Your Chinese supplier says the aerial work platform is finished and asks you to pay the balance so shipment can be arranged.
You have photographs, videos and inspection records, but questions remain. Is the machine in the photos yours? Have the earlier issues been resolved? Does “ready to ship” mean the agreed conditions for payment have been met?
At this stage, the priority is not to collect more documents. It is to match the evidence you already have to the conditions for this payment.
Payment before shipment is an established international trade arrangement, not evidence that a supplier is acting improperly. It does, however, require the buyer to make a payment decision before the goods leave. Source: payment in advance.
1. Establish why the payment is due now
Start with the contract, the final specification attachment and any changes approved by both parties. Identify what triggers the balance payment.
“On production completion,” “after the agreed inspection” and “after corrective work is confirmed” are different conditions. A message saying “finished” does not establish that all of them have been met.
Separate the work into two stages.
Before payment: the inspections, corrective actions or documents that the contract requires at this point.
After payment, at the agreed stage: for example, where loading follows receipt of the balance, the final container and seal numbers belong to the loading record, not a document that can necessarily be supplied beforehand.
Any change to the payment arrangement should be agreed in writing. A checklist introduced later does not replace the original contract.
2. Identify what the evidence relates to before assessing it
A record is useful only when you know which machine, configuration and date it concerns.
A functional video should be traceable to the machine in your order. The serial number in the inspection report should match the unit intended for delivery. A corrective-action record should identify the issue addressed, rather than simply state “all completed.”
Keep two situations separate:
Missing evidence means the point is unverified. Evidence showing a mismatch means a discrepancy has been identified.
No photograph of the charger label calls for additional evidence. A photograph showing a different model calls for an explanation and a resolution. “Please confirm everything is fine” will not resolve both situations.
For the inspection scope itself, see the scissor lift pre-shipment inspection guide. Here, the question is how the inspection findings support the payment decision.
3. Pre-payment evidence checklist
At the top of the sheet, enter the order number, machine model or serial number, approved specification version and review date.
See the guide to verification of corrective work for the relevant checks.
The example below is hypothetical. It is not a universal acceptance standard.
| Agreed requirement | Evidence and current status | Open point / next action | Who confirms it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| The machine in this order is the inspected machine | Nameplate, serial number and report have been matched | Retain the cross-reference | Supplier provides records; buyer's designated reviewer checks them |
| Key specifications match the approved version | Most items checked; charger differs | Provide the approved change or restore the agreed configuration | Supplier's technical staff explain; buyer confirms the decision |
| Agreed inspection items are complete | Report received; some items not tested | Confirm outstanding tests and obtain results | The agreed inspection personnel |
| Inspection issues have been resolved as agreed | Replacement photographs received | Agreed follow-up results are missing; the issue cannot yet be recorded as closed | Factory corrects; designated personnel recheck |
| Documents due before payment are complete | Manual received; version not yet checked | Confirm that it covers the supplied configuration | Document coordinator and buyer |
| Later shipping steps are assigned | Packing and loading planned after payment | Identify who records accessory checks and loading, and when | Supplier and logistics coordinator |
Do not enter only “photos available” in the evidence column. Record the file name, date and machine concerned so the next action can be tracked.
The completed sheet should lead to one clear statement:
Which conditions for this payment have been verified, which still need evidence or action, and who will complete each outstanding item by when.
There is no reason to mark everything “passed” just to make the sheet look complete.
4. Communication tip: send only the open points affecting this decision
Suppose you have received twenty photographs, but only two things are missing: the agreed follow-up record for the replacement charger and the manual for the final configuration.
Another request to “send all the documents” does not tell the supplier what you consider incomplete.
A more useful message is:
We have received the machine photographs and inspection report. Two points remain in our review of the payment conditions:
1. Please provide the agreed follow-up inspection record for the charger replacement on this order.
2. Please confirm that the operator's manual covers the final configuration.
For each item, please identify the responsible person and the expected response date. There is no need to resend material already confirmed.
Turn “the information is incomplete” into two specific tasks.
The salesperson need not make the technical or inspection judgment on the spot. Keep that person as the contact and ask them to coordinate a response from the quality or technical team. You retain one communication channel while obtaining information from the person responsible for the work.
Also distinguish “request received,” “correction completed” and “recheck completed.” A reply of “OK” does not identify which stage has been reached.
5. Let the evidence determine the next step—not how often payment is requested
For the charger example, “we will replace it” is a commitment to act.
A photograph of the new charger is evidence of the reported replacement, but its identity and suitability still need to be linked to the order.
The agreed follow-up record, tied to this machine, may then support closing the issue.
Where the contract makes that outcome a condition of payment, review it accordingly. Accepting a deviation or changing the sequence requires separate written agreement.
Check payment details separately. A change of bank account or payment procedure should be verified through a previously established, independent contact—not just the contact details supplied in the change notice. Source: payment-change verification. See also the guide to verifying a Chinese equipment supplier and transaction parties.
Plenty of documents, but still unsure what needs confirmation?
Send Levantis the payment terms and the records that concern you most. We can help organize the open points, follow up with the Chinese supplier on missing information, and coordinate any equipment recheck that needs a separately agreed scope.