Live · Sourcing for Slovenian SMEs
EST. 2026 · KOPER, SI

Local factory
prices from 中国.
Not foreigner prices.

EastWest helps Slovenian companies source products direct from Chinese factories — at local prices, not export prices. Lower than Slovenian distributors. Lower than what you'd get on Alibaba.

№ 001 — Mission
东 East West 西
Koper, SI · 45.5469°N
№ 002 — The advantage

Two markups,
removed.

Most Slovenian companies pay twice — once to the local distributor's margin, once to the "foreigner price" Chinese factories quote outsiders. We remove both. Yidan buys at the same price the factory sells locally.

Slovenian distributor
Local middleman
1.20
per box · in-stock pricing
Imported, warehoused, marked up. Convenient — but you're paying for someone else's logistics.
Direct via Alibaba
Foreigner price
0.55
per box · landed, est.
Better — but factories quote outsiders 20–40% above their domestic price. You're still on the wrong side of the table.
EastWest
Local factory price
0.35
per box · landed, incl. customs & VAT
Same factory, same product. Bought at the price the locals pay, shipped to your warehouse in Slovenia.
— 71% vs. local distributor

Reference quote — cardboard boxes 30×30×30 cm, double wall, 500 pcs, sea freight.

№ 003 — Who we are

A bridge,
not a platform.

EastWest is a small, deliberately human sourcing operation based in Koper. We're not a marketplace. We're not software. We're two people — one in Slovenia, one with deep relationships in China — who handle your sourcing the way you'd want a colleague to handle it.

You tell us what you need. We come back with a real price, from a real factory, within 48 hours. If the numbers work, we move forward. If they don't, we say so.

48h
Quote turnaround
€0
Fee for quotes
5–8%
Broker commission
№ 004 — Process

How a deal actually
moves through us.

For first orders, we work as broker. You pay the factory directly — we take a small commission from the supplier. No upfront capital from you, no money handled by us.

01
You send a request.
Product name, quantity, drawing or photo if you have one. Email or the form below — both fine.
Day 0
02
We come back with a landed price.
EXW, FOB, or fully landed in Koper — your choice. Includes customs and VAT estimate. No fee.
≤ 48h
03
You pay 30% deposit, direct to factory.
No money flows through us on first deals. You're paying the factory, the way the factory wants to be paid.
Day ~3
04
Production & shipping.
We stay in the loop with the factory in Mandarin. You get updates in Slovenian or English.
~30–45d
05
You inspect, then pay the balance.
Goods arrive. You inspect. Only then does the 70% balance leave your account.
On arrival
№ 005 — What we source

Request-based.
No catalogue.

We don't keep a stock list. You tell us what you buy regularly — we tell you what it costs at factory. These are the categories we work best in.

01 / Packaging
Industrial
consumables
Cardboard, tape, poly mailers, stretch film, void fill — the things you reorder every month.
02 / Hardware
Metal &
plastic parts
Brackets, screws, washers, fittings, simple injection-molded parts. Send a drawing.
03 / Workwear
Safety
equipment
Non-medical gloves, safety glasses, high-vis basics. CE-marked variants on request.
04 / Branded
Promotional
items
USB drives, pens, tote bags, lanyards. Custom logos, MOQs from a few hundred.
05 / Custom
Textiles &
uniforms
Work uniforms, simple branded apparel, basic textile fabrications. Sample-first workflow.
06 / Other
Ask us
anyway
If it's not on this list but it's not on our "avoid" list — send the request. We'll either quote or say no.
What we don't do — Electronics requiring CE certification, medical devices, food-contact materials, batteries. Too much regulatory risk for a small operation, and we'd rather tell you no than ship you a problem.
№ 006 — The two of us

A Slovenian and a
Chinese, in Koper.

Co-founder · Slovenia side
Manuel Fischer
Manuel handles everything on this end of the trip — talking to Slovenian companies, pricing, paperwork, the conversation in your language. Direct, no hype, gives you the numbers.
Co-founder · China side
Xu Yidan
Yidan is why this works. Long-standing relationships with Chinese factories — built over years, in Mandarin, on the ground. She doesn't get foreigner prices, because she isn't one.

"The price you pay shouldn't depend on which passport you hold."

№ 007 — Get a quote

Tell us what
you buy.

Send the product, the quantity, and a photo or drawing if you have one. We'll come back within 48 hours with a real number from a real factory.

  • No fee for the quote. Ever.
  • Reply within 48 hours, in Slovenian or English.
  • If we can't help, we'll say so on day one.
  • First deal: you pay the factory directly. Not us.
Thanks — got it.
We'll reply within 48 hours with a landed price estimate. No fee, no obligation.
№ 008 — Honest answers

The questions
everyone asks.

What about quality? How do I know I won't get junk?
We recommend a small test order first — 100 pieces is normal. You inspect the goods before paying the balance. If something's wrong, we help negotiate with the factory in Mandarin. We won't pretend Chinese sourcing is risk-free; we'll tell you how to keep the risk small.
Are you a registered company?
Not yet. We're starting as private facilitators — for first deals, you pay the supplier directly, so there's no money flowing through an unregistered entity. After our first successful deal we'll register a normirani s.p. in Slovenia and can issue invoices from then on.
Why are your prices lower than Alibaba?
Alibaba shows export prices — what factories quote when they hear a foreign accent. Yidan has long-term guanxi with these factories and buys at the price they quote local Chinese buyers. Same factory, same goods, different price.
What about shipping, customs, VAT?
Our default quote is landed — into Koper, customs and VAT included in the estimate. We can also quote EXW or FOB if you have your own forwarder. Once registered, we can act as importer of record; until then, you do, with our help.
What's your cut?
On broker deals, the supplier pays us 5–8% commission. You don't pay us a fee on top of the quoted price. Once we move to a reselling model after registration, our margin will be transparent and built into the all-in price.
What can't you source?
Anything requiring CE certification we're not equipped to verify — particularly electronics, medical devices, food-contact materials, and batteries. Too much regulatory risk. We'd rather tell you no than land you in a customs dispute.