How to import from China: supplier and payment checks

Establish who you are actually buying from

A storefront, catalogue or email can use a trading name. Ask which legal entity will sign the contract and where it is registered. For a mainland Chinese company, get its registered Chinese name and 18-character Unified Social Credit Code. Hong Kong and other overseas entities use different registers.

A sales contact, contract seller and payment recipient can be different parties. Get the link in writing. Who owes delivery? Who may receive the money? A mismatch needs explanation; it does not by itself prove fraud.

Ask for a photo of the business licence (营业执照). Read the registered name and code from it. Check both against the public record. Both steps matter: the licence tells you what to search for, the register tells you whether it is current. How to run that check, and who holds the register.

A licence photo the supplier sent you is a document the supplier produced. It is a starting point, never the confirmation.

Agree the terms that define “delivered” and “acceptable”

Write down the delivery terms and product acceptance criteria before production starts.

Where delivery and risk transfer. An Incoterms rule allocates delivery tasks, costs and risk at a stated place. It does not decide when ownership transfers or resolve product quality. Record title and acceptance terms separately.

What counts as conforming. “Stainless steel” alone leaves the grade and required performance unclear. Grade, tolerance, finish, packaging, labelling and the approved sample all belong in writing before tooling starts. After production the only question anyone can argue about is whether the goods match what was agreed. What a specification has to pin down.

Know which document proves what

A first import generates a stack of paper. Only a few pieces of it carry weight, and each carries a different kind:

Proforma invoice: a draft used to confirm the proposed deal before payment. Compare its seller and any payment instructions with the contract; missing bank details need separate instructions and checks. What to check on a proforma invoice.

Purchase order: your instruction, and the place your specification and terms live. What belongs on the purchase order.

Commercial invoice and packing list: what customs reads. Values and descriptions here have consequences beyond the shipment. How these two must line up.

Bill of lading: a transport document whose type and release arrangements matter. Confirm the consignee, document status and carrier’s release requirements; a name alone does not establish entitlement to collect cargo. What a bill of lading does and does not prove.

Check the payment beneficiary against the contracting party

Compare the beneficiary in the payment instructions with the contract seller. A different company, person or country does not by itself prove fraud. Get the reason in writing. Check it through a known channel before the wire. A matching name still does not prove who controls the account.

A wire cannot be reversed simply because you request it. If you think funds went to the wrong account, call your bank at once. Ask about a recall or hold. Recovery depends on timing and the banks involved. Check the beneficiary and payment instructions before sending.

A supplier may cite a frozen account, a year-end audit or a “temporary” payee. Ask for proof through a known channel. Urgency is no reason to skip the check.

Decide who looks at the goods before they ship

Paperwork alone does not show what is in the cartons. Choose checks to match the written spec, approved sample and product risks. Agree who performs them and what evidence is needed before release. What pre-shipment inspection covers, and what it does not.

For a small trial, decide what loss you can afford and what checks remain necessary. A small order does not remove product-safety or import requirements.

What this page deliberately does not tell you

Three parts of importing are genuinely country-specific and change frequently. Getting them from a general guide is how people end up with the wrong number in a costing sheet:

Duty and tax rates depend on your country and the product’s tariff classification. Trade measures in force on the day of entry also matter. They are a question for your customs broker or your national customs authority, not for a guide written elsewhere. (For one recent change that affects eligible EU-bound distance sales up to €150, see the EU €3 customs duty explainer.)

Transit times and freight rates move with season, lane and capacity. A forwarder quoting your actual lane this week is the only reliable source.

Product compliance, including certification, labelling and restricted-material rules, is set by the destination market. It is often the difference between goods clearing and goods being held. Establish the requirement before you order, not after the container arrives.

This verification service reports the Chinese records it can obtain, with source and date. It does not arrange shipping, clear customs or quote freight. The separate sourcing desk has its own trade terms.

Where to start if you have a supplier in front of you

Start with the name and identifier on the business licence, then compare the contract, invoice and payment instructions. Company records support the identity check. Bank-account control needs separate evidence; it is not a public-registry result.

Read the company registration guide

Every line we deliver names its source and the date it was queried, and states what it cannot show. A dated registry record can support checks of registered identity and status. It is not a judgement on whether a supplier is a good one to work with.