Quality control and inspection in China
We inspect your goods in China before they leave the country. Three points of intervention, random sampling to the AQL standard and a detailed photographic report — you approve the shipment on that report, never on the supplier’s word alone.
- 3
- control points: before production, in line, before shipment
- AQL
- random sampling, acceptance thresholds agreed before the inspection
- Report
- photographic, delivered before you authorise the shipment
- 01
Before production
Materials and reference sample approved — the sample both parties sign and keep. It becomes the benchmark against which every later check is made.
- 02
During production
We step in once 20 to 30% of the pieces are out. A defect caught at this stage can still be corrected on the rest of the run; caught later, it already affects the whole order.
- 03
Before shipment
Random sampling to the AQL levels, from cartons chosen by the inspector rather than presented by the factory. The photographic report reaches you before you approve shipment.
Why everything is decided before shipment
While the goods are still in China, a defect can be negotiated: the factory reworks the run, replaces the pieces, adjusts the balance. Once the container has sailed, the balance of power reverses — you have paid, the product is thousands of miles away, and returning it costs more than writing it off.
That is the whole point of pre-shipment inspection: it places the check at the last moment where you still hold leverage. The unpaid balance and goods still on Chinese soil are your only real arguments.
The AQL standard, in plain terms
Checking one hundred per cent of a ten-thousand-piece order is not realistic. The AQL standard — Acceptable Quality Limit — sets how many pieces to sample for a given lot size, and how many defects it takes for the lot to be rejected.
Three categories of defect are distinguished: critical (safety, regulatory compliance), major (the product does not do its job or cannot be sold) and minor (visible deviation with no consequence in use). Acceptance thresholds are agreed with you before the inspection, not after: that is what makes the verdict enforceable against the supplier.
The inspector picks the cartons from stock himself. A sample presented by the factory carries no statistical value.
What the report contains
- Photographs of the sampled pieces, from several angles, alongside the reference sample
- Recorded measurements and any deviations found
- Condition of packaging, labelling and markings
- Quantity count and verification of references
- Defects found, sorted by category, with the verdict against the agreed thresholds
You receive this report before giving your approval to ship. It is the document that turns a conversation about quality into a written finding.
Already have your supplier?
Inspection can be ordered on its own, without changing anything in your supply chain. You keep your factory, your freight forwarder and your terms; we step in on the control only.
That is often how our relationships begin: a doubt about one order, a single inspection, then broader support once trust is established.
- Measurements and dimensions
- Finish and appearance
- Markings and logos
- Packaging compliance
- Regulatory labelling
- Quantity and count
A defect found before or after shipment
| Before shipment | After delivery | |
|---|---|---|
| Correction | On the rest of the run | Impossible, the goods are with you |
| Cost | Absorbed by the factory | Yours to carry |
| Leverage | The balance is unpaid | You have already paid |
| Delay | A few days of production | A whole new order |
Frequently asked questions
- Can you inspect at a supplier we found ourselves?
- Yes, and it is a common request. Inspection requires no change of supplier and no intermediary: we work on your order, at your factory, and hand you the report. The commercial relationship stays yours.
- What happens if the inspection finds a defect?
- The report records the finding against the agreed thresholds. Depending on the nature of the defect, three outcomes: rework of the run by the factory, sorting and replacement of the non-conforming pieces, or renegotiation of the balance. The decision is yours — our job is to let you take it knowing the facts, and before the goods leave.
- How many pieces are actually checked?
- It depends on the lot size and the inspection level chosen, following the AQL tables. What matters is not the absolute number but the method: random sampling, from cartons the inspector selects, gives a statistically sound picture of the whole production. Thirty well-sampled pieces are worth more than three hundred presented by the factory.
An order you need checked?
Tell us about your product, your supplier and the planned shipping date. We will come back to you with an inspection plan matched to your order.
Each service can be commissioned on its own, or alongside the others.