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 what happens if the lot fails. Then the inspector is at the gate, the invoice is in your inbox, and the supplier says inspection was your idea — so it is your cost. Or they paid, failed, and now they want you to pay for the re-inspection of the remake.
This piece is the inspection-cost clause, not how to choose an AQL.
1. Three jobs that get mixed into one sentence
Split them on the PI:
- Who books — you, the factory, or either side from an agreed list (SGS, BV, QIMA, or a named local firm)
- Who pays the first inspection
- Who pays a re-inspection if the first visit fails
“Inspection required before shipment” without those three lines is only a wish. The factory can still ship and tell you to inspect at destination — which is too late for the balance you already released.
2. A split that factories will often sign
A pattern that usually survives negotiation:
- first pre-shipment inspection: buyer books and pays (you control the date and the firm)
- if the lot fails against the written AQL / golden sample: factory pays the remake and the re-inspection
- if the inspector arrives and the goods are not ready through the factory’s fault: factory pays the wasted visit
- if you change the date after the visit is booked: you pay the cancellation fee
Do not ask them to prepay every inspection on a first order. They will inflate the unit price to bury it. Do not accept “we inspect ourselves, photos tomorrow.” That is not a third party.
3. Tie payment to a passed report
The cost clause only works if the balance clause matches it: balance due within X days of a passed report, not of a packing photo. Name the report (firm, date, PO number) as the trigger. If inspection is destination-only, say so — and accept that you are paying to document a problem you can no longer stop at the dock.
4. What the booking email should repeat
Send the inspector the same spec the PI uses: AQL, golden-sample reference, quantity, address. A cheap inspection against the wrong drawing is money spent to bless the wrong goods. Put “inspector may take photos and carton counts from random bales” in the PI so the workshop cannot limit the visit to a pre-selected table.
The bottom line
Inspection is a service with a price and a consequence. Write who books, who pays the first visit, who pays the re-check after a fail, and which report releases the balance. If those lines are missing, the argument starts when the inspector is already on site.
If you need the inspection-booking and cost wording 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.
Inspection firms and AQL rules vary by product. This article is general sourcing guidance, not legal advice.