Quality inspection
Your supplier is paid after the inspection passes, not before
Kuai Sourcing inspects your goods in China against the sample you approved, using AQL sampling agreed before the run starts. You pay Kuai, not the factory. The supplier is paid only after the pre-shipment inspection passes, so if the batch fails, the money has not left our hands yet.
Payment held until the goods pass
You transfer to Kuai, not to the factory. The supplier is paid after the pre-shipment inspection passes, which is the last point where a defect is still cheap to fix.
AQL sampling, agreed in writing first
Sample size and the number of defects the batch may contain are fixed against your specification before the inspector starts, so pass and fail are decided by the criteria and not by argument afterwards.
A report with photographs, within 24 hours
Every finding is photographed, sorted into critical, major and minor, and sent to you with a pass or fail conclusion within 24 hours of the inspection.
Inspection included when we source
There is no separate inspection fee on an order we source. A standalone pre-shipment inspection on a supplier you found yourself starts at $150.
The inspection is the only leverage you have left
Once a supplier is paid, a defective batch is a negotiation you are losing. Kuai holds the funds until the pre-shipment inspection is done, so a failed batch is still the supplier's problem rather than yours. The customer pays Kuai, the goods are checked against the approved sample, and only then does the money move.
Four points where we can inspect
Pre-shipment inspection runs on every order Kuai sources. The other three are booked per order, because they are only worth their cost on certain products.
- 01
Pre-Production Inspection
Raw materials and components are checked before the line starts, which is worth booking when the material grade is the thing you are actually buying.
Booked on request
- 02
During Production Inspection
An inspector attends while the line is still running, so a repeating fault gets corrected on the remaining units instead of being discovered on all of them.
Booked on request
- 03
Pre-Shipment Inspection
Finished goods are inspected against your approved sample before anything ships and before the supplier is paid. This is the one that runs on every order we source.
Included when we source
- 04
Container Loading Supervision
The inspector watches the cartons go into the container: piece count, carton condition, load pattern and seal number, recorded with photographs.
Booked on request
How an inspection actually runs
Five steps, in this order. The acceptance numbers are fixed at step two, before anyone has seen the goods.
Inspection Planning
We take your specification, your approved sample and the points you told us matter, and turn them into the checklist the inspector works from.
Sampling According to AQL
Sample size and the accepted number of critical, major and minor defects are fixed before the inspection, against the AQL level agreed with you.
On-site Inspection
Visual checks, function tests, measurements, carton counts and packaging, carried out on the finished goods at our warehouse in China, or at the factory when the stage requires it.
Defect Categorization
Every finding is photographed and classed as critical, major or minor, then counted against the acceptance numbers set at step two.
Detailed Reporting
You receive the report with photographs and a pass or fail conclusion within 24 hours. The supplier is paid only once the batch has passed.
How a defect is classed, and what happens next
The class decides the consequence. Kuai does not decide the class after seeing the results.
| Defect class | What it means | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | A defect that makes the product unsafe, or illegal to sell in your market. | The batch is held. Nothing ships and the supplier is not paid until it is resolved. |
| Major | A defect a customer would notice and send the product back for. | Counted against the agreed acceptance number. Over the limit, the batch fails. |
| Minor | A cosmetic deviation that does not affect function or safety. | Recorded with photographs and counted, with a wider allowance than major. |
The acceptance numbers come from the AQL level fixed with you before the inspection. No AQL level is assumed here because it is set per product and per order.
Standards we inspect against
We check products against the standards your market asks for, including ISO 9001 process controls, CE marking, ASTM test methods and RoHS substance limits. Kuai Sourcing is itself ISO 9001 certified for its own quality management. CE, ASTM and RoHS are standards we inspect products to, not certifications Kuai holds, and we will not present them as ours.
What these numbers measure
- 98.2%
- Quality pass rate
- 1,400+
- Audited factories
- 6+
- Years operating in China
Share of inspected batches that pass first time.
Factories in our network that we have audited ourselves.
Continuous operation, headquartered in Shanghai.
Questions people ask before booking an inspection
- Can I inspect the goods before the supplier is paid?
- Yes, and it is the default on any order Kuai Sourcing sources. You pay Kuai rather than the factory. The pre-shipment inspection happens first and the supplier is paid only after the batch passes. If it fails, the money has not left Kuai.
- What is AQL, in plain English?
- AQL is the sampling standard that settles two things before an inspection starts: how many units are pulled from the batch, and how many defective units the batch may contain and still pass. Kuai Sourcing agrees the level with you in advance, so the pass or fail decision is arithmetic rather than opinion.
- How many units does the inspector actually check?
- Not all of them. The sample size comes from the agreed AQL level and the size of the batch, so a bigger order gets a bigger sample and not a full count. The exact number is fixed before the inspector goes in and is printed in the report.
- What happens if my goods fail inspection in China?
- Nothing ships and the supplier is not paid. You get the report with photographs and you choose what happens next: rework, shipping only the units that passed, replacement of the defective units, or cancelling. Because Kuai Sourcing still holds the money, you are negotiating from the strong side.
- How much time does an inspection add?
- Budget one to two days for the inspection itself, and the report reaches you within 24 hours of it. Booking earlier costs nothing, and an inspection scheduled before the production run finishes does not sit waiting on the goods.
- Will you inspect goods from a supplier I found myself?
- Yes. A standalone pre-shipment inspection starts at $150 when Kuai Sourcing is not sourcing the order. On an order we do source, inspection is part of the service and there is no separate inspection fee.
- What do I need before you can book an inspection?
- An account with a confirmed email address and a verified phone number, then a sourcing request. Kuai Sourcing verifies buyers as well as suppliers. Requests and quotations are free, and you get a quotation within 24 hours, or up to 48 hours for a product that is new to us.
The rest of the process
Have the goods checked before the money moves
Inspection is part of every order Kuai sources. The request and the quotation are free.