I’m thinking of hiring a VA to help withproduct sourcing but want an idea of the level of productivity to expect.
For 10 hours a week, how many potential leads would you expect?
For me, it’s less about a fixed number and more about how usable the leads actually are.
A VA might bring a decent list in 10 hours, but if most of it still needs heavy filtering, the number doesn’t mean much.
I’d probably rather have fewer leads that are actually relevant, contactable, and worth checking properly than a big list with very little real value.
At the beginning, I’d usually measure quality first, like how many leads are actually usable after review, then set a volume target from there.
Are you planning to use the VA more for first-pass research, or for deeper supplier sourcing too?
For product sourcing, productivity depends on the niche and criteria, but on average:
For 10 hours/week, I can typically provide around 30–60 high-quality potential product leads, properly researched and filtered (not random products).
Each lead can include:
• Product details & supplier source
• Estimated cost & selling price
• Profit margin potential
• Market demand insights
I focus on quality over quantity to ensure the products have real selling potential.
In my experience managing sourcing teams, a trained VA working 10 hours/week should normally generate 70–120 analyzed leads, out of which 10–20 can turn into strong buying opportunities if proper criteria and tools are used.
It largely depends on the product’s specific needs, but for a quality-focused approach with a healthy ROI, 15 leads per week seems like a reasonable estimate for 10 hours of work. Quality over quantity always wins when it comes to leads.
10 hours is a very small amount of time for sourcing. I would say 3 to 10 products, with at least 3 winners out of 10 leads submitted, though it still depends on your criteria. In my experience, I can source 3 winning deals while doing purchasing as well.