In this guide
What should you agree before paying a 1688 supplier?
Connect the payment to an approved specification and named payee. Record the currency, charges, deposit or balance triggers, required evidence and who authorises each stage. Agree how changes, shortages and supplier remedies will be handled. Verify a changed payment instruction through a supplier contact route you already know before releasing funds.
Connect the payment to a specific order
Keep the payee, product specification and payment request in the same order record. Check any change of account details with the supplier through a contact route you already know before authorising payment.
- Supplier identity, named payee and order reference
- Products, variants, quantities and agreed price
- Payment method, currency and any transfer charges
- Who approves payment and how confirmation is recorded
Define the trigger for each payment
If the order uses staged payments, describe what must happen before each stage becomes due. Terms such as “ready” need a practical definition that both parties can check.
- Deposit amount and what it commits the supplier to do
- Sample approval and any production approval point
- Evidence needed before the balance is authorised
- Whether inspection takes place before or after the balance is paid
- The written process for changing an agreed payment term
Separate goods costs from service costs
When using purchasing or payment support, ask for a clear breakdown. Record which amounts go to the supplier and which cover the agent’s work or payment handling.
- Supplier goods total and China domestic delivery
- Purchasing or payment service charge
- Exchange-rate basis and the point at which it is set
- Inspection, consolidation and international shipping quoted separately where applicable
Agree what happens if the order changes
Discuss unavailable variants, substitutions, late dispatch and quality issues before purchasing. Record the supplier’s proposed resolution, any costs and your approval before a change is made. Keep the dispute route and any platform terms with the actual order.
Keep a complete purchasing file
Save the approved specification, invoices, payment confirmations and relevant supplier messages together. The import stage also needs accurate commercial and customs records. A payment receipt on its own does not explain what was ordered or who handles the shipment.
Clarify the payment work you need handled
Purchasing support can include supplier questions and payment coordination. Email or WhatsApp us about the terms you have received or a payment stage you want to discuss.
Questions before you order
What if the supplier changes when the balance is due?
Record the requested change beside the original terms and ask what it changes for the order. Review any effect on checks, dispatch and costs before approving revised terms in writing. Keep the messages and payment decisions in the purchasing file.
Does paying the balance mean the goods have passed inspection?
The payment and inspection arrangements depend on the agreed order. State whether checks take place before or after the balance and define the evidence required at each approval point. Keep a separate instruction for international release.
Sources & further guidance
These references provide platform, payment or import background. The purchasing checklists are our practical guidance. Check the current terms and official requirements for your product and destination.
Product acceptance, inspection scope, charges and delivery arrangements need to be agreed for your order.