A lot of these sourcing companies are out there now. I think they're good for people starting out but after that it would be better to branch out on your own and establish relationships directly (from the limited experience I have with sourcing)
It depends.
If your technique is scouring Alibaba and hoping you'll find a good supplier, then I guarantee you that I can take a 5% fee and still outcompete you 10 times out of 10.
There's a difference between:
- "I found a factory that can make my product"; and
- "I found a factory that has the best prices and fastest production time so I can destroy the competition."