RFQ to First Shipment: A Week-by-Week Sourcing Timeline

RFQ to First Shipment: A Week-by-Week Sourcing Timeline 

Everyone wants to know the same thing when they start with a new overseas supplier: how long until I can actually ship? The honest answer is that it depends on how disciplined the process is. Done properly, the journey from RFQ to first shipment follows a predictable sourcing timeline, and knowing that timeline is the difference between a controlled launch and an expensive guess. This is the exact sourcing timeline our teams run when we take a client from a request for quotation to validated, shipped goods.

It works because ET2C International has people on the ground in our sourcing markets (China, Vietnam, India and Turkey) so each stage happens in-market rather than over email across time zones. Below is the week-by-week process, and how we take clients through every step. 

ET2C International is a British-owned global sourcing company with over 25 years of experience helping brands, retailers and wholesalers make their sourcing simpler. Our teams are based on the ground in the key sourcing markets of China, Vietnam, India and Turkey, which means we do not manage this sourcing timeline remotely by email, we run it in person, inside the factories. We act as your bridge to your suppliers, handling supplier qualification, quality control, compliance and day to day follow up so that every stage from RFQ to first shipment is validated on the ground. Learn more about ET2C International and our global sourcing services. 

Before Week One: What a Good RFQ Actually Contains 

The sourcing timeline starts before the clock does, with the quality of your RFQ. A vague request produces vague quotes and a slow process. A precise one sets the whole timeline up to succeed. We help clients lock down product specification, target cost, order volumes, required certifications, packaging, and delivery terms up front, because every ambiguity here becomes a delay later. This is where our sourcing and procurement services begin: translating what you need into a document suppliers can quote against precisely. Get the RFQ right, and the rest of the sourcing timeline moves at pace. 

Week 1: RFQ Issued and Supplier Shortlist Built 

In the first week, we issue your RFQ to a shortlist of candidate factories drawn from our existing in-market network, not names pulled from a directory. Each is pre-screened for category fit, capacity, and export experience. Depending on your product and market, that shortlist may sit in China, Vietnam, India, or a combination, and we help you weigh which origin best fits your cost, quality, and risk profile. For buyers actively diversifying, this is also where a China Plus One strategy takes shape, comparing origins side by side rather than defaulting to one. By the end of Week 1, you have a qualified shortlist and issued RFQs, the foundation of the entire sourcing timeline. 

Week 2: Quotations, Samples, and Commercial Screening 

Week 2 is about turning quotes into decisions. We collect quotations against your exact specification, request initial samples where lead time allows, and screen out suppliers whose pricing sits implausibly below market, because the cheapest quote is usually the most expensive lesson. Our teams assess not just price but capability, MOQs, and lead-time realism. This commercial screening is a core part of how our buying office model protects clients. By the end of Week 2, a shortlist of eight is typically down to two or three serious candidates worth qualifying properly. 

Week 3: On-Site Factory Audit and Supplier Validation 

This is the week that cannot be done from a desk, and the week that most defines the sourcing timeline. Our in-market auditors physically visit the remaining candidate factories to validate them against reality, not paperwork. 

What We Verify On Site 

We assess production lines and capacity, in-process quality controls, and documented procedures against ISO 9001 principles. We run a social compliance check on working hours, wages, and safety, essential for any buyer selling into markets governed by the EU CSDDD. And critically, we trace sub-tier and subcontractor arrangements, the hidden layer where most quality and compliance failures begin. 

This on-the-ground supplier validation is exactly what our quality assurance and inspection teams deliver. It is also why in-market presence compresses a process that takes months remotely into weeks. Talk to our team about validating a supplier you are considering. 

Week 4: Sample Approval and Corrective Actions 

With a validated factory, Week 4 focuses on the product itself. Production samples are assessed against specification for dimensions, materials, finish, and function, with defects classified using standard AQL methodology. Any audit finding or sample defect is issued as a formal corrective action request with a deadline. How a supplier responds here reveals the future relationship: a factory that fixes issues fast is a very different partner from one that does not. Managing this stage rigorously is central to our sourcing and procurement services, and it protects you long before any money ships. 

Week 5: Production, Inspection, and First Shipment 

With samples approved and the supplier validated, production begins, and the final stage of the sourcing timeline is about protecting what you have built. We set the quality control plan, agree inspection points, and confirm Incoterms and shipping terms so there are no surprises at the border. Before goods leave the factory, our teams conduct pre-shipment inspection, verifying the shipment matches specification and quantity. Only then does your first shipment move. Through our buying office model, that final check is done in person, so your first order arrives as ordered, not as hoped. 

Why This Sourcing Timeline Works, and How We Take Clients Through It 

The five-week sourcing timeline is not a shortcut. It is the result of running every stage in-market and in parallel rather than in sequence. Commercial screening overlaps sampling; social compliance runs alongside the production audit. That is how a process taking months remotely compresses into weeks. At every step, ET2C acts as your team on the ground. We do not simply hand you a report and step back, we manage the supplier, chase the milestones, verify the claims, and keep you informed, so you make decisions with real information rather than supplier promises. Whether you are sourcing from China, Vietnam, India, or building a diversified base, our global sourcing and procurement services turn this timeline into shipped, validated product. 

Frequently Asked Questions