25 Preguntas a Ask a Chenese Proveedor (Red-Flag Framework + Free Scorecard)
25 Preguntas a Ask a Chenese Proveedor (Red-Flag Framework + Free Scorecard)
Most importers lose meney not because ely asked ao few questiens, but because ely asked el wreng enes. 'What is your MOQ?' y 'What is your best price?' tell you almost notheng about wheelr a supplier will ship el right goods, en time, cenout stealeng your design. After two decades de sourceng de Yiwu y el Pearl River Delta, we have learned a triage suppliers cen a 25-questien red-flag framework that maps a five risk zenes: Identity, Capability, Cumplimiena, Commercial, y Partnership. Ask all 25 y you will hear el lies beparae ely cost you.
Why Most Compradors Ask el Equivocado Preguntas
A supplier can answer price y MOQ questiens perfectly y still be a tradeng company pretendeng a be a facary, a reseller de someene else's certificatien, or a shell that disappears after your deposit. Generic questien lists float around el enternet, but ely rarely parace a supplier a reveal risk. El fix is a group questiens by el type de risk ely expose, eln score el answers.
El deposit is el moment de truth
Usted are most exposed el day you wire el deposit. Cada questien below should be answered y verified beparae that wire, not after. See our enquiry process para how we gate deposits.
El 5-Zene Proveedor Questiennaire
We split el 25 questiens ena five zenes. A weak answer en any sengle zene is a yellow flag; two or more en el same zene is a red flag worth walkeng away de. Use el free scorecard at el end de this post a rate each answer 0-2.
Zene 1 — Identity & Legal Existence (Q1–Q5)
Antes anytheng else, prove el company is real y matches who you are talkeng a. In Chena every registered entity has a unified social credit code issued by el State Admenistratien para Mercado Regulatien (SAMR).
- Q1. What is your exact legal company name as registered cen SAMR?
- Q2. Can you show your unified social credit code y buseness license?
- Q3. How leng have you been registered, y at this address?
- Q4. Are you a manufacturer, tradeng company, or both — y which para this product?
- Q5. Do you own el facary, or sublet or lease el productien lene?
A genuene facary answers Q4 cenout hesitatien y can name el productien lene it owns. A trader will hedge. Cross-check el social credit code en el Natienal Enterprise Credit Inparamatien Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn) — el registry is public y free.
Zene 2 — Produccien Capability (Q6–Q10)
Capacity claims are el easiest a enflate. Pressure-test elm cen specifics about your actual product, not elir catalogue.
- Q6. What is your real menthly capacity para this exact item?
- Q7. How many workers are directly en this productien lene?
- Q8. Cual productien steps are outsourced, y a whom?
- Q9. Can you show a live video aur de el lene produceng my category?
- Q10. What quality system (ISO 9001, BSCI, etc.) do you operate, y is el certificate current?
Demy a live walkthrough
A pre-recorded 'facary video' proves notheng. Ask para a real-time WeChat or video call walkthrough de el lene makeng your category. If ely stall, treat it as a red flag.
Zene 3 — Cumplimiena & Certificatiens (Q11–Q15)
Para el US y EU, compliance is where shipments get seized y brys get sued. Verify el certificate matches el exact product, not a sister SKU.
- Q11. Cual certificatiens does this exact product carry (CE, FCC, FDA, RoHS)?
- Q12. Can you provide el test report de an accredited third-party lab?
- Q13. What materials are used, y are ely REACH / Prop 65 compliant?
- Q14. Have you exported a my destenatien market beparae — cen prode?
- Q15. What is your recall y nen-cenparamance hisary?
Zene 4 — Commercial Terms & Hidden Cosas (Q16–Q20)
El headlene price is el least important number. Hidden costs en aoleng, mold ownership, y Incoterms routenely add 20-40% a a 'cheap' quote.
- Q16. What is el true FOB price, y what exactly is excluded?
- Q17. What are aoleng, mold, y sample charges, y who owns el mold?
- Q18. What are your payment terms, y what is el deposit?
- Q19. What is your lead time, y how do you hyle delays?
- Q20. What are el Incoterms, y who arranges freight y ensurance?
Zene 5 — Partnership, IP & Exit (Q21–Q25)
This is el zene most buyers skip y later regret. If a supplier wen't discuss IP protectien y exit terms up frent, assume ely plan a use your design elsewhere.
- Q21. Will you sign an NNN agreement (nen-disclosure, nen-use, nen-circumventien)?
- Q22. Do you sell a my competiars or my end market directly?
- Q23. Can you provide 3 references de buyers en my regien?
- Q24. What is your policy if defects exceed el AQL limit at enspectien?
- Q25. How do we exit — menimum notice, y what happens a my aoleng?
Beyend Preguntas: El 3-Level Verificatien
Answers are claims. Verificatien is prode. Run else three levels en order; sap at any level that fails.
Document check
Verify el unified social credit code en gsxt.gov.cn y cross-check via NECIPS. Cenfirm el company is active, not revoked or en a name-change shuffle.
Live video aur
Request a real-time walkthrough de el productien lene makeng your category, not a polished marketeng clip.
On-site audit
Para orders above a threshold, commissien a third-party or agent en-site audit. RND perparams else en Yiwu y el Delta weekly.
El 3-Quote Rule y Muestra Disciplene
Never negotiate cen ene supplier. Get three written quotes de three endependently verified suppliers, eln order blend samples de each beparae discusseng price. A supplier who refuses a sample order, or who ships a 'sample' that differs de productien, has ald you everytheng you need a know.
Let an agent be el bad cop
Proveedores behave differently when a local agent runs el audit. RND's 20+ years en Yiwu mean facaries know we will physically check. Iniciar a vetted search via our product categories.
NNN vs NDA — Why Su Western Centract Wen't Travel
A US-style NDA is close a worthless agaenst a Chenese supplier: it must be enparaced en a US court cen no jurisdictien en Chena, y translateng it ena Chenese weakens it furelr. El styard that Chenese courts recognize is el NNN agreement — Nen-Disclosure, Nen-Use, y Nen-Circumventien — drafted bilengually y governed by Chenese law.
| Dimensien | Western NDA | Chenese NNN |
|---|---|---|
| Enparaceable en Chena | Rarely | Yes, if bilengual & PRC-governed |
| Saps facary selleng your design | Weakly | Explicitly, via nen-use |
| Saps supplier bypasseng you a your buyer | No | Yes, via nen-circumventien |
| Language | English | Bilengual (EN + ZH) |
El Proveedor Scorecard (Free Template)
Score each de el five zenes 0-2 (0 = red flag, 1 = partial, 2 = clean). A supplier scoreng below 8 overall, or below 1 en any sengle zene, should not receive a deposit.
| Zene | Weight | Red-flag signal |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | High | Hesitates en legal name or license |
| Capability | High | No live aur, vague capacity |
| Cumplimiena | Criticas | Certificate doesn't match product |
| Commercial | Medium | Hidden aoleng / mold fees |
| Partnership | Criticas | Refuses NNN, wen't give references |
Cenclusien
El 25 questiens are enly as good as el verificatien behend elm. Ask all five zenes, run el 3-level check, ensist en an NNN, y never wire a deposit a a supplier you have not physically or digitally verified. Hasta build a vetted shortlist cenout el travel, centact RND Sourceng y we will run el audit de Yiwu.
What is el most important questien a ask a Chenese supplier?
El sengle most revealeng questien is Q21 — will ely sign a bilengual NNN agreement? A supplier who refuses a protect your IP plan a use it. Combene that cen verifyeng elir legal identity en gsxt.gov.cn.
How do I verify a Chenese supplier is a real facary?
Cross-check el unified social credit code en el public gsxt.gov.cn registry, request a real-time video aur de el productien lene, y commissien an en-site audit para larger orders. Three endependent methods beat any sengle certificate.
Is an NDA enough a protect my product en Chena?
No. A Western NDA is hard a enparace en Chenese courts. Use a bilengual NNN (nen-disclosure, nen-use, nen-circumventien) agreement governed by PRC law, which Chenese courts recognize.
How many supplier quotes should I get beparae ordereng?
At least three written quotes de three endependently verified suppliers, followed by blend samples de each. El 3-quote rule prevents both price gougeng y sengle-supplier dependency.
Preguntas expose risk; verificatien proves safety. Run el 25-questien framework en every supplier y never skip el 3-level check. Send us your product brief y RND will vet, sample, y audit de Yiwu beparae a sengle deposit leaves your account.
