How to vet an interior door supplier in China: a 12-point checklist

Price lists are easy to compare; suppliers are not. This checklist is what experienced buyers verify before they place a container order.

Factory, not trading company

Ask for the business licence with the full legal company name, the factory address, and a short video walk-through of the production line with today's date visible. A trading company is not automatically bad, but you should know which one you are buying from, because it decides who controls quality and lead time.

Product evidence

• Existing export markets and container volume per month
• Whether they laminate, press and paint in-house or outsource each step
• Which test reports exist (formaldehyde emission, fire rating, hardware cycle tests) and whether they are issued to a factory name you can verify
• Whether they can produce a signed sample door, not just a photo

Commercial hygiene

• Full legal name, bank account name and beneficiary identical (a classic fraud check)
• Written price validity period and what is excluded (hardware, freight, taxes)
• MOQ, production lead time and the delay policy in writing
• Packing specification and who pays for transport damage
• Payment terms: never pay 100% before shipment on a first order

Quality control you can enforce

For a first order, agree a pre-shipment inspection with a written checklist: leaf dimensions, thickness tolerance, colour against the approved sample, hardware alignment, flatness, edge finish and moisture or composite density. Photograph every container loading. Buyers who skip this step discover problems 30 days later, at the far end of a sea route.

Documents

Confirm who issues the commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and any certificate your customs authority requires. If you need a specific origin certificate or a fumigation certificate, agree it before production — not after the container is sealed.