China Sourcing Agent for Musical Instrument Accessories (Paid Pilot)

We are Belfort, a German brand. For several years we have successfully sold our own branded musical instrument accessories across Germany, Europe, and we are now expanding our portfolio and US presence. To support this, we want to build a reliable supplier base in China. We are looking for an experienced sourcing professional to help us identify and commercially validate manufacturers for selected products (e.g. instrument stands, microphones, earplugs and guitar accessories). This is a paid initial project with a maximum scope of 15 hours. It is designed as a first collaboration, with strong potential for ongoing work if it goes well — we plan to start with one or two products and expand to several more. WHAT WE NEED FROM THIS PROJECT - Identification of relevant manufacturers (via B2B platforms, your own network, etc.) - Initial supplier pre-qualification - A structured comparison of supplier quotations - A basic sense-check of price logic (materials vs. manufacturing effort) - Communication support with shortlisted suppliers The focus is not just collecting quotes — it's understanding whether a supplier's pricing is commercially reasonable, and being persistent in getting complete, comparable quotes. WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR - Solid experience sourcing physical/hardgood products from Chinese factories - Confidence communicating and negotiating with suppliers, including following up persistently when they go quiet - Ability to identify the key cost drivers behind a quotation Experience specifically in the music / instrument accessories industry is a strong plus, as is an existing supplier network — but it's not a hard requirement. Strong general hardgood sourcing skills matter more to us. BUDGET & COLLABORATION Paid project, conducted fully on Upwork. Our indicative range is USD 15–30/hour depending on experience, agreed before start. TO APPLY Please start your proposal with a short answer to this question: When you receive a supplier quotation for a product like an instrument stand, microphone or earplug, which key cost components do you review to assess whether the price is reasonable? We look forward to working with someone who combines hands-on sourcing experience with commercial judgement.