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Free checklist
The before-you-pay checklist for China suppliers
Read the six checks first. Then mark what the supplier has actually proven before you send any money.
Read this first
What to confirm before you pay a 1688 supplier
Go through each group. An item you cannot confirm counts as unknown until the supplier answers it.
01
Supplier
Confirm you are paying a real, traceable supplier. A thin reseller or a scam fails this check.Self-check: Visible company name and business scope. Shop history, transaction record, and response behavior. Payment stays on-platform (no personal-account transfer). Willing to share samples, certificates, or production photos.
02
Product match
Confirm the listing is really your product, not just a similar photo.Self-check: Material, function, and variant match your target product. Source-match the URL, screenshot, or keyword to the right listing. Certificates needed for your category are available.
03
MOQ & cash
Confirm the minimum order is realistic for a first test batch.Self-check: Supplier MOQ vs your first-order quantity. Whether MOQ applies per SKU, color, or size. First-batch cash exposure against expected margin.
04
Package & shipping
Confirm the carton data before you ask for a freight quote.Self-check: Carton dimensions, weight, and CBM / volumetric weight. Air vs sea vs consolidation route fit. Receiving, prep, and 3PL/FBA handoff readiness.
05
Customs & landed cost
Confirm the HS code, duty and VAT/GST. These change the real cost.Self-check: HS / HTS / TARIC code and covered products. Destination import duty and VAT/GST (official-source, not a fixed rate). Who pays freight and duty under the Incoterm (FOB, DDP).
06
Restricted & evidence
Confirm the product is allowed and that China-side evidence will exist.Self-check: Restricted-product, platform, and carrier review. Batteries, liquids, magnets, branded/IP, child or food-contact risk. China receiving photos and warehouse evidence plan.
Interactive checklist
Record what you have checked
Your checklist
Record what is proven before you pay
Product clue
Find and confirm the product you are checking
Use a link, image or product name. The confirmed product anchors this checklist, but it does not mark evidence received, verify the supplier or approve payment.
Needs evidence. 0 of 19 evidence items received. Collect the missing evidence before you pay.
How sure is this result?
Result summary
This records what you have marked. It does not check the supplier for you, and it does not mean the order is safe to pay.
More information needed
- Confidence
- Low
- Basis
- Input completeness
- Ruleset
- Before-you-pay checklist · version 2
- Input status
- Incomplete
- Ruleset status
- Not applicable
- Evidence status
- Missing
- Provider
- Available
Missing information
- Visible company name and business scope
- Shop history, transaction record, and response behavior
- Payment stays on-platform (no personal-account transfer)
- Willing to share samples, certificates, or production photos
- Material, function, and variant match your target product
- Source-match the URL, screenshot, or keyword to the right listing
- Certificates needed for your category are available
- Supplier MOQ vs your first-order quantity
- Whether MOQ applies per SKU, color, or size
- First-batch cash exposure against expected margin
- Carton dimensions, weight, and CBM / volumetric weight
- Air vs sea vs consolidation route fit
- Receiving, prep, and 3PL/FBA handoff readiness
- HS / HTS / TARIC code and covered products
- Destination import duty and VAT/GST (official-source, not a fixed rate)
- Who pays freight and duty under the Incoterm (FOB, DDP)
- Restricted-product, platform, and carrier review
- Batteries, liquids, magnets, branded/IP, child or food-contact risk
- China receiving photos and warehouse evidence plan
Evidence needed
- Visible company name and business scope
- Shop history, transaction record, and response behavior
- Payment stays on-platform (no personal-account transfer)
- Willing to share samples, certificates, or production photos
- Material, function, and variant match your target product
- Source-match the URL, screenshot, or keyword to the right listing
- Certificates needed for your category are available
- Supplier MOQ vs your first-order quantity
- Whether MOQ applies per SKU, color, or size
- First-batch cash exposure against expected margin
- Carton dimensions, weight, and CBM / volumetric weight
- Air vs sea vs consolidation route fit
- Receiving, prep, and 3PL/FBA handoff readiness
- HS / HTS / TARIC code and covered products
- Destination import duty and VAT/GST (official-source, not a fixed rate)
- Who pays freight and duty under the Incoterm (FOB, DDP)
- Restricted-product, platform, and carrier review
- Batteries, liquids, magnets, branded/IP, child or food-contact risk
- China receiving photos and warehouse evidence plan
Questions to answer
- What evidence supports Visible company name and business scope?
- What evidence supports Shop history, transaction record, and response behavior?
- What evidence supports Payment stays on-platform (no personal-account transfer)?
- What evidence supports Willing to share samples, certificates, or production photos?
- What evidence supports Material, function, and variant match your target product?
- What evidence supports Source-match the URL, screenshot, or keyword to the right listing?
- What evidence supports Certificates needed for your category are available?
- What evidence supports Supplier MOQ vs your first-order quantity?
Assumptions
- Buyer-reported checklist state
Next action
Collect the missing evidence before you pay.
Stop signals
Red flags that should pause payment
Any one of these should pause payment until the supplier explains it.
Asks you to pay off-platform
A request to wire money to a personal account, WeChat, or another channel outside the platform changes the payment evidence and dispute path. Pause and verify the order and payee before proceeding.How to check
Keep payment on 1688, tied to an order. When we buy for you, you pay us and we pay the supplier.
Price far below every comparable listing
A listing far below the available comparable set may be a different specification or an accessory, and sometimes it is a tier price or an incomplete listing. Price alone does not prove a scam or a true match.How to check
Compare the offer against the available match set and verify specification, tier, MOQ, and included parts.
Quality return rate worse than peers
A return or after-sales signal that is materially worse than relevant peers deserves investigation, but no universal percentage predicts the outcome of your order.How to check
Compare available peer signals, then request a sample, acceptance criteria, and China-side QC evidence.
Trader posing as a factory
Resellers marked up as “factories” add margin without adding control. That is not fatal, but you should know who actually makes the goods before negotiating price or quality terms.How to check
Ask for the business licence. Compare the registered scope and address with the shop name.
Listing carries a patent / brand mark
A patent-flagged or brand-adjacent listing can clear China and still be seized at your destination, or get your marketplace account suspended for IP infringement.How to check
Confirm you have the right to sell the design in your market. Branded look-alikes can be seized at customs.
Refuses samples, certificates, or production photos
A supplier unwilling to evidence the product before a bulk payment is asking you to carry all the risk. Photos on the listing prove nothing about your batch.How to check
Order a sample before the bulk order. A supplier who will not send one is telling you something.
Your result
How to read the result
Evidence beats claims
Only mark an item as received when you have seen the proof, such as a licence photo or a carton label. A supplier saying yes counts as a claim.One red flag outweighs progress
If any warning sign applies, the result says stop, even with every other item done.Missing is normal early on
Most buyers start with gaps. Use the supplier messages below to fill them.Done is not a guarantee
A full checklist lowers avoidable risk. It cannot promise quality, duty or delivery.
Good fit
When to use it
Use it after you have picked a supplier and before you send any money. It is most useful for a first order with a new seller.
Your answers stay on this device, so you can come back to it while you wait for the supplier.
Ask the supplier
Copy-paste messages that collect the evidence
Send the Chinese version on 1688 chat. The English version shows you what it says.
Ask for the business license & certificates
Before any payment. Confirms you're dealing with a real company.
Chinese · paste this into 1688 chat
你好，我们是海外采购商，下单前需要核实贵司资质。方便发一下营业执照和这款产品的相关认证（如质检报告）吗？谢谢。
English · what it says
Hello, we are an overseas buyer. Before ordering we need to verify your company. Could you share your business license and any certificates or test reports for this product? Thank you.
Ask for carton data (for freight quotes)
Before requesting any shipping quote. Freight needs real numbers.
Chinese · paste this into 1688 chat
请问这款产品的装箱数据方便发一下吗？需要外箱尺寸（长宽高）、单箱毛重、每箱装多少个，我们要计算国际运费。
English · what it says
Could you send the packing data for this product? We need the carton dimensions (L×W×H), gross weight per carton, and units per carton to calculate international freight.
Ask about samples before bulk
When photos can't prove material or build quality.
Chinese · paste this into 1688 chat
我们想先拿样品确认品质，再下批量订单。请问样品怎么收费？后续下大货的话样品费可以抵扣吗？
English · what it says
We'd like to check a sample before placing a bulk order. What is the sample cost, and can it be credited against the bulk order later?
Ask for real photos & stock status
When the listing photos look like renders or stock images.
Chinese · paste this into 1688 chat
方便发几张产品和包装的实拍照片吗？另外想确认一下现货库存情况，和详情页是否一致。
English · what it says
Could you send a few real photos of the product and its packaging? We'd also like to confirm current stock matches the listing.
Questions
Before-you-pay checklist: common questions
What should I check before paying a 1688 supplier?
Before transferring money, confirm six things. The supplier should be real and traceable, and the listing should match your product. Check that the MOQ is realistic for a test batch and that package data is ready for a freight quote. You also need to understand the HS code and destination duty/VAT, and to know the product is not restricted. Keep payment behind this check rather than paying on trust.
What are the biggest red flags when buying from 1688?
The biggest stop signal is a request to pay off-platform, to a personal account or by chat transfer. Next come a price far below every comparable listing and a 30-day quality return rate worse than category peers. Also stop for a reseller posing as a factory, a patent- or brand-flagged listing, or a supplier who refuses samples, certificates, or production photos before bulk payment. Any one of these should pause payment until it is explained.
Is this checklist a guarantee my order will succeed?
No. The checklist reduces avoidable risk by making missing fields and red flags visible before payment. It does not guarantee supplier quality, exact duty or tax, customs clearance, freight price, delivery time, or sales performance.
Can I get the duty or landed cost from this page?
This page tells you what to confirm. The duty and landed cost depend on your destination country's official tariff and your product's classification. Use the landed-cost calculator and the official source for your market to estimate it. There is no fixed rate.
Can Supplymo check the supplier for me?
Yes. Send the listing for a free supplier check. Our team in Yiwu looks at the seller and the listing and tells you what is still missing before you pay. If you want us to buy for you, ask for a free quote.
Guides
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Want us to check the supplier for you?
Send the product link, the quantity and where it ships. Our Yiwu team checks the seller and the listing, then tells you what is still missing before you pay. The check is free.