Practical guides
Plan a supplier visit in China before placing an order
A supplier visit is most useful when it answers a short list of purchasing questions. Define what you need observed and documented, then use that information alongside quotes, samples and your own buying decision.
Confirm which company and site will be visited
Provide the supplier's Chinese company name where available, the website or shop link, address and contact person. Ask whether the proposed location is an office, showroom, warehouse or production site. Request an appointment and permission for the particular observations, photographs or call you want. If the supplier offers a different location, decide whether it still answers your questions before travel is arranged.
Turn concerns into observable questions
For a sample, specify the item code, packaging, labels and visible features to record. For a site, list the areas the supplier has agreed to show and the questions you want asked about capacity, lead time or sample availability. Separate statements made by the supplier from things directly observed. A visible machine or stock item does not prove ownership, future capacity, product compliance or the quality of a later production batch.
Choose the handover before the visit
Ask for a dated summary with permitted images, answers to your checklist and a clear list of items that could not be checked. Arrange a time-zone overlap if you want to join by video. Decide what should happen if the contact is absent or access is restricted. Specialist testing, financial or legal checks and formal factory audits require a separately agreed qualified provider; a practical visit should not be presented as those services.
ILLUSTRATIVE REQUEST · NOT A CUSTOMER STORY
Example: resolve questions about a sample before paying for goods
I am comparing two suppliers for a small accessories order. Please arrange a visit to the named supplier's agreed location, photograph the identified sample and packaging where permitted, ask our five written questions and record which answers are statements rather than observations. Do not pay a deposit or place an order on my behalf. This is a proposed brief, not evidence of a completed inspection.
What to confirm in the quote
Confirm appointment coordination, time on site, report preparation, travel and waiting time. List sample purchases, onward delivery, technical checks and other third-party charges separately. Agree the response to a cancelled appointment before booking travel. The visit fee does not include a guarantee of supplier performance.
Your first-message checklist
- Company name, precise site, contact and agreed appointment.
- Product codes and a short, observable visit checklist.
- Permission for photos or a call and the report format.
- Travel budget, spending authority and follow-up decision.
