Search buyer questions about suppliers, orders, and freight.

Does a low MOQ make a bulky product economical to import?

No. MOQ describes the supplier's minimum order, not your landed economics. A small bulky order can carry LCL minimums, origin and destination handling, customs work, residential delivery, equipment, insurance, and damage exposure. Get packed CBM and weight, then compare a live door-delivered estimate with a local alternative.

What to check

• Packed CBM, weight, and number of packages
• Origin, freight, destination, and delivery charges
• Classification, duty, and importer responsibilities
• Insurance and damage remedy

Does a small trial order still need product-compliance checks?

Often, yes. Order size does not by itself remove product rules for goods placed on a market. Start with the destination, product category, intended user, materials, labels, and claims. Then determine which tests, certificates, technical records, or responsible-party duties apply before deciding whether the trial remains economical.

What to check

• Destination market and intended use
• Applicable product and chemical rules
• Who issues or holds required compliance records
• Whether the production unit matches the tested construction

Should I pay by bank transfer if an Alibaba supplier refuses platform payment for a sample?

Treat the request as a change in risk, not an automatic verdict. Confirm the registered entity, bank beneficiary, sample specification, delivery terms, refund or replacement terms, and why platform payment is unavailable. Payment outside Alibaba generally removes the platform order record and its related protection, so decide whether the sample justifies that exposure.

What to check

• Legal company name and bank beneficiary match
• Written sample specification and delivery promise
• Refund, replacement, and defect terms
• Whether a retail channel better fits a one-off purchase

The supplier promised DDP in chat, but the order says EXW. Which term should I rely on?

Do not proceed with contradictory delivery terms. EXW and DDP allocate very different tasks, costs, and import responsibilities. Ask the supplier to amend the order so the agreed Incoterms® 2020 rule, named place, delivery address, importer arrangement, charges, and exclusions appear together before payment or shipment.

What to check

• The Incoterms® rule and version
• The precise named place or delivery address
• Who acts as importer of record
• Duties, taxes, clearance, and final-delivery exclusions

The supplier raised freight after my deposit. Is that normal?

Freight can change when an early estimate becomes a packed shipment or when a quote expires, but a large increase still needs evidence. Request the final packing list, measured dimensions, chargeable weight, route, service level, quote validity, and carrier or forwarder breakdown. Compare like for like before accepting the increase.

What to check

• Original quote and validity period
• Final packed dimensions and weight
• Same route, method, Incoterm, and delivery scope
• Carrier or forwarder charge breakdown

What does Trade Assurance protect if an order arrives defective?

Trade Assurance is tied to the terms and evidence in the Alibaba order; it is not a blanket product warranty or automatic refund. Record measurable specifications, inspection criteria, delivery terms, and remedies before payment. If goods arrive defective, preserve the order, messages, inspection evidence, photos, test method, and applicable dispute deadline.

What to check

• The specification and remedy written into the order
• On-platform communications and payment record
• Inspection and test evidence tied to the agreed standard
• The current dispute window shown for the order

Why can a light product be billed at a much higher shipping weight?

Carriers may charge the greater of physical weight and volumetric weight, which reflects the space a packed box occupies. Ask for the final carton dimensions, physical weight, divisor, rounding rule, and packing photos. If repacking could help, confirm who can do it and what protection is lost by reducing packaging.

What to check

• Final packed length, width, and height
• Physical and volumetric weight calculation
• Carrier divisor and rounding rule
• Repacking authority, fee, and damage exposure

Why do several suppliers use the same factory photos and product videos?

Shared media can come from a common factory, catalog distribution, a trading relationship, copied listings, or unauthorized reuse. It does not identify who made or controls the product. Check the exact legal entity, ask who owns the factory relationship, request current sample evidence, and verify the product version before payment.

What to check

• Exact registered entity and business scope
• Relationship to the factory or stock owner
• Current dated sample or live product evidence
• Whether the inspected goods match the ordered version

Why is the supplier's quote higher than the Alibaba listing?

A higher quote is not automatically a scam. The listing may refer to a different quantity tier, material, size, grade, packaging, or delivery basis. Ask the supplier to itemize the exact configuration, MOQ, customization, packing, Incoterm, and freight so you can compare the quote with the listing on the same basis.

What to check

• Exact SKU, material, grade, and dimensions
• Quantity tier and setup or tooling charges
• Packaging and certification requirements
• Incoterm, named place, and freight exclusions

Why would a supplier try to cancel an independent inspection?

Inspection resistance is not proof of fraud, but it removes an evidence point you chose and paid for. Do not authorize shipment or release the remaining balance while the cancellation is unresolved. Contact the inspection company using details you verified yourself, confirm who requested the cancellation, and get the reason in writing. Save the booking, specification, packaging standard, and order terms together.

What to check

• Who requested or authorized the cancellation
• The inspector's booking and scope
• The approved specification and packaging checklist
• The written shipment and payment-release terms

A supplier asked for an unexpected customs fee. Is it a scam?

The amount alone cannot answer that. Verify the event: match the tracking number, carrier or customs notice, consignee, declared value, fee description, and official payment path. Ask for the original notice rather than a screenshot summary. A real clearance charge can exist, but the supplier's story should still match independent records.

What to check

• Carrier tracking and shipment identity
• Original customs or carrier notice
• Consignee, declared value, and fee description
• Payment recipient and official payment route

Is one piece of furniture still cheaper after delivery from China?

Sometimes, but the product price is the wrong comparison. Obtain packed CBM and weight, then add pickup, export handling, freight, insurance, destination charges, customs work, duty, and final delivery. One large item can be economical when it is valuable or unavailable locally, but the route must be priced door to door.

What to check

• Packed CBM, weight, and packaging method
• Origin and destination handling
• Customs, duty, and delivery equipment
• Insurance, inspection, and damage remedy

Is the cheapest shipping method still cheapest if the packing is weak?

Not necessarily. A low rate can become expensive if the carrier will not accept the parcel, a handoff adds fees, or domestic packaging cannot survive the route. Check current size and weight limits, every transfer, packaging standard, moisture and impact exposure, insurance, and the damage-claim process before comparing the headline rate.

What to check

• Current carrier acceptance and size limits
• Cross-border and last-mile handoffs
• Packaging matched to the product and route
• Insurance exclusions and damage-claim evidence

Should I combine orders from several Chinese suppliers into one shipment?

Consolidation can reduce shipment fragmentation, but it adds a warehouse, timing, document, and cargo-control problem. Before choosing it, ask a forwarder how each supplier hands over goods, who appears on export and import documents, what can travel together, how long goods may wait, and how loss or damage is handled.

What to check

• Warehouse receipt and release controls
• Shipper, exporter, and document responsibilities
• Cargo compatibility and restricted-goods screening
• Storage, consolidation, insurance, and exception fees

What does a fulfillment agent need before giving a useful quote?

Give the agent an operating brief, not only a daily order count. Include product category, SKU count, packed dimensions and weight, destination mix, order volume, storage profile, receiving checks, inspection sampling, system needs, cut-off times, returns, exception handling, and every fee you want separated in the quote.

What to check

• SKU, inventory, and destination profile
• Receiving, QC, packing, and dispatch scope
• Systems, reporting, service levels, and exception handling
• Complete fee schedule, claims process, and data ownership

What evidence matters if a machine performs below the listing claim?

The strongest evidence compares a measurable promise in your order with a repeatable test under agreed conditions. Put output rate, materials, tolerances, setup, test duration, acceptance method, and remedy in the purchase document. A screenshot from another seller or a broad marketing claim is much harder to connect to this supplier's obligation.

What to check

• A measurable performance specification in the order
• The supplier's stated test conditions
• A repeatable acceptance test and competent inspector
• The written remedy for non-conformance

Why can the same supplier charge different prices on Alibaba and in Yiwu?

A channel price gap does not prove overcharging. The offers may differ in quantity, product grade, tax treatment, payment cost, packaging, warranty, or export service. Compare the exact SKU and written terms first. If those match, ask for an itemized explanation and negotiate from the comparable offer rather than the headline percentage gap.

What to check

• Exact SKU, grade, and condition
• Quantity and payment method
• Packaging, warranty, and quality-control scope
• Delivery basis and export services included

How can I verify that a custom part will fit before it leaves China?

Approve a controlled drawing before production, including dimensions, tolerances, material, interfaces, and revision number. Define how each critical measurement will be checked, then use a sample or inspection against that document. Photos can confirm appearance; they cannot reliably establish fit where a few millimetres matter.

What to check

• Approved drawing and revision number
• Critical tolerances and measurement method
• Material and surface-finish evidence
• Prototype, fit test, or inspection record

Why are refurbished phones with the same model name priced so differently?

The model name does not describe the condition of each unit. Price can reflect region, capacity, battery health, repair history, component originality, cosmetic grade, locks, software support, or warranty. Define an acceptance checklist for the exact model number and inspect a sample batch; supplier identity alone cannot establish unit condition.

What to check

• Exact model number, region, capacity, and lock status
• Battery, display, camera, and component tests
• Repair, liquid-contact, and cosmetic grading method
• Warranty, returns, and batch sampling