Tvoi Agent
A buying agent in Italy is responsible for what you cannot check from your own country: who the goods are bought from, at what price and in what condition they leave the warehouse. So choosing an agent means choosing who you trust with your money and your shop's reputation. Good professionals work on different models, and none is universally right. But some things can be checked before your first order: how the fee is calculated, whether the company is registered, whose invoices you receive and what a quality report looks like. Below is a neutral look at these points and a list of questions worth asking any candidate, including us.
Agent or reseller: the difference
The word "buyer" covers two different models. An agent acts on your behalf: finds suppliers, negotiates and supervises the order, but you buy directly from the factory, and the invoice is made out to your company. The agent earns a separate fee that you can see. A reseller buys the goods in their own name and sells them to you with their own mark-up. That is a legitimate model, but you usually know neither the real supplier nor their price, and quality and lead times depend on how the reseller has set up their supply chain. Both models are valid. What matters is that you are told honestly from the start which one applies, and that the contract, invoices and reports match it. A mixed arrangement with no explanation is a reason to ask questions.
Fee models: percentage, day rate, trip or mark-up
These are the most common models. A percentage of the order value: the fee grows with volume, often in tiers, with a lower rate for larger orders. A day rate or per-trip fee: convenient for one-off visits, but the total does not depend on how much you end up buying. A fixed fee for a service, such as finding a factory or organising samples. A mark-up on goods: the agent advertises "no commission" but earns on the difference between the factory price and the price you pay. Beyond the rate, ask about the minimum order or minimum fee, what is included (quality control, packing, documents) and what is charged separately. Compare the total cost of buying the same volume, not the rates. Sometimes "no commission" ends up costing more than 10%.
Partita IVA and checking the company
The partita IVA is the 11-digit Italian VAT number. Every registered company has one, as does every self-employed professional who legally provides services and issues invoices. Ask for it at the very start. You can check the number in the EU's VIES system on the European Commission website, which shows whether it is valid for intra-EU transactions. For Italian companies there is also the visura camerale, an extract from the Companies Register showing the name, address, business activity and registration date. Check that the name on the contract, the invoices and the website match, and that the office address is real. Dealing with an unregistered private individual who asks you to pay into a personal card leaves you without documents or protection. If the agent handles exports, they should have a clear procedure for export documents.
The contract: what it should include
Even a small order is worth putting in writing. The contract or confirmation of terms should state which services are provided (sourcing, negotiation, quality control, consolidation, shipping), the fee and the basis on which it is calculated, who pays whom for the goods and how invoices are issued. Spell out separately what counts as a defect, what happens to faulty items and who negotiates a replacement or discount with the factory. You need timelines: purchase, inspection, dispatch. Clarify the contract language and the governing law, as well as how the relationship can be ended. A good agent is not afraid of these questions, because they have answered them many times. If the terms exist only in a messenger chat, save it and ask for the agreements to be brought together in a single document.
Factory invoices and price transparency
The simplest way to know what you really pay for the goods is to receive invoices directly from the factories and showrooms. Such an invoice shows the supplier's name, their partita IVA, the styles, quantities and unit price. The agent's fee is invoiced on a separate document. This lets you compare prices between orders, check that the quantities on the invoice match the goods received and, if needed, work with the same supplier again. The factory invoice also matters for export: the export documents are based on it, and for a buyer outside the EU an export sale is, as a rule, made without Italian VAT provided the requirements are met. If someone calls themselves an agent but refuses to show the suppliers' invoices, that is a contradiction worth discussing before you pay.
Quality control reports
Quality control only makes sense if its results are documented. Ask to see a sample of a real report, with other clients' data removed. A good report contains photos and videos of every style, a count by style, colour and size checked against the order, measurements of key dimensions on several pieces, checks of seams, trims, composition and size labels, and a list of the defects found with photos. Timing matters too: before the balance is paid or before dispatch, while faulty items can still be replaced by the supplier. After shipping, fixing anything is much harder. Ask whether every piece is inspected or a sample, and how the pieces to inspect are selected. If the answer to questions about inspection is "we check everything, don't worry" but there is nothing to show, assume there is no inspection.
Red flags
Be cautious if the agent will not give you a partita IVA and is not prepared to sign a contract. If you are asked to pay for goods into a personal card or through intermediaries without documents. If they refuse to show factory invoices but claim to work without a mark-up. If they promise well-known brands at prices far below wholesale: this is a common sign of counterfeits, which can be seized at customs. If they offer grey payment schemes or ways around EU export restrictions: in that case the risk is yours, and the goods or money can get stuck. If every question about defects gets a vague answer and there are no reports. If they demand full prepayment for everything at once, including goods not yet chosen. A single warning sign does not always mean fraud, but it is a reason to get the answer in writing.
Questions to ask a buying agent
- Do you work as an agent, or do you resell goods with your own mark-up?
- How is your fee calculated and what does it include?
- What is your partita IVA and which company is named on the contract?
- Do the factories invoice my company directly for the goods?
- Can I see a sample quality control report?
- When is the inspection done and what happens to defective items?
- Who is responsible for consolidation, packing and export documents?
- What are the lead times from purchase to dispatch?
Ask us these questions
We work as an agent: the factories issue the invoices, our 7% to 10% commission is shown separately, and quality control comes with a photo and video report. Write to us and we will answer every point.