The PI is signed. The deposit is gone. Then someone on your side wants a thicker wall, a different color, a new logo, or one extra hole. You send a WeChat message. The factory says “OK.” Two weeks later the price has moved, the ship date has slipped, and they want more money for steel that was already ordered. You think you asked for a small tweak. They think you opened a new contract.
This piece is how to treat a mid-stream change as a written amendment — not as a chat.
1. A change is not covered by “as discussed”
The original PI describes one product. Anything that alters material, dimension, finish, packing, certification, or artwork is a new description. If it is not on a dated amendment that both sides accept, you have two files: the PI the bank and the inspector will use, and a message thread only you believe is binding.
Write the change as its own short document or as a numbered addendum to the same PI: old line, new line, who asked for it, date.
2. Four numbers must move with the spec
Do not approve a drawing until these four are restated:
- Price — unit price after the change, or “no change”
- Deposit — extra money now, or the original deposit still covers it
- Ship date — new defined event, not “a bit later”
- Materials already bought — who owns the obsolete parts and who pays to scrap or rework them
If tooling already exists, say whether the mold is altered, who pays the change, and whether the old cavity may still be used for anyone else. A logo swap that needs a new insert is a tooling event, not a printing favor.
3. Freeze artwork and golden samples again
A new color chip, a new label file, or a new firmware version resets the sample trail. The old signed sample no longer judges the bulk. Say that inspection and the claim window run against the amended sample and the amended spec, and attach both. Otherwise the factory will ship to the old PI and tell you the new photo was “for reference.”
4. Who may approve a change
Name one person on your side whose written OK counts. Factory sales staff will take instructions from whoever is awake. A junior buyer’s midnight “yes” is how you inherit a cost you never budgeted. Require the amendment on the same email thread as the PI, in both languages if the PI is bilingual.
The bottom line
After the deposit, a spec change is a new bargain: price, time, materials, and sample all have to be rewritten. A WeChat “OK” is not an amendment. If it is not on the page, the original PI still governs — including the parts you thought you had replaced.
If you need a spec-change addendum written into the PI in English and Chinese, I can prepare the clause and issue a stamped set under our bilingual translation company seal when you need one. See what this covers.
Change-order practice depends on the contract. This article is general sourcing guidance, not legal advice.