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The 30/70 payment structure is standard in overseas sourcing. 30% deposit upfront. 70% before shipping. What most buyers miss: your ONLY inspection window is between production and payment of that 70%. If you pay the 70% before you see the goods, you've lost your leverage.

A supplier went quiet after you wired a deposit. Here's the exact sequence: Day 1-3: Send a neutral check-in (don't escalate yet, could be timezone/holiday) Day 4: Reference the contract terms and production timeline explicitly Day 7: CC their sales manager + request a video call with factory floor Day 10: Send formal written notice of breach of contract Day 14: File with Alibaba Trade Assurance OR engage your freight forwarder for a local rep to visit Most ghost situations resolve by day 7 when you escalate to a person above your contact. The factories that vanish completely after deposits are almost always trading companies, not factories. That's why verification before payment matters.

Sourcing agent vs trading company: what nobody tells you. A trading company OWNS inventory or buys from factories on your behalf. Markup: 15-40%. A sourcing agent connects you DIRECTLY to the factory. Fee: 5-10%. Same product. Very different price. Ask which one you're talking to before you share your target price.

Most supplier quotes are designed to confuse you. Here's how to read one in 60 seconds: 1. Unit price alone means nothing - always divide by MOQ to get your actual cash commitment 2. 'EXW price' + your freight + import duties = real landed cost (often 30-40% higher) 3. If there's no payment terms line, ask. Net-30 vs 100%-upfront is a $10K+ risk difference 4. Lead time is quoted in 'production days' - add 2-3 weeks for shipping and customs 5. The supplier who responds in under 24hrs is usually the one worth talking to Most buyers compare column 1. Smart buyers compare column 5.

The actual lever: every factory has idle capacity. If you approach during their slow season (usually Q1 in China after CNY), you have 3-4x more negotiating power than Q3-Q4. Ask: "What's your current production calendar looking like for [month]?" Idle capacity = flexible MOQ.

Every supplier has a 'real' MOQ and a 'listed' MOQ. The listed one is for people who don't know how to ask. Here's how to get to the real one (with exact scripts) 🧵

What never works: "Your competitor charges less" (they don't care) "We're a small business" (not their problem) "Can you do half the MOQ at double the price?" (shows you don't understand their cost structure)

The sample escalation: "We'd like to order samples at [low MOQ] to present to our buyers. If approved, we'll move to [full order] immediately. Can you accommodate a samples run?" Works especially well for product-forward categories (apparel, consumer goods, gifts).

The setup cost offer: "We understand there's a setup cost for smaller runs. If you can do [MOQ] units, we're happy to pay a tooling fee of $[X] upfront to cover the differential." Most factories will quote you a number. That number is what it actually costs them.

The ROI reframe: "We're planning to order [2x their MOQ] per quarter if the first order works out. Can we do a trial run at [your target MOQ] to validate quality before we scale?" This gives them a reason to flex - future volume.

First: understand WHY MOQ exists. It's not about revenue. It's about setup cost. A factory spends $800-2,000 setting up a production run (molds, color mixing, machine changeover). They need that cost covered across units. So the right negotiation is about covering their setup

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1️⃣ Check business registration A real company should exist legally. Search: - State/official registries - Local business databases - BBB (for U.S. companies) 💡 Don’t stop at one location. Some register in one place and operate in another.

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