Four doors into the same factory
Every importer eventually buys through one of four channels: a B2B marketplace, a sourcing agent, a trade show relationship, or a cold direct approach. Each moves cost and risk to a different place.
The honest comparison
Channel Cost layer Supplier verification Dispute protection Speed to first order
--- --- --- --- ---
B2B marketplace Platform fees Badges + reviews Escrow, disputes Days
Sourcing agent 5–10% commission Agent''s reputation Agent dependent Weeks
Trade show Travel + booth costs You verify yourself None built in Months
Cold direct None You verify yourself None Months
Where each channel wins
:::chart Fit score by buyer profile (100 = best fit)
First-time importer - marketplace | 90
Repeat bulk buyer - direct | 85
Complex custom product - agent | 80
Niche industrial - trade show | 70
:::
The hybrid most businesses settle on
- Discover on a marketplace — the supplier pool and price transparency are unmatched.
- Verify with third parties — audits and inspections work on every channel.
- Deepen directly — after trust is built, negotiate terms directly while keeping platform escrow for payment safety.
> The channel is not the strategy. Verification and payment structure are the strategy; the channel is just where you meet.
Start in the marketplace
Prebro combines the discovery of a marketplace with deal rooms, staged payments, and freight quotes — so the first order and the fiftieth can both live in one place.