A good tile sourcing agent in India, which usually means a Morbi sourcing agent, controls shade, calibre, grade and packing on your order, not just the introduction. If an agent cannot say how it will keep one batch and one shade per design, it is a broker, not an agent.
"Tile buying agent", "tile sourcing agent" and "Morbi sourcing agent" all describe the same service. For the basic role see tile sourcing agent in Morbi: what to expect. Here are the questions to ask before you sign.
Questions about the work
- How do you tell a factory from a trader in Morbi? A good answer mentions GST address, the exporter on the documents and a live video of the lines; see trader or factory.
- How do you fix shade and calibre? The answer should be one batch, one shade and one calibre per design, written into the order.
- Whose grade definition do we use? Plants define Premium and Standard differently, so insist on the written definition.
- Which tests will be done, and to which standard? Tile tests usually follow ISO 10545, and you should ask which properties apply to your use.
- Who inspects loading and packing? Broken boxes and mixed pallets are common problems in tile containers.
Questions about the money
- Who pays you? If the factory does, you cannot be sure whose interest your agent serves. See Morbi sourcing agent fees.
- Do I pay the factory directly? You should, with the balance linked to documents or an inspection result.
- Is the fee written down before work starts, and is it separate from the price of the tiles?
- What happens if the goods fail inspection? Read when goods fail inspection and ask the agent to describe its own process.
Red flags in Morbi
- Very low quotes with fast promises. They often come from sellers who buy from several plants and mix shades.
- Pushing you to pay the whole amount in advance.
- Photos and videos that look polished but do not show the specific batch for your order.
- An agent who dismisses third-party testing as unnecessary.
- Pressure to decide before you have seen a sample from current production.
Decision rule
If you buy tiles once or twice a year and order one or two containers, hire an agent for the project and pay the fee separately from the goods. If you buy continuously from the same plant and have your own quality staff, you may only need an agent for audits and loading. Our guide on using an agent for just one service explains the split.
Whichever you choose, ask the agent for a sample pre-shipment report with the client's name removed. Compare it with the points in what a tile inspection report should include.
What a good first tile order looks like
A good first order is modest and specific. It uses a small number of designs from a plant that makes them on its own lines, with each design fixed to one batch, one shade and one calibre. The agent obtains samples from current production, has them tested, and agrees the grade definition in writing before you pay the advance.
During production, the agent checks that the approved design is the one being pressed and glazed. Before loading, the goods are sorted and inspected against the agreed grade, and the packing and pallet plan are checked. After loading, the container photographs and documents are compared with the order.
If the agent reports a problem, such as shade variation between pallets, the right response is to stop and fix it before shipment. Ask any candidate agent to describe a time it did that. Also check the anti-dumping position for your destination market with your broker, since duty can depend on the exporter.
How we work
Ceramics, including tiles, are a core focus; see what we source. We find and audit manufacturers, check samples and documents, have lots tested, and supervise production and loading. We work across India, so we arrange audits and inspections where the supplier is. You pay the factory directly, we take nothing from factories, and the fee is one written amount agreed in advance. To start, book a free sourcing review.