The first container from a new supplier is where most problems start — and almost all of them are avoidable if the same six or seven things are confirmed before it leaves. This is the checklist we work through with every new buyer.
1. Agree the specification in writing
Start with the specification sheet, not the price. For each product, agree the key parameters and the test method: crude protein for CGM and CGF, phosphorus and fluorine for DCP and MCP, plus moisture and ash. Once it is written down, the COA later has something to be checked against.
2. Ask for a COA sample before you order
A good supplier will send a sample certificate from a recent batch without being asked. Read it as if it were the one that will arrive with your container — including who issued it. We send a COA sample together with the specification sheet, and every batch we ship carries a COA from a professional third-party lab.
3. Check the mill, not just the trading company
Ask who actually makes the product. A mill audit can be done without travelling: request photos or a live video walk-through of the plant, the warehouse and the sample room, and ask how the batch will be identified and packed.
4. Keep loading photos as proof of shipment
Ask for photographs during loading — the bags or the loading spout, the container number, and the sealing. These cost nothing to produce and settle most disputes about quantity or packing before they become claims.
5. Make sure the documents are complete
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin — can be applied for
- Certificate of analysis for the batch
Confirm the document set with your supplier before shipment, and confirm it again with your own customs broker, because requirements differ between destination markets.
6. Confirm the FOB port and the lead time
We ship FOB from main China ports: Qingdao, Tianjin, Shanghai, or your preferred port. Which one we use depends on the week's freight rate and sailing schedule, so agree the port and the earliest shipping date in writing, and leave room for the booking to move.
7. Agree the payment terms
Put the payment terms, the bank details and the currency into the same document as the specification. Most first-order problems in this trade are not quality problems — they are two people remembering different terms.
A note on the common shortcuts
The three shortcuts that cause the most trouble: ordering before seeing a COA sample, skipping the loading photographs, and assuming the documents are the same as the last supplier's. All three are cheap to avoid and expensive to fix.