The Sourcing Fee
Charged only on goods that ship
The sourcing fee is calculated on the value of goods that actually ship. If a batch fails pre-shipment inspection and cannot be rescued by rework, discount or replacement — and is cancelled as a result — no sourcing fee is due on the cancelled portion. If you already paid a fee against that portion, it is refunded.
Work already performed
Sourcing research and first quotations are free. Once you approve a project plan, the fee covering work already performed at the moment of cancellation is due — for example supplier shortlists delivered, samples coordinated, or negotiation already completed. Everything beyond that is refundable. Each project agreement itemises the milestones so "work performed" is never a matter of opinion.
What the fee never depends on
The fee is not contingent on your sales, on the supplier's performance after delivery, or on how much you saved — negotiation savings are a feature of the service, not its price.
Failed Inspections & Quality Issues
A failed pre-shipment inspection triggers this sequence, at no extra management cost to you:
- Shipment stops; the supplier is notified the same day
- We negotiate one of three outcomes: rework, discount, or partial/full replacement
- Any reworked or replacement batch is re-inspected before it ships
- The sourcing fee applies only to the value that finally ships and passes
If the supplier cannot or will not remedy the failure, the order is cancelled: amounts recoverable from the supplier are pursued and returned to you, the sourcing fee on the cancelled value is refunded, and our liability cap (per the Terms of Service) applies to the remainder. This is also why we recommend holding the balance payment until after inspection — your strongest protection is money that hasn't moved yet, not a refund promise.
Cancellations
Before production starts
Cancel any time before an order is placed: only work already performed (per the milestone list) is due. If no work was performed — you cancelled right after the free quotation — nothing is due at all.
After production starts
Once an order is placed, the supplier's own cancellation terms apply: typically the deposit is at risk once materials are cut. We negotiate the best possible recovery — redirecting finished stock, reselling standard items, or converting to a smaller batch — and pass back every amount we recover. Our management fee for the cancelled portion is refunded as soon as the supplier's position on costs is known.
Service cancellation
There is no subscription and no lock-in. Stop at any time; you keep your supplier contacts, quotations and project file.
Pass-Through Costs
Money paid to third parties on your behalf — sample costs and sample freight, freight bookings, duties, lab testing, storage beyond 30 days — is not refundable by us, because it has already been paid to those parties. What we do instead:
- Every pass-through cost is approved by you before it is incurred
- You receive the original third-party invoice or receipt for every line
- Where a third party itself refunds or credits (e.g. a freight credit), the amount is passed back to you in full
How to Request a Refund
- Email hello@tinysourcing.com with your project number and the reason.
- Within 2 working days you receive a full accounting: what was paid, to whom, with receipts, and what is refundable.
- Once you confirm, agreed refunds are processed within 10 working days by the original payment route.
Refunds are made in the currency you paid in; exchange-rate differences on the round trip, if any, follow your bank's rates and are outside our control. Chargebacks through your card provider before talking to us slow everything down — a written request gets a faster and better-documented result.
This policy forms part of our Terms of Service; where your signed Sourcing Agreement states different terms, the agreement prevails.
You Only Pay for What Ships
Itemised milestones, receipts for everything, refunds in 10 working days.