u/JeanNortondotCom

Not the obvious things like shipping costs, long lead times, or MOQs.

I'm curious about the problems you didn't know enough to anticipate when you first started sourcing internationally—the issue that made you think, "I never even considered that."

Maybe it involved the factory, quality, communication, payments, specifications, customs, packaging, logistics, cultural differences, or something completely different.

And for those who've been doing this for years: what can still catch you off guard today?

I spend a lot of time thinking about where sourcing risk actually comes from, and I'm genuinely curious whether there are common problems that experienced buyers only discover after they've lived through them.

Not the obvious things like shipping costs, long lead times, or MOQs.

I'm curious about the problems you didn't know enough to anticipate when you first started sourcing internationally—the issue that made you think, "I never even considered that."

Maybe it involved the factory, quality, communication, payments, specifications, customs, packaging, logistics, cultural differences, or something completely different.

And for those who've been doing this for years: what can still catch you off guard today?

I spend a lot of time thinking about where sourcing risk actually comes from, and I'm genuinely curious whether there are common problems that experienced buyers only discover after they've lived through them.