Plenty of import deals go wrong before any shipping happens. The factory turns out to be a middleman, the deposit goes somewhere you cannot follow, or the sample you approved looks nothing like the bulk order. This guide walks through what to check before you pay anyone, how to test quality with samples, and how to set up payment so neither side gets burned.
You found a product, the price looks right, and the supplier wants a 30% deposit to start. Before you transfer anything, verify three things: who you are paying, what you are actually getting, and what happens if something goes wrong.
This is how we handle buying decisions at KitaToko, and the same things we tell buyers who are new to importing from China.
Check the Supplier Before You Trust Them
A few minutes of checking can save you months of chasing later. Start with these three:
- Ask to see their business licence and factory address. A real factory can show you its registered name, its address, and usually a company website or Alibaba page that matches. If the address is vague, treat that as a warning.
- Ask for a live video call inside the factory. Not a pre-recorded video, and not a photo album. You want to see the production line, and your product, or something close to it, being made. A real factory can usually arrange this within a day.
- Find out whether you are dealing with a factory or a trading company. Both can work. A trading company often handles paperwork better, but you pay a margin and quality control is less direct. If you want factory pricing and direct QC, buy from the factory; if you want convenience and export handling, a trading company may suit you better.
Order Samples Before the Bulk Order
Samples are the cheapest insurance you will buy. For most consumer goods, a sample costs a small fraction of the full order, and many suppliers refund the sample fee once you place the bulk order.
When the sample arrives, check the obvious things first: materials, stitching or moulding quality, dimensions, colour, packaging. Then actually use it for a week. If a product fails on day one of normal use, you do not want a thousand of them.
Agree in advance what happens if the bulk order does not match the sample. A written note from the supplier, confirming that production must match the approved sample and that defective items will be replaced or refunded, is worth more than any verbal promise.
Agree on Payment Terms That Protect Both Sides
Payment terms are where most importers get nervous, and with good reason. For wholesale buying from China, you will mostly see three patterns:
- T/T (bank transfer): usually 30% to start production and 70% before shipment, or a 30/40/30 split. It is the most common setup and works fine once you trust the supplier.
- Letter of Credit (L/C): the bank releases payment only against the shipping documents. Safer for large orders, but slower, and bank fees add up. Usually only worth it above a certain order size.
- Escrow or platform payment: paying through Alibaba or a similar platform keeps the money with the platform until you confirm the goods. Small fee, and a lot less stress for a first order.
Whatever you agree on, get it in writing: supplier name, bank details, amounts, dates. And if a supplier pushes you to send the full amount to a personal account before production starts, treat that as a red flag.
Get Everything in Writing: The Proforma Invoice
Before you pay anything, ask for a proforma invoice (PI). A proper PI lists the product, quantity, unit price, total value, payment terms, delivery time, packaging, and the Incoterms (FOB, EXW or CIF). It is your contract, your payment instruction, and your reference for customs, all in one document.
Check it twice: the product name and HS code should match what you actually ordered, and the delivery date should be a real commitment, not “as soon as possible”. If anything on the PI is vague, ask to have it clarified before you transfer money.
Red Flags to Walk Away From
Sometimes the best decision is not to buy at all. Take these signals seriously:
- Price well below every other quote for the same product.
- Supplier refuses a video call or a visit.
- Payment requested to a personal bank account or a different company name than the one on the licence.
- No proforma invoice, or a PI with vague terms.
- Pressure to pay everything upfront “because it is a special price”.
None of these alone proves fraud. But each one raises the risk, and when several appear together, the cheapest product stops being cheap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to pay a deposit to a Chinese supplier?
Yes, with the right checks. A 30% deposit by T/T against a proper proforma invoice is the standard practice. The risk drops when you have verified the factory, seen a sample, and can reach the supplier by video call.
Can I get my sample fee back?
Many suppliers refund the sample fee when you place a bulk order. Ask before ordering, and get it written on the invoice if possible.
Does KitaToko work with verified factories?
Yes. All KitaToko products come from our partner factories, and every unit is quality checked before export. You deal with one company from quotation to shipment, with EXW or FOB pricing in Rupiah and T/T payment.
Start With a Verified Supplier
If you would rather skip the detective work, that is exactly what KitaToko is for. Send us your product list on WhatsApp and we will reply with a written FOB / EXW quotation in Rupiah, quality checked before export and export documents prepared for clearance.
WhatsApp: +86 189-2511-3615
Prefer to browse first? Explore the catalog. Every product shows its FOB and EXW price, and every order is backed by our own factory QC.
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