Unit price
FOB basis and validity period referenced
Negotiation & Contract Support
The unit price is agreed.The deal may not be.
Before you send a deposit, pay for tooling, accept supplier terms, or authorize production, ImporterDesk helps you clarify what the supplier has agreed to, what remains conditional, and what still requires a buyer decision.
We organize commercial terms, supplier responses, document conflicts, open assumptions, and written decision records for U.S. importers sourcing from China and Taiwan.
Buyer-side commercial control
Pre-Authorization Commercial Record
Packaging, tooling, inspection, and change costs may be excluded.
Commercial itemCurrent record
Recorded
Excluded costs
Packaging, tooling, inspection, changes
MOQ commitment
Price depends on annual volume
Change pricing
No approval or pricing process shown
5
source records
3
issues still open
Review before the next commitment
Before You Commit
A supplier can agree to the price while leaving the deal unresolved.
A quotation can look complete while ownership, change rights, acceptance criteria, timing triggers, and remedies remain open. The buyer needs to see those gaps before money is sent or production authority is released.
The commitment changes. The control question stays the same: What has been agreed, what remains conditional, and who must decide before release?
Buyer commitment rail
Review the record before the next release.
01Buyer review required
Selected commitment
Before Releasing a Deposit
What should be recorded
- Price basis
- Excluded costs
- Payment conditions
What may remain conditional
- Specifications still open
Who decides before release
- Buyer release decision
Do not release the next commitment until the open issues are visible.
Buyer-side commercial support — not legal advice or a guarantee of supplier performance.
Legal, tax, customs, compliance, engineering, and insurance questions may require qualified professional review.
What is actually being negotiated
Six commercial areas. One written purchase record.
A quotation can look complete while cost scope, tooling ownership, lead-time triggers, materials, remedies and shipping responsibility stay conditional. Select an area, then read it in three layers.
An unanswered condition is not an agreed term.
Commercial area matrix
Read every term in three layers.
What volume and cost assumptions control the price?
- Unit-price basis
- Included and excluded costs
- MOQ requirements
- Volume commitments
- Price validity
Agreed
Same term in the current written record, with no exception remaining on that point.
Conditional
Acceptance still depends on a supplier condition, dependency or buyer action.
Unverified
A statement exists, but the supporting document, revision or evidence is missing or conflicting.
Buyer Decision Required
The supplier position is clear; the buyer must accept, revise, renegotiate or pause.
Qualified Review Required
Commercial coordination is not enough — the point needs a qualified professional determination.
Buyer-Side Control Workflow
Move from supplier discussion to buyer-authorized commitment— with the open issues still visible.
ImporterDesk organizes the commercial record, separates confirmed terms from supplier conditions, and coordinates the questions that must be resolved before the buyer releases money or production authority.
The process does not replace buyer judgment. It makes the basis for that judgment visible.
Procurement control spine
Five controls before the next buyer commitment.
Buyer authority retained
What we review
- Supplier quotations and revisions
- Drawings and specification references
- Purchase order drafts
- Commercial agreements
- Supplier emails and chat messages
Control result
The controlling version is identified, and conflicting records are made visible.
We keep the commercial record controlled while the buyer keeps the authority.
ImporterDesk coordinates commercial terms, supplier responses, open issues, and buyer decision records. We do not provide legal advice, determine contract enforceability, or authorize payment or production on the buyer’s behalf.
What the Buyer Receives
A usable commercial record —not a pile of marked-up supplier documents.
One controlled view of the commercial record — what is agreed, what is conditional, and what must be resolved before the next commitment.
Supplier evidenceControlled recordBuyer decision
Select a record to trace its use02
Buyer Commercial Record
One controlled view
What it contains
Organizes pricing assumptions, excluded costs, MOQ, tooling, payment milestones, lead time, materials, quality acceptance, inspection, packaging, changes, remedies, shipping, and Incoterms allocation.
Use the record to decide what can proceed, what must remain on hold, and what needs qualified review.
Deliverables depend on the engagement scope and available source records. ImporterDesk organizes commercial information and decision records; we do not provide legal opinions, certify enforceability, or guarantee supplier performance. Clause language affecting governing law, dispute resolution, liability, intellectual property, or enforceability may require qualified counsel.
Governance desk
Who reviews, who owns, who can walk away
Five questions decide whether a contract holds under pressure: how exceptions are reviewed, what you own before an exit, how force majeure is bounded, what you recover on termination, and where our scope ends. Switch between them.
Exception review
Exceptions & qualified review
Some questions can be clarified commercially.Others require a qualified professional.
We keep supplier responses, exceptions, disruption notices, and buyer decisions organized — and flag the points that depend on legal, tax, customs, compliance, engineering, or insurance judgement.
We identify the question and preserve the record. The qualified professional provides the opinion.
Commercial coordination
Clarify the supplier's position on tooling payment, ownership, storage, reuse, and transfer.
Buyer decision required
Decide what terms must be resolved before authorizing tooling payment.
Qualified review required
Qualified legal review may be required to determine legal effect or enforceability.
Legal counsel
Enforceability and warranty language · Governing law and dispute resolution · Liability and indemnification · Intellectual property and tooling ownership effect
Tax or customs professional
Classification and country of origin · Valuation and duty exposure · Importer-of-record obligations
Compliance professional
Sanctions and export controls · Product regulatory requirements and certifications · Restricted materials and labeling
Engineering or quality professional
Engineering sufficiency and product safety · Test-method suitability · Whether a sample represents production capability
Insurance professional
Available coverage and exclusions · Product liability coverage · Cargo or supplier-risk insurance
ImporterDesk provides commercial coordination and record organization. We do not provide legal, tax, customs, compliance, engineering, or insurance opinions, and we do not decide on the buyer's behalf.
Buyer Questions Before Commitment
Know what this support can clarifyand what still requires your decision.
These are the questions buyers typically need answered before releasing a deposit, authorizing tooling, accepting the controlling purchase record, or approving production.
A final buyer-side scope check before the next commitment.
Buyer Question Desk
Start with the decision you need to make.
0109
Timing1 question
Before you release a deposit, authorize tooling, accept the controlling purchase record, approve production, or accept a material commercial change. We can also enter later to organize the current record, but prior commitments may limit the buyer’s leverage or available options.
ImporterDesk can coordinateBuyer decision remains
i
These answers describe ImporterDesk’s commercial coordination role. They are not legal, tax, customs, sanctions, export-control, regulatory, engineering, or insurance advice and do not guarantee enforceability, recovery, compensation, or supplier performance.
If the purchase record is still unclear, the next step is not another supplier promise. It is a buyer decision based on a clearer record.
Before the Next Commitment
Before you pay, authorize tooling, or release production, confirm that the commercial record is decision-ready.
This closing desk does two things: it checks what is recorded across six commercial control areas, then shows the decision basis the buyer brings into a discussion. Nothing is submitted.
The goal is not more contract language. It is a clearer buyer decision before money, tooling, or production authority is released.
Buyer Commitment Gate
Check the record before the next commitment
0 of 6 answered
01Deposit
02Tooling Payment
03Purchase Order
04Production Authorization
Select Recorded, Not recorded, or Not sure. No document upload is required, and your answers are not submitted.
- 01
Commercial Scope
Are the unit-price assumptions, included and excluded costs, MOQ, and volume commitments recorded in one current source?
- 02
Specification & Acceptance
Is the controlling specification or revision identified, with a production acceptance basis that is separate from sample approval?
- 03
Payment & Tooling
Are the deposit, tooling payment, and other payment milestones tied to stated buyer approvals or supporting evidence?
- 04
Supplier Changes
Does the record require written buyer approval before the supplier changes materials, components, process, packaging, price, or lead time?
- 05
Delay & Corrective Action
Are notice, escalation, rework, replacement, credit, and other corrective-action expectations recorded?
- 06
Record Priority & Qualified Review
Can the buyer identify which source controls when the quotation, PO, drawing, agreement, email, or chat conflicts — and which issues require qualified review?
Buyer Decision View
Complete all six questions to generate a buyer decision view.
0Recorded
0Unresolved
0Verification required
Next Step
Bring the record into one discussion
Whatever the check shows, the next move is the same: review the current record, separate supplier position from buyer decision, and flag what needs qualified review before the next commitment.
Decision Basis
Pre-commitment01Quotation
02Purchase Record
03Specifications
04Supplier Messages
Open terms
Supplier position
Buyer decision
Qualified review flag
Buyer action
Proceed
Renegotiate
Seek Qualified Review
Hold
This desk organizes commercial questions only. An initial discussion does not create an engagement or confirm service scope. ImporterDesk does not verify document accuracy, determine legal enforceability, or provide legal, tax, customs, sanctions, export-control, regulatory, engineering, or insurance advice, and does not guarantee contract enforceability, recovery, compensation, or supplier performance.
Why ImporterDesk
Commercial terms should match how the order will actually be approved, paid, produced, inspected, and changed.
ImporterDesk helps the buyer connect supplier negotiations, technical references, payment conditions, and unresolved issues into one coordinated commercial record — before the next commitment is made.
We do not replace the buyer’s decision-makers or qualified counsel. We make the commercial record clear enough for each responsible party to act.
Commercial Control Chain
Supplier position → commercial record → buyer decision01Supplier Position
Factory-Connected Commercial Coordination
We compare proposed terms with the supplier’s quotation, MOQ, tooling, material commitments, production sequence, lead time, packaging, inspection, and change process.
- Operational assumptions
- Supplier exceptions
- Items that remain conditional
02Commercial Record
One Current Record Across Sources
We organize the current position across the quotation, PO, specification, drawing, email, chat, and draft agreement — so the buyer can see which source says what and where versions conflict.
- Buyer-designated current references
- Written supplier responses
- Version and change history
03Decision Ownership
Decision Ownership and Qualified Escalation
We separate supplier confirmation from buyer approval, and commercial coordination from issues that require qualified legal, tax, customs, compliance, engineering, insurance, or other professional review.
- Buyer decision required
- Supplier confirmation required
- Qualified review required
What the buyer gains
The result is not a promise that the supplier will perform. It is a clearer basis for the buyer’s next decision.
Scenario Selector · 01–04
This service is especially useful if any of these sound familiar
Pick the situation closest to yours. Each one shows where the exposure usually sits, and which written records reduce it before you commit.
01
Where the exposure sits
- Quality standard is descriptive ("good quality") rather than measurable
- No defined rejection route when a shipment fails inspection
- Remedy language exists, but no trigger event makes it usable
Records that reduce it
- Clause-by-clause gap review of the current agreement
- Acceptance standard written as AQL level + defect classes
- Remedy table tied to a verifiable trigger event
Commercial coordination and documentation support. Legal opinions and enforcement decisions stay with your own qualified counsel.
Contract firewall
Three layers that decide whether a clause is enforceable
Definitions, obligations, and remedies have to line up. Open the layered breakdown to see each one.
3
Firewall layers
1
Governing language
CN
Enforcement venue
Contract Firewall · 4 Layers
Four layers between your order and an unrecoverable loss
Hover a layer to see the conditions that make it verifiable. A layer you cannot check is decoration, not protection.
Your orderRisk direction →
Each layer sits between the previous one and the loss. If one layer is undocumented, the layers behind it carry the whole exposure.
L1Verifiable conditions
Specification & Acceptance Layer
What "correct" means before production starts: spec version, inspection standard, sample approval, rejection route.
If this layer is missing
Quality argued after shipment, with no agreed reference point.
- Spec version number and date named in the agreement
- AQL level and defect classes written, not implied
- Golden sample signed and dated by both sides
- Rejection route and re-inspection cost owner stated
Structuring and documentation support for commercial terms. We do not provide legal opinions or guarantee enforcement outcomes.
How We Work · 01–05
A negotiation, contracting and IP track with one owner per step
Every step separates what we coordinate from what stays your decision, so nothing sits in an unclear middle.
01
Deal Term Review
How we execute
We review your supplier quote, emails, payment terms, specs, samples, and current agreement to identify commercial and contract risks.
Why it matters
Surfaces the gaps and exposures in your current deal before money or tooling is committed.
We coordinate
Collect and index every existing commercial document into one record
Your decision
Which gaps are acceptable and which must be closed before payment
30-second scan · See the cracks instantly
Does your PI actually protect you?
Tick a box — see the real cracks
These are the clauses we see most often in 200+ PIs and English templates from US importers. Tick the wording that appears in your PI — the right panel shows the real enforcement gap from a US importer's perspective.
Does your PI contain any of these?
Live vulnerability report
Tick any clause on the left — we will show why it fails in real disputes.
* Failure rates are based on our hands-on / advisory experience across 80+ China sourcing disputes. For clause-level risk indication only — not case-specific legal advice.
Clause-by-clause comparison
Typical PI / English template vs. our bilingual clauses
Same scenario, five clauses. Pick a clause to see the gap a supplier-provided PI leaves open, and the bilingual wording that closes it.
Delivery Delay · Schedule exposure
Typical PI / template
No penalty, no exit
An approximate lead time with no liquidated damages and no termination right. The supplier slips from 45 to 90 days and waiting is your only option.
"Delivery: approximately 45 days."
Our bilingual clause
Priced delay + exit right
Delay carries a daily cost and a hard stop. Past the threshold you can terminate and reclaim the deposit instead of negotiating from zero.
Late delivery: 0.5% per day liquidated damages; over 15 days grants termination and deposit recovery.
Chinese counterpart (the version a PRC court enforces)
每逾期一日，乙方支付合同總額 0.5% 違約金。
Why it matters: Turns a schedule slip into a costed, enforceable event.
Sample clauses with client details redacted. Actual amounts, AQL levels and retention percentages adjust by product category and order size. Drafting support is coordination work, not a legal opinion.
Payment Terms Desk
Payment isn't wiring money — it's the leverage you keep in your hand
Three views of the same structure: where each milestone attaches, how the split shifts leverage and FX exposure wire by wire, and the currency clauses that stop the swing landing on your margin.
Milestones tuned to product type, supplier maturity, tooling spend, schedule pressure and quality risk — so every wire is tied to a real deliverable: on-time shipment, AQL pass, 3rd-party inspection, document handover.
High-risk new supplier
First-time partner, smaller shop, or no verified track record — spread the milestones thin so risk attaches to every single deliverable.
- 20%Deposit
- 30%After golden-sample / first-article approval
- 40%After 3rd-party inspection pass
- 10%Retention, released 30 days post-arrival
Established supplier
Stable history and predictable quality — you can use the standard split, but keep pre-shipment inspection + an arrival retention as your last line of defense.
- 30%Deposit
- 60%After pre-shipment inspection pass
- 10%Retention, released 30 days post-arrival
Tooling / NPI project
Anything involving molds, jigs, or dedicated NRE — payment must be tied to tooling ownership, sealed golden sample, and a no-transfer clause, or you lose the tool the day it ships.
- ①Tooling fee paid in stages, not upfront
- ②Ownership transfer confirmed at T1 sign-off
- ③Golden sample sealed before mass production
- ④No transfer / no third-party use clause
Reference patterns. Actual percentages and milestones get tuned to PO value, product type, supplier appetite, inspection feasibility and dispute-cost exposure — then locked into the contract with explicit links to delivery, quality and document handover.
Interactive tool · live calculation
Generate a payment milestone plan for this order in 30 seconds
Pick supplier maturity, product type, order size and lead-time pressure. The system suggests milestones, triggers, guardrail clauses and risk flags in real time.
Recommended payment plan
New supplier / first order・Custom build (no tooling)
Medium risk
- •New supplier carries the highest risk — split payment into 4 stages with sample sign-off and 3rd-party inspection as the key gates.
Payment milestonesProduction total: 100%
20%
Deposit
Trigger: Contract + PI signed + NNN/NDA (if applicable)
For new suppliers, keep the deposit at 30% or less to avoid handing over leverage too early.
30%
After sample / first-article sign-off
Trigger: Buyer's written confirmation that sample matches spec / drawing / color / packaging
Sample must be archived as the acceptance reference.
40%
After 3rd-party inspection passes
Trigger: AQL 2.5 / 1.5 pass + inspection report delivered
Strongly recommend SGS / BV / a 3rd-party inspector; fee can be negotiated shared.
10%
Post-arrival retention
Trigger: 14–30 days after arrival, no major defects or short-shipment dispute
Retention is the last line of defense in a quality dispute. Always keep some.
This is an initial recommendation based on your inputs. Actual milestones still need to be tuned to supplier acceptance and deal terms, and should be written into the contract bound to lead time, quality and acceptance.
Advanced tool hub · 7 modules
Run the numbers on a separate desk
The calculators and trackers are grouped by negotiation phase and kept on their own page, so this page stays readable end to end.
2 modules
Pre-signingDamages cap & clause structure
Model a defensible liquidated-damages rate and assemble the clause set before you sign.
2 modules
In performanceEvidence chain & acceptance
Track what gets recorded at each milestone and how acceptance decisions are documented.
3 modules
When issues ariseDispute & exit tracking
Work the quality-deduction sequence and the switch-factory sequence step by step.
Scope of work — what we do, and what we hand off to licensed counsel
We provide commercial-terms structuring, negotiation support, contract-clause architecture, and cross-border supplier coordination for US importers sourcing from China. For formal legal opinions, litigation, arbitration, or jurisdiction-specific rulings, we recommend a licensed attorney review and sign off — and can connect you with vetted PRC, HK, or US trade counsel when needed. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
Deliverables & Document Desk
What you receive — and what those documents look like in writing
Select a deliverable to see what it contains, then open the matching sample document.
Deliverable 01
Supplier Negotiation Memo
A written summary of agreed pricing, MOQ, tooling fees, payment milestones, lead times, packaging terms, and special conditions.
Every deliverable is issued as an editable working document plus a signed-off record copy, so your team keeps the audit trail.
Side-by-Side Bilingual Contract Preview
PC-2026-0318Hover any clause to highlight its bilingual counterpart
English · Commercial Terms
Section 3: Delivery Obligations & Penalties
3.1 Supplier shall complete delivery within ██ working days after contract execution.
3.2 Late delivery incurs a daily penalty of 0.5% of contract value per day of delay.
3.3 If delay exceeds ██ days, Buyer may terminate and claim liquidated damages.
Simplified Chinese (简体中文) · Governing Legal Text
Intentionally shown in Chinese: this is the version signed with the PRC factory and the one a Chinese court or CIETAC panel enforces. Each line mirrors the English clause on the left.
第三条 交货期限与违约责任
3.1 乙方应在合同签署后 ██ 个工作日内完成交货。
3.2 逾期交货的，每逾期一日，乙方应向甲方支付合同总额 0.5% 的违约金。
3.3 逾期超过 ██ 日的，甲方有权解除合同并要求赔偿。
The local legal text is written for enforcement in China/Taiwan while mirroring your English requirements — no hidden clauses, no translation gaps.
Open the sample documents behind each deliverable
Risk Detection
Contract Risk Radar
If any of these are missing from your current supplier agreement, your contract may not protect you when things go wrong.
01
No clear quality acceptance standard
The contract says "good quality" but does not define AQL level, defect categories, inspection method, or rejection criteria.
02
Payment is not tied to milestones
The supplier receives payment before tooling, samples, inspection, or delivery obligations are properly verified.
03
Delivery dates have no consequence
The agreement lists a lead time but does not define delay penalties, cancellation rights, or refund obligations.
04
IP protection is limited to confidentiality
The supplier is told not to disclose information, but there are no clear non-use, non-circumvention, tooling ownership, or production restriction clauses.
05
No written remedy for defective goods
The contract does not specify rework, replacement, refund, chargeback, or who pays for inspection and logistics when goods fail.
06
Dispute venue is unclear
The contract does not clearly define governing law, language priority, dispute venue, or how enforcement should proceed.
↓ Use the interactive tool below to scan your own document or run a deep self-assessment.
Free · No signup · Files not retained · PRC court-practice angle
Upload your PI / quote / existing contract for a quick risk health check
You don't necessarily need to sign a whole new contract. First surface the high-risk clauses in your existing PI / quote / PO / supplier agreement, then decide whether to request an advisor manual review to strengthen payment, delivery, inspection, default and IP terms.
Step 1 · Instant AI scanPending
Upload a file to get Top 3 high-risk clauses in 60 seconds. Optional paid advisor manual review.
This analysis is performed from the US / global importer perspective (reviewing documents from China-based suppliers).
Click or drag files here (multiple supported)
Supports PDF (up to 30 pages), JPG / PNG, TXT
This tool provides initial risk identification only and does not constitute formal legal advice. Files are processed on the server only during analysis and are not retained afterwards.
6-Question Quick Check
Is your current supplier agreement actually enforceable?
Six questions, about one minute. Answer from what is written in the signed document — not what was agreed on a call.
01
Does your agreement define acceptance in measurable terms (AQL level, defect categories, inspection timing)?
02
Is late delivery tied to a concrete remedy (daily penalty, holdback, or termination right)?
03
Are payment milestones linked to verified events (approved sample, passed inspection, released documents)?
04
Do you have signed NNN terms covering non-disclosure, non-use and non-circumvention?
05
Is ownership of tooling, molds, drawings and test reports stated in writing — with a handover trigger?
06
Does the contract exist in an enforceable local-language version signed by the factory entity, not a trading arm?
Contract coverage score
0 / 12
0 of 6 answered — complete all six to see your reading.
Supplier Notice · Day 0
“Production will be three weeks late because a key material is unavailable.”
Reported — Not Yet Verified
Real-World Buyer Scenario
The supplier reports a three-week delay. What can the buyer confirm — and what remains only a claim?
The delay may be the same. The buyer’s decision position changes when the controlling specification, supplier notice, payment condition, evidence requirement, and escalation path are recorded before the next commitment.
Message-Only Record
The buyer has an update, but not a decision-ready position.
Coordinated Commercial Record
The buyer can separate the supplier’s claim from the decisions still required.
Cause & Evidence
Message-Only
Delay reason stated; supporting evidence not provided.
Coordinated Record
Written notice, affected material, and supporting evidence are requested and tracked.
Controlling Requirement
Message-Only
The applicable specification, approved material, quantity, and affected milestone are unclear.
Coordinated Record
The current specification, material commitment, quantity, and affected milestone are identified.
Payment & Authorization
Message-Only
The next payment or production authorization is not linked to the delayed milestone.
Coordinated Record
Payment conditions and production authorization status are checked before the buyer commits further.
Recovery Plan
Message-Only
No current written record shows the supplier’s corrective action or revised delivery date.
Coordinated Record
Corrective action, revised date, required evidence, and buyer approval conditions are recorded.
Remedy & Escalation
Message-Only
Available remedies, escalation steps, and the buyer’s legal position remain undetermined.
Coordinated Record
Commercial options are logged. Legal rights and enforceability questions are flagged for qualified counsel.
Qualified review requiredThe buyer must first reconstruct the record before deciding what to do next.
The buyer can decide whether to accept the revised plan, renegotiate, escalate, or place the next commitment on hold.
Next Buyer Decision
The record supports the decision. It does not make the decision for the buyer.
- Accept the revised plan
- Renegotiate
- Escalate
- Hold
Buyer questions before pushback
0103
Three questions to resolve before asking a supplier to revise the terms.
Raising issues does not automatically protect the buyer — or damage the supplier relationship. The buyer needs to know which conditions are essential, which are negotiable, what the supplier actually accepted, and what remains subject to qualified review.
01
"Will the supplier walk away if we challenge the quotation or contract terms?"
"Will the supplier walk away if we challenge the quotation or contract terms?"
Supplier pushback is a commercial signal — not proof of bad faith.
A supplier may accept, counter, delay, or decline. The response can depend on timing, available capacity, product complexity, order economics, and the buyer’s leverage. ImporterDesk helps separate must-have conditions from negotiable points, present the issues in operational terms, and record each supplier exception before the next commitment.
BUYER DECISION
Proceed, revise the request, accept the exception, seek an alternative, or hold.
02
"If the supplier says ‘agreed’, is the issue settled?"
"If the supplier says ‘agreed’, is the issue settled?"
Agreement is only useful when the subject, version, condition, and approval are clear.
Replies such as "OK", "can do", or "no problem" may not identify the controlling quotation, drawing, material, inspection basis, change cost, delivery date, or remedy. ImporterDesk coordinates the supplier’s response into the commercial record and marks what is agreed, conditional, unresolved, or still unverified.
BEFORE PAYMENT OR AUTHORIZATION
Confirm the controlling record, open conditions, and decisions still owned by the buyer.
03
"Isn’t a template, AI draft, or signed bilingual document enough?"
"Isn’t a template, AI draft, or signed bilingual document enough?"
A document can organize language. It cannot establish the transaction facts or legal effect by itself.
Templates and AI may help organize questions or draft language. They do not verify supplier authority, align technical and commercial approvals, resolve conflicting versions, confirm regulatory compliance, or determine enforceability. ImporterDesk coordinates the commercial record and supplier clarification. Questions involving legal rights, governing law, dispute resolution, liability, intellectual property, or enforceability may require qualified counsel.
SEPARATE REVIEW PATHS
Commercial coordination does not replace legal, technical, compliance, tax, customs, engineering, insurance, or other professional review.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers about the work, the handoffs, and the decisions that remain with the buyer.
This section explains when ImporterDesk can coordinate, what the buyer must approve, and where legal, technical, compliance, tax, customs, engineering, insurance, or other qualified review may still be required.
Buyer question desk
Start with the issue closest to your next commitment.
0110
01
Starting point
We can start from supplier quotations, cost breakdowns, purchase orders, draft commercial agreements, specifications, drawings, emails, and chat records. We organize the current versions, identify conflicting or missing commercial terms, and prepare questions for the supplier and buyer. We do not determine the documents’ legal effect or technical sufficiency.
ImporterDesk can coordinateBuyer decision remainsQualified review may be required
Deep reads
4 topics you think you understand — until they cost you
Real cases US importers buying from China get wrong. Each piece covers PRC court practice, the right clause to draft, and where it ties back to the tools on this page.
IP / Confidentiality
NNN vs NDA — why your US NDA is wallpaper in China
An NDA blocks disclosure. NNN also blocks copying and back-door selling. In PRC courts the difference decides the case.
Contract structure
A PI is not a contract — 12 traps in the Proforma Invoice
Signed PI + wired deposit ≠ enforceable contract. The 12 must-have clauses to lock the factory in.
Tooling / Switching
Tooling held hostage — the 7-step rescue SOP for US importers
Once the mold sits in the plant, leverage flips. How to draft it right and how to claw it back when it is too late.
Liquidated damages
PRC liquidated damages — Article 585 and the 30% myth
How "manifestly higher than actual loss" is judged, and how the 0.30–0.50% / day sweet spot is derived.
Start small, stay in control
What the first two weeks look like — and what to pair it with
Transparent milestones, month-to-month engagement, and the three services that turn a signed contract into enforceable execution.
Day 1
Kickoff
You receive
Kickoff memo
Day 3
Cost teardown
You receive
Cost teardown report
Day 7
Negotiation playbook
You receive
Playbook + concession matrix
Day 14
First bilingual draft
You receive
Bilingual contract v1
No lock-in. Month-to-month retainer or transparent project pricing — pause or rescope anytime. We are a sourcing operations team, not a law firm: we organize commercial terms and contract risk items, and coordinate with qualified local counsel when formal drafting or legal opinions are required.