Quick answer: A licence and a workshop photo prove nothing. Judge a China plastic case supplier by three documents that describe one site, a pass line written as numbers, and payment tied to inspection.
Table of contents
- A factory photo is not a production line: three documents
- Inspection: sampling rate and pass line in the contract
- Four payment stages tied to inspection
- MOQ, tooling title and three clauses
- FAQ
1. A factory photo is not a production line: three documents
A licence, a photo and two certificates stacked together prove nothing. Photos get borrowed or shot in somebody else's plant; documents have to agree.
The first test of a China plastic case supplier is whether three papers describe one site or three different ones.
| Document | The one field | Trader version | Check on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business licence | Scope of business | Sales of plastic goods, no manufacturing | Account name matches the licence |
| System certificate | Production address in scope | Address on an office floor | Gate plate against workshop photo |
| Test report | Sample source, mould number | Sample supplied by the client | Pull three cases, match numbers |
When all three disagree, the identity is settled. A licence listing sales only, a certificate address one street from the workshop and a report noting the sample came from the client describe a trading office, not a plant.
A trader is workable; the terms change: inspection earlier, payment later, a separate tooling agreement.
2. Inspection: sampling rate and pass line in the contract
An inspection clause written in general terms hands over the verdict; the items a China plastic case supplier quotes often read code compliant and stop there.
The pass line must be numbers.
- Wall: three readings per wall, ±0.3 mm.
- Latch: 90 N opening force, 200 cycles without loosening.
- Salt spray: 240 hours, no red rust at hinge.
- Drop: 1.2 m, one per face, no corner cracks.
On a 1,200-piece lot, AQL 2.5 at general level two samples 80 pieces, with an acceptance number of 5 and a rejection number of 6. Sampling happens after packing, drawing from several pallets rather than skimming the top layer. Sealed samples are the second anchor: after first-article approval two pieces are signed, one with each side, and re-inspection refers to them. A third-party report must name the standard and the verdict, since a report saying no defects found binds nobody. The right to judge rework stays with the buyer, while the supplier writes the plan and both sides sign. Re-inspection covers the failed items and their neighbours, not the whole lot, saving about a week.
A China plastic case supplier that insists on self-inspection has not agreed to hand over the verdict.
3. Four payment stages tied to inspection
Payment shares are a risk map: the ratio a China plastic case supplier proposes shows how far it trusts its own delivery, and each trigger matters more than the ratio.
| Stage | Share | Trigger | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 30% | Contract and tooling drawing signed | VAT invoice, production slot |
| Before shipment | 40% | Inspection report passed | Report, packing list |
| Against bill copy | 25% | Bill copy matches the carton list | Bill copy, invoice |
| Retention | 5% | 90 days after arrival, no batch defect | Acceptance note, defect log |
Three traps are worth blocking early: payment to a personal account leaves no paper trail, a two percent discount for full prepayment swaps all the risk for two points, and a supplier withholding the bill of lading copy under FOB has been paid while the goods sit at sea.
Damages at 0.3 percent a day with a 5 percent cap bind only when written; a clause saying late delivery will be discussed is not a clause.
4. MOQ, tooling title and three clauses
MOQ and tooling are where a China plastic case supplier is vaguest, and where a cancelled order costs most.
- MOQ: 1,100 pieces on a two-cavity tool, 550 on one cavity.
- Tooling: 52,000 CNY a set, two trial rounds in, modifications out.
- Lead time: 32 days, split 4 trials, 14 moulding, 6 insert, 8 packing.
- Title: to the buyer, number engraved in the cavity, 18 months of exclusivity.
- Storage: free for 36 months, removal freight on the buyer.
- Quote basis: say whether insert, gauges and samples are included.
Three clauses must be written: tooling title with the cavity number, who pays rework when inspection fails, and the damages rate with its cap. A fourth helps: the resin grade, homopolymer or copolymer.
Modification is the usual flashpoint: a structural change runs 6,000 to 12,000 CNY of tooling hours, and whoever asks pays, which belongs in an annex rather than a phone call.
Conclusion
Identity comes from three documents that agree, inspection from four numbers, payment from four triggers; written into a contract, those decide more than any tour of the floor. A China plastic case supplier may be a plant or a trading office, and both can be worked with, but who holds the verdict cannot move, which is the only test worth applying to a China plastic case supplier.
This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.
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