Depends on who you know, actually. Most business expats are doing this exact same thing for their paying employers. If you want a freelancer, it depends on what

Depends on who you know, actually. Most business expats are doing this exact same thing for their paying employers. If you want a freelancer, it depends on what business you're in; if you are interested in electronics stuff made in Guangdong province, I don't mind going through my rolodex and introducing you to my friends. Shoot me a mail. The reason I specified the product industry and manufacturing region is that it's not just a matter of calling up factories and looking at their samples. It takes a lot of effort to create a relationship with the Chinese. If anybody tells you they can "get anything from China" they're blowing smoke; they can't, at least not efficiently and cheaply. Everyone is in an specialized industry, and whoever has a lead outside his expertise passes it on to someone in that industry. China is all favors, face, guanxi, and connections. The concept of "face" is a lot like consumer rewards and frequent flier mileage; the more you buy from a factory the more perks you get and the more face you have with the management. At the high end, people with good contacts can get millions of dollars worth of products up front :-) reputation is currency. People who hop-industries, the jacks of all trades, don't get any deals and nobody knows them. (or worse, people do know them and they have a negative reputation.)