Four ways to ask. One rule: you approve the scope before you pay.
All prices are one-time. No subscription, no auto-renewal, no upsell mid-answer. Every format includes our written scope confirmation and the refund rules below.
Written answer
$99 $49
One concrete question. Best before a decision: a quote, a first trip, a negotiation, a "is this normal in China?" moment.
- 1,000–1,500 word written answer within 48 hours
- Structured: direct answer → experience behind it → limits → next steps → sources
- Matched to 1–2 domain experts (e.g. sourcing, cross-cultural, logistics)
- One free follow-up exchange for clarification (72h window)
- No supplier lists, introductions, or outreach on your behalf
- No commissioned research or reports you'll resell
- No legal / tax / medical / investment advice
First question with us? $29 at checkout (code FIRST29).
Deep-dive answer
$99
A tangled situation that needs context: distributor disputes, channel strategy sanity-check, "why is our Chinese partner behaving like this".
- 2,000–3,500 word answer within 3 business days
- Background dig through our experts' experience + verifiable public sources
- Scenario map: what usually happens next, and what it costs each way
- One free revision round (same scope, reworked until clear)
- Same boundaries as Written answer — we explain, we don't execute
- No on-site visits, calls to your suppliers, or document handling
Live video call
$149
When typing loses too much: negotiation prep, cultural read of a specific meeting, anything where you want to push back in real time.
- 30-minute private video call (browser link, no installs, both parties anonymous until connected)
- You send questions in advance; the expert comes prepared
- Concise written follow-up notes after the call
- Scheduling within 2 business days; your card is charged only after the call happens
- No acting as your agent, interpreter-of-record, or negotiator on your behalf
- No guarantee of business outcomes (nobody honestly can)
Expert board
$399
Three independent takes on one decision — the "advisory board" large companies pay $2,000+ an hour for, at long-tail prices.
- One question answered separately by 3 vetted experts (different backgrounds on purpose)
- Compiled comparison document: where they agree, where they diverge, and why
- Delivered in 5 business days · one clarification window included
- Same boundary list as all formats
- Not a substitute for licensed professional advice
Our refund rules in plain English
- Scope first. Before payment you get your question rewritten as a short scope: what we'll cover, what's excluded. You approve, we start.
- Answer doesn't cover the agreed scope? One revision free. Still not covered — full refund, and we keep records of the attempt.
- "I just didn't like the answer" isn't a refund reason — but "the scope said X and you didn't give X" is. We're strict on ourselves exactly where we were clear with you.
- We can't or won't answer it? We tell you before taking any money. Politics, religion/ethnicity topics, commissioned investigations, and professional advice are out of scope — always.
- Automatic confirmation. 72 hours after delivery with no written objection, the order completes. Objections must point at a scope line.