Elje / Factories
Sell to Australia through Elje
Elje finds Australian home owners, builders and designers with approved building plans, prices their fit-out, and introduces them to Verified factories. You pay 5% only when an order is placed. Nothing to pay to quote.
Elje finds the buyer and matches each line to at least three Verified factories, ranked by on-time rate, defects and quote accuracy. Factories cannot pay to rank higher.
Who the buyers are
- Home owners whose building plans were approved in the last few weeks. They will buy a kitchen, joinery, stone, tiles, tapware and doors in the next 3 to 9 months.
- Builders and designers who buy for many houses a year.
- Developers with 15 to 100 identical units.
- Most jobs are in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne first, then the other Australian capitals.
How a job reaches you
- Elje receives the drawings and the buyer's selections.
- We send the drawings to at least three Verified factories for each product line. You see the drawings and the items, not the buyer's name.
- You quote within 5 business days, in English, with the price, lead time, packing and the certificates for Australia.
- The buyer chooses, after seeing samples. We then introduce you by name, and you see the buyer's name.
- The buyer pays you directly. The deposit goes to you. The balance is held by a licensed escrow company and paid to you when the inspection passes.
- You ship through our forwarder or the buyer's. You pay Elje 5% of the order.
What you pay
| What | Price | When |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction fee | 5% of the order value | Half within 14 days of the deposit, half within 14 days of the balance |
| Repeat orders from a buyer we introduced | 5% | For 3 years from the introduction |
| Elje Verified | A$300 a month | From mid 2027. Needed to quote on Elje jobs |
| Buyers you bring yourself (Elje Direct) | 0% | From late 2027 |
| Quoting | Free | Always |
| Better position in the ranking | Not for sale | Never |
A worked example
A buyer orders a kitchen, wardrobes and vanities from you for A$60,000. You receive a A$18,000 deposit and pay Elje A$1,500 within 14 days. The inspection passes, the escrow company pays you the A$42,000 balance, and you pay Elje the other A$1,500. Two years later the same buyer orders A$20,000 of joinery for a second house. You pay Elje A$1,000.
Names stay private until the introduction
On the Elje website and in our reports, your factory is shown by a code, like F-031. Buyers see your code, your scorecard and your prices. Your company name is given to the buyer at the introduction, and the buyer's name is given to you at the same time. This protects you from copy quotes and protects us from being gone around.
How factories are ranked
By the scorecard only: on-time shipping, defects found at inspection, quote accuracy, response time and price. A factory cannot pay to rank higher. Good factories get more introductions.
What Australia requires
Australian plumbing products need WaterMark certification and many need a WELS water rating. Wet-area tiles need an AS 4586 slip rating. Board products need an E0 or E1 formaldehyde test. Electrical products need RCM. Engineered stone is banned in Australia and Elje will not quote it. We check every certificate on the official register before a product goes to a buyer.
Questions
Do you buy from us?
No. Elje never buys, owns or holds stock. The buyer buys from you and is the importer. You invoice the buyer.
Who pays you, the buyer or the factory?
Both, for different things. The buyer pays Elje for the Project Plan and for Elje Assured (inspection and the held balance). The factory pays the 5% introduction fee. Every fee is printed on the buyer's quote.
Can I contact the buyer directly after the introduction?
Yes, that is the point. Orders and repeat orders from that buyer pay Elje 5% for 3 years, wherever they are placed.
What if the inspection fails?
You fix the problem and the goods are inspected again. The balance is released when they pass. A factory that does not fix failed goods loses its Verified listing.
Do you have a Chinese version?
A Chinese version of this page is coming. Until then, write to factories@elje.au.
- Elje business plan v5, 18 October 2026 (internal)
- ABCB WaterMark product search
- Safe Work Australia: guidance on the engineered stone ban
Elje Verified
$300 a month. The audit, the scorecard and eligibility for every job.
The scorecard
How on-time rate, defects, quote accuracy and response time decide who gets introduced.
Verified factories
Every Verified factory by code. Names are given at introduction.
The protection agreement
The terms every factory signs: the 5%, repeat orders for 3 years, disclosure.
For brands
The dealer programme for the big brands: qualified buyers without funding a showroom.
Market insight report
What Australians choose and at what landed price. Totals only, never a customer.
Apply
Send your catalogue, certificates and references.