How to design a practical pre-shipment inspection plan for quantity, workmanship, function, packaging, labeling, and shipment release.
Series
China Sourcing Fundamentals
17 articles in reading order.
A buyer-focused supplier verification workflow covering legal identity, bank details, factory capability, quality systems, and payment controls.
A practical process for turning a product requirement into a qualified China manufacturer shortlist, sample plan, and controlled first order.
Compare air and sea freight from China by chargeable weight, shipment size, transit assumptions, inventory cost, customs, damage risk, and urgency.
A plain-English guide to AQL inspection in China, including lot size, inspection level, defect classes, acceptance numbers, and common mistakes.
Build a realistic China manufacturing lead time from specification freeze through materials, production, inspection, packing, and shipment booking.
A practical China packaging specification covering retail packs, master cartons, labels, shipping marks, protection, tests, and approval control.
What overseas buyers should include in a purchase order to a Chinese supplier, from controlled specifications and quality criteria to payment and delivery.
How to structure payment terms with a Chinese supplier, verify the beneficiary, connect each milestone to evidence, and reduce deposit risk.
A line-by-line method for comparing Chinese supplier quotations by specification, MOQ, tooling, packaging, Incoterms, quality, and total cost.
A buyer-focused method for comparing China freight quotes by scope, route, charge basis, exclusions, timing, and shipment responsibility.
A practical workflow for requesting, comparing, testing, and approving product samples from Chinese suppliers before mass production.
A practical private-label manufacturing process for China, covering product scope, supplier selection, samples, packaging, compliance, MOQ, and launch control.
How buyers can assess low-MOQ manufacturing in China by separating material, process, packaging, and SKU minimums and controlling a small first run.
A practical China import documents checklist for overseas buyers, covering invoices, packing lists, bills of lading, origin evidence, customs data, and handoffs.
A buyer-focused method for reading a China factory audit report, checking scope, identity, capacity, quality evidence, subcontracting, and unresolved risk.
A practical guide to sourcing injection-molded products from China, covering resin, part design, tooling, samples, tolerances, quality control, and MOQ.