Sourcing Checklist for African B2B Buyers
This checklist is written for importers and wholesalers buying several product groups at once for English-speaking African markets — Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania. It is a set of questions to put to your supplier before you place an order. Nothing below is a specification we hold or a parameter we keep on file; every point is something you confirm item by item, supplier by supplier.
One sourcing note first: for English-speaking African markets, the purchasing dimensions are the same as the general English-language approach — no separate Africa-only requirements are set. And the wider context is real: China's exports to Africa reached USD 225.031 billion in full-year 2025, up 25.8% year on year, and USD 60.661 billion in Q1 2026, up 32.1%. Those are national totals, not a statement about any single product category or any single country.
Start With the Supplier, Then the Product
1. Can I verify who I am dealing with?
Before prices, verify the legal entity. China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System lets you enter a company name or unified social credit code and check registration, scope of business, administrative licences, annual reports and administrative penalties. A second layer: under China's customs credit rules, enterprises are graded as advanced certified, certified, general, dishonest and seriously dishonest, and the grade is publicly posted. Ask your supplier for its registered name and credit code, and check both.
2. Sizes and nesting — what exactly am I buying?
Ask: what is the full size range, and how do the units nest or stack for display and for shipping? For multi-tier storage, confirm whether tiers are fixed or removable, and how the rack behaves when partly loaded. If you are comparing tiers within one family, look at the 8-tier drawer storage rack with small bins against the 12-tier version and ask the supplier to state the packed dimensions of each.
3. Material and finish — which grade, which surface?
Ask which polymer is used on top and bottom, and whether the tube or frame is coated or bare. A 3-tier sink storage rack with an ABS top and PP bottom and an all-PP item are not the same proposition in a humid kitchen. Ask for the material callout in writing, and for a sample before the bulk order.
4. Colour and label language — who decides?
Ask: which colours are available, is there a minimum per colour, and what language will appear on the product label and the retail packaging? If you sell in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa or Tanzania, confirm with your own local channel which language is required. Labelling requirements for your destination are not confirmed here — check them with the destination authority or your own buyer.
5. Packing format and carton marks
Ask how the item is packed (poly bag, colour box, mailer), how many units per carton, and whether the carton mark can carry your own brand and shipping marks. Also ask whether the supplier issues a packing list with the shipment — put this in the order confirmation, not in a chat message.
6. How are sets counted?
This is where order quantities go wrong. Ask whether the item is sold as a single piece, a set, or a multi-pack, and how the carton quantity is calculated from that. A 2-tier small storage rack supplied as 3 sets is a different unit count from a single-pack item, even when the carton looks similar.
7. Certificates — available or not?
Ask which certificates the item requires for your destination, and whether the partner factory can provide them. Certificates are issued by the partner factory; we verify the certificates our partner factories provide, and certificates and test reports are available on request. Do not assume a scheme applies — confirm the requirement with your destination authority first.
8. What can realistically go in one order?
Ask which product groups can be combined in a single order and which cannot, and whether mixed cartons are possible. Keep the first order narrow: one or two categories, one supplier, one shipment, so you can inspect quality before scaling. If you want to see goods and packing before committing, we can arrange a live video call — at the market, in our warehouse or at a partner factory — booked in advance with a list of the items you want to see.
Practical Notes for B2B Buyers
- Compliance is yours to confirm. Destination-market conformity and any retail price band must be confirmed with the destination authority or your local channel; they are not confirmed here.
- Commission depends on order size — contact us for a quote.
- Freight is not ours. We do not provide freight forwarding: no booking, no transport documents, no freight collection, no customs brokerage, no consolidation warehouse. Ask your own forwarder for freight rates and transit times.
- Disputes. China's 12315 complaint channel is built for consumer disputes and may not accept resale purchases; for B2B contract disputes, mediation, arbitration and litigation are the main official routes, and the CCPIT commercial legal service centre accepts cases filed by one party alone across trade, transport and logistics.
- Warranty. One year against manufacturing defects under normal use, excluding consumable parts.
Next Step
Send us the product groups you buy, the destination country and your target quantity. We will match the requirement against our partner-factory network, confirm what must be checked item by item, and come back with a quotation. You can also arrange a visit to Yiwu by appointment — tell us your dates and the products or partner factories you want to see, and we will confirm the arrangements before you travel.
Sources
- F-AFR-0001 — General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) · https://mr.mofcom.gov.cn/jmxw/art/2026/art_a6d5a88f4c6540919b06fb7fbfe214dc.html — checked 2026-09-16
- F-AFR-0002 — General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) · http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwjg/jmxw/xyfz/art/2026/art_6e07f0dee560464d94568f232bbff48c.html — checked 2026-09-16
- F-AFR-0018 — Company confirmation (first-hand, verified with staff) — checked 2026-09-16
- F-TRUST-0001 — State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) · The State Council of the PRC (gov.cn) · https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2014-08/23/content_9038.htm · https://www.samr.gov.cn/zw/zfxxgk/fdzdgknr/fgs/art/2023/art_78b9a2a2399e4934b288da28e67e66ba.html · https://www.jiangmen.gov.cn/bmpd/jmsscjdglj/ztzl/kbqy/kbqyqjlct/content/post_2895884.html — checked 2026-09-16
- F-TRUST-0002 — The State Council of the PRC (gov.cn) · General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) · https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/2026/issue_12746/202605/content_7069427.html · http://big5.www.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.gov.cn/gongbao/2026/issue_12746/202605/content_7069427.html — checked 2026-09-16
- F-SVC-0014 — Company confirmation (first-hand, verified with staff) — checked 2026-09-16
- F-TRUST-0003 — The State Council of the PRC (gov.cn) · https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/2026/issue_12686/202604/content_7066102.html · http://www.yw.gov.cn/col/col1229449574/art/2026/art_c2cc5c1cb33347458e848f04fb7165f0.html — checked 2026-09-16
- F-TRUST-0004 — China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) · https://www.ccpit.org/italia/a/20230324/20230324k8hz.html · https://www.ccpit.org/ — checked 2026-09-16