Free tools for buying from China, from supplier to delivery

The request writer turns the purpose, size, material, quantity of each variant and destination of an order into a request for quotation in English and Chinese. It adds a table the supplier answers line by line and lists the export, carrier and import points still open. In its example, 500 cups in two variants going to Sydney give a request in both languages.

1. Press Load an example to see a finished request first. Press Clear when you want to start your own.
2. Under What you need, say in your own words what the goods are for, the material and the size. Leave out anything you do not know yet.
3. Under Quantities, add one row for each variant, for example each colour or size.
4. Under Delivery, give the country and the date you need the goods by.
5. Press Write the request. Copy the English and Chinese text, edit it and send it yourself.

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Limits. The preparation points are open questions and do not amount to a compliance result. Shipping from China does not make goods of Chinese origin.

The date planner works back from your target date, using only the durations and calendars you confirm, and gives each step its latest start and finish. In its example, a target date of 1 December 2026 makes 28 October 2026 the latest start for a 7-day sample approval.

1. Press Load an example to see how a plan reads.
2. Enter the date you want the goods and your time zone.
3. Add one row for each step, for example sample, production and shipping. Say how many days it takes and which steps must finish first.
4. Press Work back from the date. Each step shows the latest day it can start.
5. To test a delay, fill in If a step slips and run it again.

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Limits. Dates come only from durations and calendars you confirm. Missing information is listed, and no industry average fills the gap.

The step finder points to the workspace on this page that fits the papers you hold. In its example, holding a quote and new bank details points to two of the eight workspaces, Quotes and Payment. It checks nothing and sends nothing.

1. Tick everything you hold in your hand right now, such as a quote or a proforma invoice.
2. Press Show the next step.
3. Open the tools it points to, in the order shown.

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Limits. This only points to a step. It does not check anything.

The wording reader splits a supplier's message into sentences and marks the making wording, the trading wording, denials and claims reported from someone else, in English or Chinese. In its example, four sentences from a supplier chat are read one by one.

1. Copy what the supplier wrote about itself, from a chat, a profile or an email.
2. Paste it into the box. You can paste several messages at once.
3. Press Read the wording.
4. Read each sentence it lists. A sentence can be misread, so check the sentences yourself.

Unsure about a word? Open the glossary.

Limits. This reads wording only. A supplier calling itself a manufacturer is not evidence of a factory, capacity or site conditions, and this is not a conclusion about the company. It works from keyword lists, so a sentence can be misread either way: read the sentences it lists. It also lists sentences that mention a personal, new or changed account, from a short phrase list. It is a prompt to check, and it is not a verdict. A different way of saying it can be missed. Check the account names in “Does the account name match the seller?”.

The claim matcher lists each factory or capability claim in a supplier's text and states what evidence would support it. It marks each need as covered fully, in part or not at all by the records you enter, and coverage is not proof that a claim is true. In its example, the direct factory claim is covered in part for two needs and not covered for three, and the ISO 9001 claim is not covered.

1. Paste the supplier's statements first, one claim to a sentence.
2. Under Evidence you hold, add a row for each document you have, such as a certificate or a licence.
3. Fill in the scope: the product, the period and the site the claims refer to.
4. Press Map the claims. Each claim shows which evidence covers it and what is still missing.

Unsure about a word? Open the glossary.

Limits. Coverage describes what your records can and cannot establish. It does not say a claim is true, and one business licence does not establish a factory or capacity. Claims are found by fixed patterns, so unusual wording can be missed: the sentences it did not recognise are listed for you.

The quote comparer prices each supplier quote for your quantity and keeps unknown costs apart from zero costs. It gives a lowest total only among quotes with the same Incoterms rule and named place, known costs and a sourced exchange rate. In its example, Beta's 950.00 USD subtotal looks lower than Alpha's 1,900.00 USD total, but Beta's destination port fees are unknown, so only Alpha's total is comparable.

1. Press Load an example to see two quotes compared.
2. Under Your requirement, list what you need to buy and how many.
3. Under Quotes, add one quote for each supplier with its prices and other costs.
4. Add exchange rates only if the quotes use different currencies.
5. Press Compare the quotes. Read which quotes can be compared and what each costs once everything is counted.

Unsure about a word? Open the glossary.

Limits. A known subtotal is not a final price. The lowest comparable total goes only to quotes with the same scope, known costs and a sourced exchange rate. Nothing here scores or ranks suppliers, and it does not pick one for you.

Chargeable weight is the larger of a shipment's actual weight and its volumetric weight under the carrier's own rule. In its example, a 60 × 40 × 50 cm carton of 12.5 kg has a volumetric weight of 24.00 kg at the carrier's divisor of 5000. Under the per-carton rule, 10 such cartons are charged at 240.00 kg.

1. Weigh one packed carton and enter the weight in kg.
2. Measure the length, width and height in cm, and enter the number of cartons.
3. Ask the carrier for its divisor and enter it.
4. Press Work out the weight. It shows the volume weight and the chargeable weight under the carrier's rule you chose.

Unsure about a word? Open the glossary.

Limits. Carriers set their own divisor and rule. Use the figures on the carrier's own quote.

The order comparer sets two versions of a proforma invoice or contract side by side and lists each change with its before and after. It marks every protection the newer version removes. In its example, PI-001 v2 changes the quantity from 100 to 1,000 and removes the balance trigger “after inspection passes”.

1. Fill in the earlier version first: its name, its date and the fields and lines it contains.
2. Fill in the new version the same way. Give the same Line id to the same line in both versions.
3. Add cancellations and your own decisions if you have any.
4. Press Compare the versions. Every change is listed, with a note on what to re-check.

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Limits. A re-uploaded file is not the effective version until you record a decision for each change. This does not judge why the other side changed anything.

The tooling ledger records for each mould or tool who paid, who holds it, what was agreed about ownership and exclusive use, and where it has been. The five stay separate because paying for a mould does not establish that you own it.

1. Add one row for each mould or tool you paid for.
2. Say what it is, who made it and who holds it now.
3. Record what was agreed in writing, and any payments.
4. Press Check the ledger. It lists what is missing before you can say you own the tool.

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Limits. Paying for a mould does not establish that you own it. Transfer permission and legal rights need checking by a professional. The ledger records what was agreed and what evidence exists.

The payment timeline lays out the schedule by condition, your recorded payments, the refunds received and the net amount out. In its example, a 10,000 USD order with a 30% deposit of 3,000 USD recorded as paid leaves a 7,000 USD balance. That balance waits on a condition, an accepted inspection report, that is not yet evidenced.

1. Enter the order total, the currency and the version.
2. Add the payment schedule, one row for each step such as deposit and balance.
3. Add each payment you made and each refund, with the date and how you know.
4. Press Lay out the timeline. It shows what was planned, what is paid and what is still owed.

Unsure about a word? Open the glossary.

Limits. This is not a payment clearance. It does not say a payment is due, wise or protected. A screenshot is your own record, and a refund counts only once it is received.

The inspection record keeps the approved baseline, each observation, your decisions and the state of every defect apart. In its example, a cup height of 95 mm with a tolerance of 1 mm is measured at 97.2 mm on a sample of 20 units. The record marks it outside tolerance and describes only those 20 units.

1. Under Baseline, write down the approved sample: who approved it, when, and the checks with their target values.
2. Under What was observed, add the measurements found at inspection.
3. Add your decisions and any defects.
4. Press Assess the inspection. It shows what was measured against the approved baseline.

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Limits. Results describe only the units checked and say nothing about the rest of the batch. This does not accept or release a batch and does not choose a sampling plan or AQL: that comes from your agreement or an inspector.

The shipment check compares the quantities on the invoice, the packing list and the transport document with the order lines, and lists what is still to ship. In its example, 600 of 1,000 red cups are on the shipment, the 400 plates have not shipped, and the packing list shows 12 boxes of 50.

1. Enter the order lines and what this shipment carries.
2. Add each shipping document, such as the invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading, with its lines.
3. Add the transport events you have evidence for, and the free period if you know it.
4. Press Reconcile the shipment. It lists the differences between the documents and the order.

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Limits. Documents that agree do not show the goods have cleared customs or been released. This check compares quantities only. It does not compare prices, amounts or weights. Booking, label, pickup, arrival, clearance, release and delivery are separate events, each with its own source.

The certificate check compares what a certificate says with what the order says: holder, model, site, standard, type and validity. In its example, the holder and the EN 71-1 standard match, model CUP-200 is not listed and the certified site differs from the order's site.

1. Enter the details written on the certificate: issuer, number, holder, standard, models and dates.
2. Enter what the order needs: the legal entity, the models, the site and the standard.
3. Press Compare the document. It shows which items agree and which do not.
4. Confirm the certificate with the issuer yourself. This tool only compares what is written.

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Limits. This compares what the document says with what the order says. It does not prove the document is genuine, that the product complies or that it may be sold.

The receiving record counts quantities per line across deliveries and keeps each issue and its evidence apart. It works out a notice date only from a term you enter. In its example, 600 of 1,000 cups shipped in the first delivery and 580 were received, a shortfall of 20 pieces.

1. Enter the order lines, then each shipment sent to you.
2. Add each delivery you received, with the date and who signed for it.
3. If something is wrong, add a problem with what is wrong, the date you found it and your evidence.
4. Press Assess the delivery. It builds a problem file and works out dates only from the terms you entered.

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Limits. This gives no chance of winning and no ruling on who is at fault. A notice date is the date written in the term you entered. It does not mark the end of your rights. Nothing is sent from this page.

The project record shows each need, each supplier’s own order, what has arrived and what has shipped in one view, and splits shared costs to the cent. In its example, three needs of 400 red cups, 200 blue cups and 400 plates are ordered from two suppliers. Alpha takes 300 red and 200 blue cups, and Beta takes 100 red cups and 400 plates.

1. Enter the project: buyer, purpose, destination and target date.
2. List what you need, then add each supplier and its order.
3. Add deliveries, shipments and shared costs as they happen.
4. Press Build the project record. Use the export option to make a copy for someone else. Nothing is saved for you: to keep what you typed, use “Save what you typed” under the form.

Unsure about a word? Open the glossary.

Limits. The project is a view. Each supplier's order stays its own agreement and is paid, cancelled and settled on its own. Stages of quantity are never added into stock, and a shared-cost split is a planning figure with no standing as a customs value. Each name or order in a split gets a short plain-text share to copy. It is not an invoice, and it does not cover what a person owes for their own goods. The copy for a recipient is prepared for a supplier, an inspector or an agent. It is not made for a co-buyer.