§ 05 / 10
Quality Control
Most sourcing losses come from quality problems found too late. These guides cover inspection types, AQL, checklists and defect handling.
- 01AQL Explained: How Pre-Shipment Inspection Sampling WorksAQL (Acceptance Quality Limit) is the worst defect rate you are willing to accept on average, used with ISO 2859-1 sampling tables to decide how many units an inspector checks and how many defects are allowed before a lot fails. A common setting for consumer goods is General Inspection Level II with AQL 0 for critical, 2.5 for major and 4.0 for minor defects.3 min read
- 02Defective Goods from China: What to Do When Your Order Arrives WrongWhen goods from China arrive defective, stop selling them, document the problem with photos, counts and carton labels, and notify the supplier in writing quickly. Compare the defects with your purchase order and approved sample, then negotiate a remedy: replacement, repair, a refund, a discount or credit on the next order. If you paid through Alibaba.com Trade Assurance, open a dispute within the refund window. If the damage happened in transit, claim against cargo insurance or the carrier instead.5 min read
- 03Pre-Shipment Inspection Checklist for Goods Made in ChinaA pre-shipment inspection checklist should cover seven areas: quantity and packing ratio, workmanship checked against an agreed AQL plan, function and safety tests, measurements and weights against your specification, labels and barcodes, packaging with a carton drop test, and shipping marks. Send the inspector a written brief with your approved sample photos, specifications and defect list beforehand, and expect a report with a clear pass/fail result, defect counts and photos.5 min read
Key terms
- AQL
- The worst average defect rate a buyer will accept, used with ISO 2859-1 sampling tables to set inspection sample sizes and accept/reject limits.
- Container loading check
- An inspection at the factory or warehouse in which an inspector checks the empty container, verifies carton counts and goods, supervises loading and records the container seal number.
- Defect classification
- The grading of inspection findings as critical (unsafe or non-compliant), major (likely to cause failure or a return) or minor (a small flaw unlikely to affect use), each with its own AQL limit.
- During production inspection
- A quality check carried out while mass production is under way, usually once part of the order is finished, to catch defects early enough to correct the rest of the run.
- Pre-Shipment Inspection
- A quality check carried out when production is at least 80% complete and packed, in which an inspector samples finished goods before the buyer pays the balance and the goods ship.
- Third-party inspection
- A quality inspection performed by an independent company hired by the buyer, rather than by the supplier's own QC team, to report objectively on goods before payment or shipment.