The two roles, in one sentence each
The real difference is where the stock sits and who carries the cost of it sitting there. A supplier sells before production or before shipment: your order starts a production slot, and the goods leave the factory because you bought them. A distributor sells after the goods have already been imported, cleared and warehoused in your market, so someone else paid duty and storage ahead of your order. That single difference explains most of the pricing, lead time, documentation and warranty differences that follow. If you buy from an export supplier, you are the importer of record; if you buy from a distributor, you are a local reseller.
What an export supplier brings to the order
An export supplier exists to turn a container requirement into a shipped and documented order. It quotes several capacity ranges and series from the Shinco range shown on our Shinco model list, confirms the electrical variant and plug type for your market, and holds the specification in writing before production starts. It arranges consolidation so a mixed cargo of split and floor-standing units fits one 40HQ, and it coordinates the loading date with the production schedule. It also issues the export document set: proforma invoice, commercial invoice, packing list and the transport document. Which certifications and document details are available for your destination is confirmed with the quotation, because it depends on the exact model and market.
What a local distributor brings to the order
A distributor's value is availability and after-sales presence inside the market, not price. Stock is already landed, so a reseller can be served in days rather than in a production plus shipping cycle measured in weeks. The distributor is normally the party handling warranty claims locally, keeping spare parts on a shelf and answering the installer who calls about a fault. In exchange, the distributor adds duty, warehousing and margin to the factory price, and its range is limited to what it chose to import. For an importer comparing channels, that added margin is the real benchmark against buying a container directly.
Documents: who can actually issue what
This is the practical test to apply early, because it separates a supplier from an intermediary that is only forwarding someone else's paperwork. Ask who is named as seller on the commercial invoice and whose bank details appear on the proforma invoice. Ask for the loading plan and container photographs in writing before you pay the balance. If a seller claims to be the brand owner or to hold an exclusive appointment, ask for that in writing as well, and expect it not to be available: Shinco-brand air conditioning is exported by more than one independent supplier, and UNITECH GROUP CO., LTD is one of them.
- Export supplier: proforma invoice, commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, and origin documentation where the destination requires it.
- Export supplier: loading plan and container loading photographs, which let you reconcile quantity before the vessel sails.
- Distributor: local tax invoices, local warranty paperwork, and service records for units already sold in the market.
- Neither role can promise models, specifications, certification or lead times that are not written on the quotation; treat anything verbal as unconfirmed until it appears on the document you are asked to sign.
Which channel fits your market
Direct supply usually suits an importer taking a first container, a buyer who needs a specific series or electrical variant, or a distributor in a market where no local stock of Shinco-brand units exists yet. Local distribution suits rapid top-up orders, volumes too small to justify a container, and markets where installation partners need parts support within days. Many importers run both: a direct container for the seasonal build-up, and a local relationship for emergency units in peak summer. Our market pages for Central Asia and Africa describe the voltage, climate and documentation factors that usually decide this question before price is discussed.
Questions to put in writing before you commit
Send the same short list to both types of seller and compare the answers rather than the wording. The answers, more than any self-description, show which role the seller actually plays in your supply chain. A seller that replies with a documented quotation and a loading plan is offering something a stocked reseller cannot match, and the reverse is true when speed of replacement is what your own resellers are asking for.
- Which legal entity is named as seller on the commercial invoice, and who receives payment?
- Which models and electrical variants are quoted, and where is each specification confirmed with the quotation?
- What does the price include and exclude: freight, insurance, duty, delivery to your warehouse?
- Which documents will be issued, and on which date relative to shipment?
- What is the stated procedure if units arrive damaged or fail inside the warranty period?