Yearly Archives: 2026
The Sample Fee Is Not Automatically Deducted from the Bulk Order
You pay $180 for samples. The salesperson says “we will deduct it from the first bulk PO.” The bulk PI arrives three months later...
Partial Shipments from a China Factory: Allow Them in Writing, or They Will Split the Order Anyway
The PI says 5,000 pieces in one shipment. Capacity is tight, a color is late, or the container does not fill. The factory ships...
Who Pays for the Inspection? If the PI Doesn’t Say, You Will Argue About It at the Dock
You want a third-party check before the balance. The factory says “no problem.” Nobody writes who books the inspector, who pays the fee, and...
A Spec Change After You Paid the Deposit Is a New Deal — Write It Before They Cut
The PI is signed. The deposit is gone. Then someone on your side wants a thicker wall, a different color, a new logo, or...
Packing and Shipping Marks Belong on the PI — Not in a WeChat Photo of a Carton
The product clause gets the argument. The packing line gets a shrug: “export carton, standard packing.” Then the container arrives with no PO number...
Governing Law on a China Factory PI: If You Leave It Blank, You Don’t Get Your Home Court by Default
The last block on a PI is often copied from the last PI. “English law, courts of London.” “California law.” Or nothing at all....
The Deposit You Sent a China Factory Is Not Automatically Refundable
Thirty percent down, seventy against the bill of lading. That split is common. What is not common is a sentence that says when the...
If the PI Has No Claim Window, a Quality Complaint After Arrival Is Just an Email
The container lands. You open a carton, find a defect, and write the factory. They reply that the goods left in good condition, that...
Late Delivery from a China Factory: If the Penalty Isn’t on the PI, You Don’t Have One
A supplier misses the ship date. You send a sharp email. They apologize, blame a subcontractor, and offer a small discount on the next...
Product Liability Insurance When You Import from China — The Policy Has to Name You, Not Just the Factory
A factory that emails a “product liability insurance certificate” is not the same thing as you being covered when a customer in California or...
A Letter of Credit Pays Documents, Not the Story You Told the Factory
A letter of credit feels safer than a raw wire because a bank is in the middle. That is only half true. Under ordinary...
Force Majeure in a China Factory Contract Is Not a Blanket Excuse for Being Late
After a port jam, a power cut, or a sudden holiday extension, some suppliers reach for one sentence: force majeure. Used correctly, it is...
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