, programs, fixtures and moulds you pay for — agreed before work starts.
Export control and origin
Whether the item needs a strategic high-tech commodities permit, and which certificate of origin your destination accepts.
How a sourcing request for Taiwan runs
- 01 Brief The drawing, 3D model or product specification, quantities per release, destination and date — and whether this is a prototype, a small batch or production.
- 02 Supplier search A shortlist of Taiwanese suppliers checked against the company registry, with the in-house and outsourced processes identified for each.
- 03 Quotations compared on the same terms The same RFQ package and Incoterm for every supplier, with your destination’s duty added so Taiwan can be compared with other origins on landed cost.
- 04 Samples Prototypes or first articles with an inspection report against your drawing, and the approved revision recorded in writing.
- 05 Inspection Lot inspection against the plan you agreed, by us or by an independent inspector in Taiwan, with material and process certificates checked.
- 06 Shipping Export documents, the export-control check, the certificate of origin your destination accepts, and handover to your forwarder.
What we handle, and what you decide
A sourcing agent does the legwork; the decisions stay with you.
We handle
- Searching for suppliers that actually make your kind of product, and shortlisting them
- Checking each candidate against its company registry, and any certificate it shows with the body that issued it
- Carrying your specification to the supplier and its questions back to you, in writing
- Collecting quotations on the same specification, quantity and Incoterm
- Moving samples, recording your comments and following production
- Inspection before shipment, export documents and the certificate of origin
- Asking whether the item falls under Taiwan’s export-control list
You decide
- The specification, and what counts as a defect
- Your target price, quantity and delivery date
- Which supplier gets the order
- Whether a sample is approved
- Whether the goods ship once you have read the inspection report
- The Incoterm, the forwarder and the payment terms
- Who owns the design, programs and tooling
How our fee is worked out
We do not publish a rate card, because the work behind a sourcing request varies too much for a single number to mean anything. What we can tell you is what the quotation for our work depends on, and we put it in writing before anything starts.
- How we are paid
- Either we act as the trading party and invoice you for the goods, with our margin inside the price, or we act as your buying agent and invoice a service fee while you pay the supplier directly. We agree which model applies before the supplier search begins.
- How much searching the product needs
- A complete drawing or specification with one target country is a different job from a loose description that needs suppliers compared across several countries.
- Samples and visits
- How many sample rounds the product is likely to need, and whether a factory has to be seen in person or checked by an independent inspector.
- Inspection, documents and delivery
- Who inspects and how many lots ship, which certificates and origin documents the destination asks for, the Incoterm you buy on, and whether goods from several suppliers are consolidated into one shipment.
Before you write to us
You do not need all of this to start a conversation — but the more of it you have, the faster we can give you a real answer instead of a range.
- Drawing (2D with tolerances) and 3D model, or a product specification
- Quantities per release, and the expected annual volume
- Prototype, small batch or production
- Destination country and preferred Incoterm
- Inspection documents you expect with each lot
- Whether you need to own the design files and tooling
Frequently asked questions
Do you have an office in Taiwan?
No. We run Taiwanese sourcing from our office in Ho Chi Minh City. Suppliers are found, checked and managed in writing and by video; where a supplier has to be seen or goods inspected on the spot, we agree with you beforehand whether we travel or appoint an independent inspector in Taiwan.
Can goods from Taiwan claim an ASEAN or RCEP preferential rate?
No. Taiwan is not a member of ASEAN and not a party to RCEP, so those certificates are not available for goods from Taiwan. Whether another preference applies depends on your destination’s own arrangements, and we check that for your route.
Who owns the design if a Taiwanese factory develops it?
Unless the contract says otherwise, a commissioned design generally belongs to the developer under Taiwanese law, with the customer getting a right to use it. We make sure ownership of designs, programs and tooling is written into the agreement before work starts.
Can you handle prototypes and small batches, not only volume orders?
Yes. Prototypes and low-volume runs are a common reason to look at Taiwan. We plan the move from prototype to production with the supplier from the start, so the approved sample and the drawing revision carry over.
Does my part need an export permit from Taiwan?
Only if it meets a specification on Taiwan’s strategic high-tech commodities list or the end use or end user raises a concern. Quantity does not matter. We ask the question before the first shipment, not after.
Regulatory and legal information on this page is general and is not legal advice. Requirements depend on the product and change over time; we confirm the current position for your product before an order.
Guides for sourcing from Taiwan
Practical, step-by-step notes written from Ho Chi Minh City, with sources and the date we checked them.
Contact
Tell us what you want to buy or sell — in Vietnam or Japan
Selling into Vietnam or Japan, sourcing from either, or a product made under your own brand. One Japanese-managed team in Ho Chi Minh City, working in English, Japanese and Vietnamese.