An attractive product photograph can start a conversation, but it cannot tell you who will verify a measurement, approve a finish or resolve a change. If you are planning a home from overseas, the quality of those decisions matters as much as the furniture you choose.
Use the questions below when comparing furniture sourcing services in Foshan. Ask for answers that relate to your rooms, destination and purchasing stage. A useful answer names the person responsible, the document you will see and the point at which you must decide. No single supplier or service arrangement suits every project.
First, establish who you are working with
1. Which company will provide the service, and who is my main contact?
Ask for the registered business name, the service contact and the name of the entity that will sign any applicable agreement. Do not assume that the sourcing company, a product supplier and a shipping provider are the same party. If several companies are involved, ask how their responsibilities connect. Juhaus publishes its company registration details so you can begin that check independently.
2. What is included in the service fee, and what is separate?
Ask whether the proposed scope includes brief development, supplier visits, comparable quotations, sample coordination, order follow-up, inspection arrangements and shipping coordination. Which tasks are optional or handled by another provider? Request the fee basis and payment schedule in writing before making a service payment. An initial conversation should help you understand these boundaries; it should not require you to guess what a phrase such as “one-stop” covers.
Make the selection process comparable
3. How will you turn my rooms and references into a purchasing brief?
Provide a room list, drawings if available, reference images, approximate quantities, destination and your priorities. Ask which dimensions still need site verification and who will confirm them. A good brief distinguishes a preference from an approved specification. Our whole-home brief guide gives you a practical starting list.
4. How will you show alternative products and suppliers?
Ask what can be compared on the same basis: dimensions, materials, finish, construction, quantity, price assumptions and availability. A showroom image alone cannot establish that an item is available or suitable for your room. Request the current supplier and product references for the options you are considering. If a sourcing team describes a large network, ask which actual suppliers are relevant to your categories rather than relying on a headline number.
5. How are quotations revised and approved?
Agree on a versioned comparison that identifies what each price includes and excludes. If you change a size, material or quantity, ask for a revised quotation linked to that change. Record currency, validity, packaging, transport assumptions and any open costs. Our quotation comparison guide explains the fields to put side by side. Approval should refer to a specific version, not a collection of old messages.
Clarify the written commitments
6. Which agreements apply, and who is responsible for what?
Ask which agreement covers the sourcing service and which document governs each product purchase. Identify the signing parties, scope, fees, change process and the responsibilities for inspection, shipping and after-sales discussions. Ask to review the applicable terms before approving or paying for the relevant stage. The answer depends on the proposed project arrangement; a sample form or contract photograph is not a substitute for your own signed terms. Juhaus outlines the questions to discuss about agreements.
7. What must I approve before an order enters production?
Make an approval list: item reference, drawing revision, dimensions, finish or sample, quantity, price, lead-time assumption and any exception. Ask how changes are confirmed after approval and whether a new quotation or drawing will be issued. Keep the written selection record beside the order, so the next person can see which version was agreed.
Know what happens after you choose
8. How will production checks and issues be documented?
Ask what checks are in scope, at which stages they may occur, and who arranges them. What photographs, measurements or issue notes will you receive? If a discrepancy appears, agree who contacts the supplier and how a proposed resolution reaches you for approval. A photograph of an inspection activity does not itself prove that a product passed inspection; look for the relevant written finding and follow-up.
9. How will I receive updates, and who keeps the record?
Agree on the contact person, the stages at which updates are due and what each update should contain: selections, open questions, decisions, product photographs, responsible contacts and next actions. Ask whether you will receive a PDF, shared document or another agreed record, and how often. A sample layout demonstrates format; only a report about your own project can show actual progress. See Juhaus’s project-record format preview for the proposed structure.
10. Where does the service stop: shipping, delivery and after-sales?
Before placing an order, identify who arranges packing, consolidation, transport, insurance, import procedures, local delivery and installation where applicable. Ask which costs and responsibilities are included, separately quoted or still unknown. Confirm how damage, missing items and later service questions will be raised and recorded. A production estimate is not a delivery promise; the destination and agreed handovers change the answer.
Take a one-page question sheet into the first conversation
For each answer, write down three things: the responsible party, the written record and the next decision date. Mark any unknown as an open question. This makes two proposals easier to compare and gives your sourcing contact a clear way to follow up.
Juhaus works from a project brief and discusses service scope, fees and applicable terms before a client commits. One main sales contact coordinates the conversation; the project-team video meeting is arranged after the agreed service payment is confirmed. You can review the five-stage service process, consider a Foshan visit or remote sourcing, then send your project questions. If you prefer, the contact page also provides a direct WhatsApp route.