Most of these questions have nothing to do with the
product. They are the ones that decide whether an order goes well, and a supplier who answers them in
writing — before you pay anything — is the one worth working with. Use this list on us as well.
1. Who is the contracting entity, and where does the money go?
You should know the legal name you are contracting with before the Proforma Invoice, not when the goods
reach the port. Our answer: Pawbotics is the pet brand of Uni Regal Corp. Ltd., and the
entity you contract with is named on the quotation and the PI.
2. What are the payment terms, and when is the balance due?
The interesting part is not the split, it is the trigger. A balance due before inspection means the risk
is entirely yours. Our answer: the balance is not due until you have seen inspection photos of your own
order.
3. Which Incoterms, and who pays freight and duties?
“Ask us later” is not an answer — the term changes what you actually pay, and duty rates change.
Our answer: every quotation states its Incoterms in plain language, FOB by default. Ask for DDP and the
current duty rate is verified before it appears on the quote.
4. What exactly is inspected, and against what?
If the answer is “our quality standard”, you have no reference. Our answer: the sample you approve becomes
the inspection reference for the bulk, and colour-critical items are matched to Pantone references written
into your spec sheet.
5. What happens if the bulk does not match the sample?
Ask this one directly. A supplier who has not thought about it will answer with reassurance rather than a
process. Our answer: the mismatch is measured against the approved reference, and the balance has not been
paid at that point by design.
6. What is the real minimum order, and what changes above it?
Be suspicious of a minimum so low that it cannot be a real production run, and of one so high that your
first order is a gamble. Our answer: MOQ from 200 pieces per model for the stocked range, 300 for the belly
band, with trial quantities on request for the mobility models — and pricing that improves as quantity does,
quoted per model rather than in general.
7. What does a sample cost, how fast, and does the fee come back?
Samples that are “free” are usually priced into something else. Our answer: US$25–40 per model, prepared
in 5 days, credited back in full against your first production order.
8. Which compliance documents can you supply for my market?
The correct answer names your market and admits limits. Anyone who promises a full document set before
knowing where the goods are going is guessing. Our answer: tell us the market and we will list what your
buyers and platforms are likely to ask for, and tell you honestly which documents we can supply — no
certificate is mentioned until we have seen the original.
9. If quality drifts between batches, what prevents it?
The spec sheet is the answer. If your supplier re-derives the product each time, batch two will differ
from batch one. Our answer: your specification and approved sample are reused for the next run, so the
reference does not change between batches, and batch records are kept for each run.
The pattern behind all nine
Eight of the nine are commercial, not technical. That is the point: the product is usually fine. What
goes wrong between a buyer and a supplier is a number, a term or a timeline that was assumed instead of
written down. Ask all nine before you pay a deposit, and you will know within one reply whether you are
dealing with someone who has answered them before.