Sourcing Consumer Electronics from China: What to Know

China makes most of the world’s consumer electronics. If you’re importing, you’re almost certainly sourcing from Chinese factories, whether you know it or not. This guide covers what categories work, what to avoid, and what questions to ask before you spend a dollar.

What Categories Work Well

Some product types are genuinely good for sourcing from China. Others will get you sued or stuck at customs.

Good categories:

• Wireless earbuds and Bluetooth speakers
• Smart home devices (plugs, bulbs, sensors)
• Portable chargers and power banks
• LED lighting products
• USB cables and charging accessories
• Generic phone cases and screen protectors

These categories have lots of factories competing for business. That means better prices and more flexibility on customization.

What to avoid:

Anything that looks like a name-brand product is a trap. Counterfeit AirPods, fake Bose speakers, knockoff Anker chargers. You won’t just lose your money. You’ll face seizure at customs, civil liability, and potentially criminal charges. Don’t touch it.

IP-heavy product categories are also risky if you can’t verify the supplier holds the license. That includes anything with proprietary chip sets, patented designs, or brand-specific connectors.

MOQs and Price Ranges for Electronics

Minimum order quantities for consumer electronics typically run 100 to 500 units. More complex products with custom firmware or specialized components push higher, sometimes 1,000 units minimum.

Here’s what factory prices look like on common items:

• Wireless earbuds: $4 to $18 per unit (basic TWS vs. ANC models)
• Power banks (10,000 mAh): $6 to $12 per unit
• Smart plugs (WiFi): $3 to $8 per unit
• USB-C cables (braided): $0.80 to $2 per unit
• Bluetooth speakers (portable): $5 to $25 per unit

Retail margins on these products vary a lot. Branded cables and earbuds from major retailers sell for 5x to 10x factory cost. Generic products on Amazon get compressed quickly once competition moves in. The best margins come from adding custom branding, better packaging, or hitting a niche the big sellers ignore.

Quality Concerns Specific to Electronics

Electronics sourcing has more quality risk than most product categories. Here’s what actually causes problems.

Battery safety. Cheap lithium cells from unknown sources catch fire or swell. Always ask for UN38.3 certification on any product with a battery. Verify the supplier uses brand-name cells (Samsung SDI, LG, Murata, ATL). If they won’t tell you, walk away.

RF interference. Wireless products that haven’t been properly tested can interfere with other devices. This is why FCC certification matters, not just as a legal requirement but as a quality signal.

Counterfeit chips. Charging ICs, Bluetooth chips, and audio chips all get counterfeited. A factory may quote you a product built on a Qualcomm chip and ship something different. Request teardown photos of sample units and check the chip markings.

Lumen and battery capacity inflation. A power bank marked 10,000 mAh might test at 6,000 mAh. A speaker claiming 40-hour battery life might die at 15. Test your samples before committing to an order.

Compliance Requirements You Can’t Skip

The two certifications that matter most for US imports are FCC and UL.

FCC is required for any product that emits radio frequency energy. That covers Bluetooth, WiFi, and wireless charging products. FCC ID certification for a wireless product costs around $1,200 to $1,500 and takes roughly four weeks. Many Chinese factories already have FCC certification on their standard models. Ask to see the FCC ID and verify it on the FCC database at fcc.gov.

UL is not legally required for most products, but major retailers (Target, Walmart, Best Buy) won’t carry products without it. If you’re selling direct-to-consumer online, UL matters less, but it’s still a trust signal. UL certification typically costs $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the product.

For a deeper look at compliance rules, read our guide on FCC and UL compliance for imported electronics.

Where to Find Suppliers

Alibaba is the starting point for most importers. You’ll find thousands of electronics suppliers. Expect to spend real time filtering and communicating before you find suppliers worth sampling. Read our full Alibaba sourcing guide for how to do this efficiently.

Canton Fair Phase 1 is the world’s biggest electronics sourcing event. The 2026 spring session runs April 15 to 19 in Guangzhou. If you’re sourcing at any meaningful volume, attending at least once is worth the trip. You see the actual products, meet the actual factory reps, and build relationships that lead to better pricing.

1688.com is the Chinese domestic version of Alibaba. Prices are lower because you’re talking directly to factories without the export middlemen. The tradeoff is that everything is in Mandarin and you’ll need a sourcing agent. See our 1688 sourcing guide for how to use it.

Red Flags Specific to Electronics

Watch for these warning signs when evaluating suppliers.

They won’t share actual certifications. Not “we have FCC,” but the actual FCC ID and the test report. Any real supplier can produce these documents immediately.

The price is far below market. If everyone else quotes $12 for wireless earbuds and this supplier quotes $4, they’re using different components than what they’re describing.

They can’t do a video call showing the factory floor. This doesn’t prove legitimacy on its own, but factories that refuse video calls are often trading companies claiming to be factories.

They push back on factory audits or third-party inspections. Legitimate factories expect this. Only suppliers with something to hide resist it.

They have a very short trading history on Alibaba or no verifiable business registration. Check their business license on the platform and look up their company independently.

Learn more about verifying suppliers before you send money in our supplier verification guide.

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