The 10 steps of buying from China, in plain words

A first-order route

These are practical checkpoints; steps may need to be repeated.

1. Name the destination and use. Where will the goods be sold, who uses them and how? A toy, a decorative object and a food-contact item can need different checks.
2. Write the product specification. Record materials, size, performance, packaging, quantity and photographs or drawings you have the right to use.
3. Check import and selling requirements. Ask the destination authority or a qualified adviser what applies to that exact product. Do this before paying for tooling or stock.
4. Set a cash and loss budget. Include samples, checks, shipping, charges, selling costs and money tied up before sales.
5. Find a shortlist. Ask each supplier the same questions. Save the listing and the date, not just a chat name.
6. Verify who you are dealing with. Identify the legal seller, production site, exporter and authorised payee. Explain and verify any differences.
7. Order and assess a sample. Record the version you approved, what you tested and what the sample cannot establish about bulk production.
8. Agree the order in writing. Define specification, quantity, delivery point, payment conditions, inspection, defect remedies and dispute route. A shipping term does not replace the rest of the contract.
9. Check before release and dispatch. Complete the agreed checks, verify bank changes independently and collect shipping and import documents.
10. Receive, record and improve. Check quantity and condition promptly, preserve evidence and act within the actual carrier, bank or platform deadlines. Use the results before ordering more.

Keep one order folder

Save the specification version, quote, contract, payee verification, payment record, sample approval, checks, shipment documents and delivery photographs. Limit access to sensitive identity and financial documents.

Risk signals

• You are asked to "sort certificates later".
• A chat promise changes a signed specification without a recorded amendment.
• No one can say who clears the import or pays a missing charge.

Official sources

• ICC: Incoterms 2020: shipping rules allocate defined obligations, costs and risk.
• FBI IC3: payment-diversion prevention: independently verify account changes. Read 2026-10-26.

The ten-step workflow is editorial guidance, not a legal requirement to follow this exact sequence.

Still uncertain

Product-specific permits, tests, tax treatment, contract law and claim deadlines depend on the order and destination.

Next step

Write the product specification and destination first. Then use the supplier and payment checks before sending money.