agent, commission, business practice
I am a sourcing agent in China. Why does western companies go with an agent? Perhaps that the agent can speak Chinese. Even the Chinese suppliers have in-house English-speaking sales representatives, western companies may still use an agent. What makes an agent irreplaceable? Perhaps a western company relies on a local agent to find a competitive supplier. I know that if an agent is paid for his working time, it is OK, however, if an agent is paid in the form of commission, the customer may contact the supplier and doing business directly with the supplier. I know that there are some ways out there to prevent this from happening, one is to sign a contract with the supplier and/or the customer; Another way to change the supplier in BOL(Bill of Lading), but I think that the customer and the supplier will find each other sooner or later. What do you think of it?