Skip to main content
UK stock in London · dispatched todaySoft OLED displays · bench-testedChina Direct · 5-day air laneBulk pre-order · locked unit priceDesk services · verification, shortlists, samplingFXGBP → CNY—FXCNY → GBP—UK stock in London · dispatched todaySoft OLED displays · bench-testedChina Direct · 5-day air laneBulk pre-order · locked unit priceDesk services · verification, shortlists, samplingFXGBP → CNY—FXCNY → GBP—
07 535 020203
CNLine
All services

MSL · Professional services

Market Shortlist

A category is searched and reduced to a ranked, contactable shortlist with the reasoning shown.

Shortlist working papers with candidate supplier comparisons on a desk
Screening desk: quotations lined up for comparison.

Decision use

  • Choose which suppliers to approach first, and in what order.
  • Test whether a target landed cost is realistic before committing to a launch.
  • Decide whether the category is worth a verification budget at all.

Commercial terms

GBP

Fee
On application
Turnaround
5 working days
Deliverable
A comparison table of five to eight suppliers with pricing indications, capability notes and a ranked recommendation.
Request this service

What the file contains

  • Ranked table

    Candidates with quoted price, minimum order, lead time and a stated score.

  • Contact sheet

    Working contact route for each shortlisted supplier, tested by the desk.

  • Excluded log

    Who was dropped and why, so the search is not repeated later.

  • Price read

    Where the quoted band sits against the desk's own buying reference for the category.

Required inputs

  • Product specification or a reference sample.
  • Target landed price and annual volume.

Exclusions

  • Prices are indications, not contracted quotations.
  • Sample purchase and testing are handled as a Sample Mission.

Commercial terms

Fixed fee per category. Two rounds of refinement are included.

What we need from you

  • CategoryRequiredProduct family, for example phone displays or power tools.
  • SpecificationRequiredModel, grade, materials, packaging and anything that must be matched exactly.
  • Target marketRequiredDestination country or region the goods are sold into.
  • Volume and budgetRequiredFirst order quantity, annual volume and target landed price.
  • Supplier identifiersOptionalLegal name, address and registration number for each supplier, one per line.
  • Links and referencesOptionalStore links, quotations or shared file links. Paste one per line.
  • Deadline preferenceOptionalStandard turnaround, priority, or a date you must meet.
  • Notes for the deskOptionalAnything the reviewer should know before pricing the work.

Tiers

What changes by tier

Per category

One specification, one comparison table, one recommendation.

5 working days

Evidence: 8

Request this service

Accepted payment

  • Card payment

    Settled immediately on a secure hosted card page. The desk opens the file once payment clears.

  • Bank transfer (GBP)

    Faster Payments to the CNLine London account. Details are issued with the request reference; work starts on receipt.

  • Cash at the London counter

    Settled in person at the Camden counter during desk hours, receipted against the request reference.

Fixed fee per tier, payable on acceptance of scope. One revision round is included.

Service requests are handled by the desk while the online request flow is being commissioned. Speak to the desk to open a job.

Speak to the desk · 07 535 020203
Method

Four stages, each with a named output recorded in the job file.

  1. 01

    Brief

    Specification, target price band, volume and market of sale fixed.

    Output

    Search frame

  2. 02

    Sweep

    Platform, trade fair and market district sources swept for candidates.

    Output

    Long list

  3. 03

    Screen

    Contact test, quotation request and basic identity check on each candidate.

    Output

    Scored grid

  4. 04

    Rank

    Shortlist ranked with price, capability and responsiveness weighted.

    Output

    Shortlist extract

Proof gallery

Desk and field conditions under which evidence is captured. Client material is never shown.

  • Four candidate samples of the same accessory lined up on a desk beside comparison sheets, figures out of focusDocumentation

    Candidate set laid out side by side against the comparison sheet.

  • Several printed supplier quotations laid side by side on a desk with a calculatorDocumentation

    Quotations restated on one basis before any candidate is ranked.

  • A buyer with a notebook surveying accessory stock along a wholesale market aislePremises

    Category surveyed in the market before a long list is written.

  • A buying agent and a supplier manager reviewing samples across a meeting tablePremises

    Terms tested in person: capacity, minimums and who signs.

Sample artefacts

Desk specimens with identities redacted. They show the standard of the file, not any client's file.

Sample artefacts
Specimen
CandidateUnit priceMinimumLead timeContact testScore
Candidate A [redacted]RMB 18.40500 pcs18 daysReplied same day84
Candidate B [redacted]RMB 16.902,000 pcs22 daysReplied in 2 days76
Candidate C [redacted]RMB 21.10300 pcs12 daysReplied same day71
Candidate D [redacted]RMB 15.805,000 pcs30 daysNo reply42
Likelihood × Impact
Specimen
HighImpactLow

Price quoted below viable cost

Lead time slips at peak season

Trading company presented as factory

LowLikelihoodHigh

Speak to a named contact

Your desk, by name

Every trade account is handled by a named person. Direct lines, direct inboxes and the hours they are on the desk, in English or Mandarin.