Is manufacturing toys in China as easy as finding a factory online, sending over your idea and waiting for samples to arrive? No. Azhelle Wade, The Toy Coach, opens this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry by saying she is about to burst that bubble, and she means it kindly.
The Toy Coach hears from a lot of toy people who found a factory, sent over their idea, and then watched everything stall. This episode lays out seven challenges that make working with a factory in China hard, and for each one, she shares how she gets around it. She brings more than 16 years in the toy industry, over 500 toys and games developed, and work with dozens of factories across the globe.
What you'll learn
- Who you are really talking to when you contact a factory online
- Why a factory will always say yes, and how to ask better questions
- How to protect your idea before you share it
- How the language barrier shows up, and how to mark up sample photos
- Why color needs more than a file on your screen
- How distance, the firewall, time zones and holidays affect your timeline
- Why your credibility with a factory matters most of all
How do you know who you are really talking to at a toy factory in China?
The first challenge is that you never quite know who is on the other end. A message to a random factory you found online could reach a real factory, but it could also reach a sourcing agent in Hong Kong or a trading company in Guangzhou. The Toy Coach explains that a sourcing agent is an individual consultant, a bit like a freelance product manager. A trading company looks like a factory but buys from multiple factories and resells.
Both are middlemen, and both can add a surcharge. Azhelle Wade points to a two to four dollar per unit surcharge that may make a product unprofitable, especially with rising labor costs and changing tariff rates. You also lose direct contact with your factory, so changes take longer and agreements get muddy.
AI makes this harder. Factories can now build polished websites with photo realistic factory floors and sample shots, so a good-looking site proves very little.
a beautiful website doesn't tell you anything anymore you really have to know who you're actually dealing with and the right questions to ask
Her checks are practical. She asks a suspicious factory for non AI images, then a video call, and she moves on if they refuse. She also has a quality assurance agency research the company in China's business registry and look at conditions in person. And she looks up export records with a tool like Import Yeti to see whether the factory actually ships toys and games. In one case, 97% of a factory's exports were a competitor's product, which suggested the factory might be owned or partly owned by that brand.
Want to see the full walkthrough on video? Azhelle Wade also covers these seven challenges in the episode's video version.
Why will a toy factory always say yes?
Even a great factory wants your business, so it may say 100% yes while feeling only 80% confident. A factory that makes plush may not be right for higher end plush, and a factory that mostly makes action figures may not know the details of eye types and hair types for an adult collectible doll. Some factories outsource parts of a project without saying so.
The Toy Coach's fix is to ask a more specific question. Instead of sending a rendering and a bill of materials and asking whether they can make it, ask whether they can produce all of the pieces in their own factory, and list every piece in plain text. A capable factory will get specific about its machinery, or tell you which items it will outsource.
How do you protect your toy idea before sharing it with a factory?
The third challenge is that you have to share intimate details of your idea to get it made. Azhelle Wade lists three ways to protect it: trademark the name in the US and in China, patent your invention if it is patentable, and have the factory sign an NNN agreement, which stands for non disclosure, non use, non circumvention. It is drafted by a lawyer in China in Chinese and English.
Because an NNN carries a high price tag, she says to use it only with the one or two factories you intend to move forward with. Before that, ask three to five factories to quote your components separately, without the core intellectual property, such as a patented connector or the technology inside a squishy toy. The quotes will be rough, but the way each factory responds shows who really understands that method of production.
How do you handle the language barrier when manufacturing toys in China?
The fourth challenge is the language barrier, and this is where the open loop pays off. Early in her career, while working on a friendship bracelet maker for a company called Horizon, The Toy Coach wrote the factory one super long email with numbered paragraphs of revisions. She was proud of it. The factory barely responded, and she had to redo all of her work.
Her advice now is to keep communication simple. She describes the right way to do it in her own words.
the right way is to take photos of your product sample from every angle ruler in the shot and Mark up your requested changes photo by photo number them
She likes a white box with red text and arrows pointing to each detail. The email then lists the same numbered changes, short and specific. Instead of vague words like make this bigger, she says to ask for something like making it 2 cm taller from a specific point. A detailed spec sheet and bill of materials help the factory understand what the product is and how it should work.
What about color, distance and credibility?
Challenge five is color. Colors on your screen, the factory's screen and the final print will all differ, so choose Pantone colors for everything you can. Pantone books are expensive new, but you can buy them used or use one at a local library. For packaging, include a CMYK color guide in the artwork. Her bonus tip is to never approve production from a screen, and to get a print or a sample even if it means waiting an extra two weeks.
Challenge six is distance. China's firewall blocks apps many people use daily, so the tools that have worked for The Toy Coach are Microsoft Teams, WeChat and Tencent Meeting. Time zones matter too. A US East Coast creator may be on a call at 7 to 9 PM so the factory can meet early in its morning, while Australian clients get closer to normal working hours. She also recommends putting a Chinese holiday calendar on your own calendar, because smaller holidays shut down factories and create a backlog. She built a free calendar covering 2026 and 2027 that can be added to Google Calendar.
Challenge seven is credibility, and Azhelle Wade says that without it none of the other challenges matter. Factories invest time and money in samples hoping for a production order, so if you come across as a small, unimportant fish, they may not prioritize you. When she contacts factories for clients in her accelerator and studio programs, she reintroduces herself and reminds them of the last time they worked together, because people at factories change roles. Some of those contacts go back to 2016, and she protects them.
Her bottom line is encouraging. You can do this on your own, the right way, one step at a time, if you have the tenacity not to give up. Or you can come in with someone who already has the relationships and jump the line. Along those lines, she describes Toy Creators Academy as a group coaching program where you learn to do this yourself, the accelerator as one on one work where she helps manage factory conversations, and the studio as the option where her team does the heavy lifting. Each starts with a discovery call.
This week's action item
The Toy Coach's action item is simple. Put the China holidays on your calendar so you can plan your production schedule around the times factories are closed.
Key Takeaways From This Episode
What is the difference between a factory, a sourcing agent and a trading company in China?
A sourcing agent is an individual consultant, kind of like a freelance product manager, who introduces you to factories and coordinates development for a flat rate, a surcharge on production, or both. A trading company may look like a factory, but it does not manufacture on the premises and instead buys from multiple factories and resells. Both are middlemen, and Azhelle Wade notes that a surcharge of two to four dollars per unit could make a product unprofitable.
How can I tell if a toy factory in China is real?
The Toy Coach says a good looking website no longer proves anything, since AI can create photo realistic factory images. She asks for non AI images, then a video call, and moves on if the factory refuses. She also has a quality assurance agency check the business registry and the factory in person, and she looks up export records with a tool like Import Yeti to see how much of their shipping is toys and games.
Why does a toy factory say yes to everything?
Azhelle Wade explains that even a great factory wants your business, so it may say 100% yes while feeling only 80% confident. It may also outsource parts of your project. She recommends asking whether the factory can produce all of your pieces in house and listing every piece in plain text, so the factory tells you what it will outsource.
How do I protect my toy idea before sending it to a factory in China?
The Toy Coach lists three steps: trademark the name in the US and China, patent the invention if it is patentable, and have the factory sign an NNN agreement. An NNN covers non disclosure, non use and non circumvention, and it is drafted by a lawyer in China in Chinese and English. Because it is costly, she suggests using it only with the one or two factories you plan to move forward with, and having others quote your components separately without the core intellectual property.
How should I send revision requests to a factory in China?
Keep it simple. Azhelle Wade learned that a very long email of numbered paragraphs got barely a response, and she had to redo her work. Instead, photograph your sample from every angle with a ruler in the shot, mark up and number each requested change, and send a short reference email listing the same numbers with specific measurements.
How do I make sure my toy colors match when manufacturing in China?
Choose Pantone colors for everything you can, because colors on your screen, the factory's screen and the final print will all look different. Pantone books can be bought used or used at a local library. For packaging, include a CMYK color guide in your artwork, and never approve production from a screen. Always get a print or a sample, even if it adds two weeks.
Do factory holidays and time zones really affect toy production in China?
Yes. The Toy Coach says smaller holidays you won't see coming can shut down a factory, which creates a backlog and requires time to get machines set up and production ramped up again. She recommends adding a Chinese holiday calendar to your own calendar. For time zones, a US East Coast creator may need to take calls at 7 to 9 PM, since the factory prefers to meet early in its morning.
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