How to manage the sourcing process for brand owners
Wire $50,000 overseas, open the container, find rags. A deep dive into Steve’s 2026 sourcing guide: exact specs, samples, fair quote comparisons, and brutal financial reality checks.
Steve Simonson
Show notes
Global sourcing fails the same way home renovations do: sticky notes, loose spreadsheets, and a vague description that a factory interprets however it likes. This deep dive walks through Steve Simonson’s guide to sourcing in 2026.
It covers why written descriptions are dangerous across language and culture gaps, how visual samples and tracked sample requests keep everyone building the same product, how to compare quotes fairly, and the financial reality checks to run before you wire a dime.
For brand owners who make physical products overseas. Pair with China Help — Sourcing Without the Scare Factor (AWE0030).