Insight details
A pre-shipment inspection gives a buyer evidence about a defined batch of goods. The next decision still belongs to the buyer: what must be corrected, what must be checked again, and which goods, if any, can move.
Use this checklist before booking the visit and when reviewing the report. It is intended for buyers arranging finished-product checks on China orders; the exact tests, sampling plan and acceptance criteria depend on the product and destination. It does not replace product-specific laboratory testing or required conformity assessment.
Before the visit: make the order inspectable
Agree the following with the supplier and inspection provider before the inspector travels. A finished order is not necessarily ready for a meaningful inspection.
| Confirm | Give the inspector | Resolve before the visit |
|---|---|---|
| Order and batch | PO or PI number, supplier, factory address, SKU list and quantities | Which goods belong to this visit? Are any SKUs unfinished or stored elsewhere? |
| Product reference | Approved specification, drawings, sample reference and revision | Which requirement takes priority if a photo, sample and drawing disagree? |
| Inspection method | Checks, sampling plan, defect definitions, tolerances and reporting needs | What equipment, assembly, power supply or test conditions must be available? |
| Packing and labels | Carton specification, units per carton, marks, labels and destination requirements | Can cartons be opened, randomly selected and repacked? |
| Timing and access | Confirmed date, factory contact, production and packing status | Is there time for correction and another visit before the transport cut-off? |
| Exceptions and costs | Process for failed, incomplete or postponed checks | Who can approve extra work, and what charges need approval first? |
For one provider's specific timing example, SGS describes its final random inspection as taking place once all goods are produced and at least 80% are packed. Do not apply that threshold to every service: confirm your provider's requirements for this order.
Follow production progress before the booking date using a China production follow-up checklist. Establish the reference early with the sample approval checklist.
What the inspection should cover
Send a short, product-specific checklist rather than asking for “good quality.” The scope may include:
- Appearance: scratches, stains, dents, cracks, finish, colour and print quality.
- Specification and function: dimensions, fit, assembly, accessories and the agreed functional checks.
- Quantity: total units, SKUs, colour breakdown, cartons and units per carton.
- Packing: inner protection, carton condition, packing method and agreed transport-related checks.
- Labels and marks: SKU identification, shipping marks and the destination-specific labels in your approved requirements.
- Shipment data: packing-list consistency, carton dimensions and gross and net weights where included.
These checks have limits. A visual visit cannot establish every material property, long-term performance characteristic or destination-market compliance requirement. Specify separate tests and documents where needed; a general inspection PASS is not a substitute for them.
If sampling is used, ask for the lot size, sample size, selection method, defect classifications and agreed acceptance criteria. Intertek describes final random inspection as examining a randomly selected sample of finished goods. A sampling result is evidence for the assessed lot under that plan, not proof that every unexamined unit is defect-free.
AQL: agree the sampling plan before counting defects
AQL means acceptance quality limit. It is an input to an acceptance sampling scheme, not a guarantee about every unit. Before inspection, agree the standard and edition, lot size, inspection level, sampling plan and inspection severity (normal, tightened or reduced). These choices determine the applicable sample size and decision rules; a familiar AQL value alone is not enough.
Define critical, major and minor nonconformities for this product, with criteria for each class. Also agree what is counted: nonconforming units or individual nonconformities, and the reporting basis (for example, percent nonconforming or nonconformities per 100 units). One unit can have several nonconformities; the two counts are not interchangeable.
For a single-sampling plan, Ac is the acceptance number and Re the rejection number for the agreed counting basis and class. Ask the provider to show the applicable table, sample size and Ac/Re limits. Other plans can require further samples before a decision. Do not turn an AQL percentage into a permitted percentage of defective goods in every shipment.
ISO 2859-1:2026 is the current edition; ASQ explains attribute sampling schemes. QIMA's public AQL tables are labelled ANSI/ASQ Z1.4–2008, so they are not a verified reproduction of the 2026 ISO tables. Confirm the applicable edition and conditions with your provider. Sampling does not guarantee whole-lot quality, safety or destination-market compliance.
Read the scope before the PASS or FAIL
First check whether the report identifies the correct order, location, date, SKUs, quantities and reference version. Then read the findings and limitations, including anything marked not checked, pending or inaccessible.
Providers use different result labels. The following is a practical way to sort the next action, not a replacement for the provider's definitions.
| Report situation | What remains unresolved | Practical next action |
|---|---|---|
| Completed checks meet agreed criteria | Other payment, document or shipment conditions may remain open | Review those conditions separately before authorising movement |
| One or more checks fail | The affected requirement, goods and correction method | Record the findings and agree correction plus verification |
| A required check was not completed | Whether the product meets that requirement is unknown | Ask why, restore the missing conditions and arrange the needed check |
| Only part of the order was available | The result may not cover missing SKUs or later production | Identify the inspected lot and plan coverage for the remainder |
| Photos show changes but no follow-up report | Whether the correction covers the affected goods | Agree what further evidence or reinspection is needed |
A supplier's statement that goods are “all fixed” does not close a test that was never performed. Likewise, do not quietly treat a limited or incomplete inspection as a full PASS.
If problems are found: build a correction record
Ask for one shared issue list linked to the report. Each row should identify the finding, requirement, affected SKU or lot, action, owner, completion date and verification evidence.
Separate the observed finding from its assumed cause. “The measured width is outside the drawing tolerance” is an observation; “the wrong machine was used” needs further evidence.
For example, the following is an illustrative worksheet, not an Alex Trading Group case.
| Finding | Proposed correction | Evidence needed before a decision |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong shipping mark on identified cartons | Replace the labels and reconcile the carton list | Correct artwork, affected carton IDs, replacement record and agreed label re-check |
| Function test fails on sampled units | Investigate the cause and define sorting, repair or replacement for the affected lot | Supplier action record and a follow-up test agreed with the inspection provider |
| Required test could not run because equipment was unavailable | Supply suitable equipment or arrange the agreed alternative | Test conditions confirmed and the missing test result |
If the possible issue extends beyond the sampled units, ask how the supplier will identify and address the affected population. Replacing only the photographed defective pieces may leave the same issue elsewhere in the lot.
QIMA's inspection service description explains that findings are recorded against the agreed checklist and can be followed by corrective actions and a further inspection. The exact remedy and commercial responsibility must still be agreed for your order.
Decide what the re-check must establish
A second visit needs a defined purpose. Give the inspection provider the original report, correction record, current goods location, affected quantities and any changes to packing or production.
Ask the provider to confirm:
- Which failed items and previously uncompleted checks will be covered?
- Is a focused check sufficient, or does the lot need broader reinspection?
- How will goods be selected, including repaired and replacement units?
- Could the repair affect another feature, such as finish, fit or packaging?
- What production and packing conditions must be ready?
- What will the new report say about the original open findings?
Do not invent a new sampling rule from a few successful repair photos. Ask the provider to define appropriate coverage. A photo can document a label change on a pictured carton; it cannot by itself establish that every carton has the correct label.
Agree a review date and a decision if correction fails again: another defined attempt, replacement, an agreed split, or discussion of cancellation and dispute options under the order terms. This helps prevent an open-ended cycle of new promises and new inspection charges.
Can part of the order move?
Consider partial release only if the relevant goods can be identified and kept separate, their required checks are complete, and the remaining issue does not make their safety or compliance uncertain.
Record the released SKUs, quantities and carton IDs; the goods still on hold; any remaining checks; and the buyer's written decision. Keep the packing list, warehouse instructions and payment arrangements consistent with that decision.
Do not use a passing sample from mixed stock to declare an untraceable portion “the good units.” If the problem could affect the whole lot, or the proposed split cannot be verified, resolve that uncertainty before approving the split.
An agreed commercial concession may address a clearly understood cosmetic deviation. It does not replace required safety testing or make a non-compliant product compliant.
Agree costs before authorising extra work
Separate who performs the work, who approves it, who pays initially and who ultimately bears the cost. These can be different parties.
| Cost or action | Confirm in writing |
|---|---|
| Sorting, repair, replacement or repacking | Scope, quantity, completion date, supplier commitment and buyer approval |
| Reinspection and travel | Provider's quote, booking party, approval and agreed cost allocation |
| Storage and handling | Location, charging start date, rate basis and instructions for goods on hold |
| Booking changes or split shipment | Forwarder's actual change costs, timing and approval |
| Missing test or document | Responsible party, expected evidence, timing and any additional fee |
A FAIL does not by itself establish that the supplier owes every resulting charge. Start with the purchase and service agreements; record any further agreement rather than assuming it. If the allocation is disputed, identify it as unresolved.
For a simple illustrative calculation, not a quotation, a USD 240 revisit plus USD 60 of repacking and USD 40 of storage totals USD 340. It excludes any unquoted testing, freight changes, duties and downstream losses. Compare real, itemised offers for your order; these figures are not market benchmarks.
Keep payment and cargo instructions separate
An inspection finding informs the commercial decision; it does not itself change the agreed payment obligations. Review the actual payment conditions and seek agreement on any change. Avoid treating a general recommendation to “hold payment” as a right that applies to every contract.
The 30/70 payment guide explains the wider evidence review before balance payment. A guest article published by ICC Academy notes that Incoterms® do not replace payment and quality provisions in the sales contract.
Tell the supplier, warehouse and forwarder the current operational status: awaiting checks, under correction, awaiting reinspection, or buyer-authorised for a specified movement. Obtain acknowledgement from the parties holding or collecting the goods. Paying an invoice, receiving cargo at a warehouse and authorising export shipment should not be treated as the same instruction.
Use the freight forwarder handoff checklist and, once ready, the container loading checklist. Warehouse carton receiving is not automatically a product-quality acceptance.
If the order is on Alibaba.com
Keep the agreed specification, inspection arrangements, original report, supplier responses and amendments in the order's evidence record. Check the applicable order terms and claim process promptly rather than waiting indefinitely for another repair promise.
Alibaba.com's current refund page describes applications where orders do not meet agreed terms and a negotiation and resolution process. Do not read that page, or a failed inspection alone, as a guaranteed refund decision for your particular order. Eligibility, deadlines and the evidence required need checking against the applicable terms and order.
Copy this request to the supplier and inspection provider
Use the details relevant to your order. Copy the warehouse and forwarder on the movement instructions, without sending unnecessary commercial or personal information.
- Order and report: [PO/PI], [report number/date], [specification revision].
- Open findings: please confirm the affected SKUs, lots, quantities and carton IDs for each finding.
- Correction: what will be sorted, repaired, replaced or repacked, by whom and by what date?
- Verification: which failed or uncompleted checks will be repeated, using what conditions and coverage?
- Costs: please quote extra work separately and confirm who approves, pays initially and ultimately bears each charge.
- Movement: current instruction is [status and permitted movement, if any]. Please confirm acknowledgement and identify any goods already collected or moved.
- Next decision: we will review [specified evidence] on [date]. If it is insufficient, please confirm the proposed next option and its timing/cost.
How Alex Trading Group can help
Alex Trading Group can help coordinate pre-shipment inspection, follow up with suppliers, review packaging details, arrange warehouse receiving where applicable, and prepare loading or shipment steps. See our inspection, warehouse and shipment support.
Send the supplier details, order information, product references, inspection report if available, open findings, destination and shipment timeline. Agree the requested scope first; coordination is not a guarantee of inspection PASS, refund, regulatory compliance or shipment approval.
FAQ
When should pre-shipment inspection happen?
When goods meet the provider's agreed production and packing conditions, with time remaining for correction and any necessary follow-up before the intended movement. Confirm the timing against your payment and shipment terms.
Can inspection guarantee zero defects?
No. It provides evidence within its agreed scope and limitations. Sampling does not establish that every unit is defect-free, and separate safety, material or compliance checks may be needed.
What should I prepare before inspection?
Prepare the order and SKU list, approved specification and sample references, quantities, packing and label requirements, test conditions, supplier contact and timeline. Agree how incomplete checks, correction, reinspection and extra charges will be handled.
