Sourcing agent · Thailand
Sourcing agent for Thailand: from supplier search to shipment
Thailand has one of the deepest manufacturing supply bases in South-East Asia, and a buyer abroad usually meets the same three hurdles: knowing which factories genuinely make the product, knowing which Thai licence or mark the product depends on, and getting the origin paperwork right for the destination. We act as your sourcing agent for Thailand from our office in Ho Chi Minh City and run all three for you.
- Thai supplier search
- DBD registry check
- TISI question answered early
- DFT certificate of origin
Buyers often ask us about automotive parts, processed food, cosmetics, rubber products and car accessories from Thailand. Those are examples, not limits — whatever you want to buy from Thailand, we look for the suppliers that make it.
What makes Thai sourcing different is where the paperwork sits. A food or cosmetic product made by a Thai factory depends on a Thai FDA licence or notification, and which party holds it — the factory or a Thai company acting for you — has to be settled before you compare prices. A product in a category on the Thai Industrial Standards Institute’s mandatory list needs the compulsory TISI mark to be sold in Thailand. And the certificate of origin that unlocks a lower duty at your destination is issued through Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade, under the specific agreement your destination uses.
We run the work in writing and by video, and where a factory 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 Thailand. Because we also source in Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and elsewhere, a Thai supplier can be put side by side with suppliers in other countries on the same terms.
What is specific to Thailand
| Often sourced (examples, not limits) | Automotive parts, processed food, cosmetics, rubber products, car accessories |
|---|---|
| Checking a supplier exists | Department of Business Development (DBD), Ministry of Commerce |
| Product standards | Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI), Ministry of Industry — compulsory mark for products on its mandatory list |
| Food and cosmetics | Thai FDA licence or notification, held by a business in Thailand |
| Certificate of origin | Preferential (Form D, RCEP and others): Department of Foreign Trade (DFT). Non-preferential: DFT, the Thai Chamber of Commerce or the Federation of Thai Industries |
| Main container ports | Laem Chabang; Bangkok Port (Khlong Toei) |
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 Thailand — the step-by-step buyer guideWhat this includes
Shortlist of Thai suppliers
Candidates from Thailand’s own export-promotion directory and from direct enquiry, filtered for those that run your process in-house.
Registry check with the DBD
Each candidate confirmed against the Department of Business Development’s company registry before you spend time on samples.
Licence and mark questions settled first
For food and cosmetics, who holds the Thai FDA licence or notification; for regulated goods, whether a compulsory TISI mark applies. Our guides cover the detail.
Automotive and parts projects
Drawing packages, the approval documents your customer expects and an inspection plan agreed before the first production lot.
Origin paperwork for your destination
Form D, RCEP or a bilateral agreement form requested from the right issuer, matched to the agreement your importer will claim under.
How a sourcing request for Thailand runs
- 01 Brief The product, drawing or specification, quantity, destination country and the date you need the goods — plus whether the product will also be sold inside Thailand.
- 02 Supplier search A shortlist of Thai suppliers, each checked against the DBD registry, with the Thai FDA or TISI question answered for your product.
- 03 Quotations compared on the same terms Every supplier quotes the same specification, quantity and Incoterm, and we show the duty your destination applies with and without the preferential certificate.
- 04 Samples Samples sent to you or to us, your comments passed back in writing, and the approved sample recorded at its drawing or formula revision.
- 05 Inspection Pre-shipment inspection against the criteria you agreed, by us or by an independent inspector in Thailand.
- 06 Shipping Export documents, the certificate of origin from the right issuer, and handover to your forwarder at the loading port the supplier and carrier confirm.
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
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
- Whether the product will also be sold inside Thailand
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, specification or a clear photograph of the product
- Quantity per order and per year
- Destination country and preferred Incoterm
- Whether the product will be sold in Thailand as well as exported
- Certificates or test reports your market requires
- Your current supplier and price, if you are adding Thailand as a second source
Frequently asked questions
Do you have an office in Thailand?
No. We run Thai sourcing from our office in Ho Chi Minh City. Suppliers are found, checked and managed in writing and by video; where a factory has to be seen or goods inspected on the spot, we agree with you beforehand whether we travel or appoint an independent inspector in Thailand.
Can a Thai factory make a food or cosmetic product under my brand?
Yes. The point to settle first is who holds the Thai FDA licence or notification, because it has to sit with a business in Thailand — usually the factory or a Thai company acting for you — and whether the product will also be sold in Thailand. Our guides on Thai food and cosmetics contract manufacturing set out the routes.
Does my product need a TISI mark?
Only if it falls in a category on TISI’s mandatory list and is sold in Thailand. We check the current list for your product; goods made purely for export follow your destination’s rules instead.
Which certificate of origin will I get from Thailand?
The one that matches the agreement your importer claims under — Form D within ASEAN, the RCEP certificate, or a bilateral agreement form. Preferential certificates come from the Department of Foreign Trade. We confirm the agreement and the issuer before the goods ship.
Can you compare a Thai supplier with one in Vietnam or Malaysia?
Yes. Suppliers in different countries quote the same specification and Incoterm, and we add the duty your destination applies to each origin, so you compare landed cost rather than factory price.
Regulatory 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 Thailand
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.