Confirm the design, for the exact order

Before payment, confirm the design for the exact order, in writing, with the design, the material, the scale, and the quantity, and compare it to the order's requirements, because a design that matches on all counts is an order that will serve, and a design that mismatches on any one is an order that will not. Ask for the design to be stated explicitly, with its dimensions, colours, materials, and details, and read it against the order, line by line, because a line that mismatches is an order that will fail, and a line that matches is an order that will serve, and because a mismatch found before payment can be corrected, while a mismatch found after payment must be disputed, at cost, delay, and effort.

Ask for the design document, with the order's name, the design, the material, and the scale, and read it before paying, because a design document read before payment is a design that can be relied on, and a design document read after payment is a design that cannot be changed, however unfavourable its terms appear. A design confirmed in writing, before payment, is a design that can be relied on, and a design assumed, or inferred from a family page, is a design that cannot, because assumption is not evidence, and inference from a family page is not a design.

Confirm the prototype and sample approvals

Before payment, confirm the prototype and sample approvals for the exact order, in writing, with the prototype, the mold, and the sample, each approved against the design, because a prototype approved hastily is a design approved with errors, and because errors approved at prototype stage become errors in mass production, multiplied by the order quantity, while a prototype approved carefully is a mold made correctly, and a mold made correctly is mass production done correctly. Ask for the prototype approval to be stated explicitly, with its date and its approver, and for the sample approval likewise, because approvals stated explicitly are approvals that can be checked, while approvals assumed, or left unstated, are approvals that cannot be verified, when the order arrives.

Ask for the approval process to be stated explicitly as well: who approves, on what evidence, within what time, and what happens if approval is withheld, because an approval process stated explicitly is a process that can be followed, while an approval process assumed is a process that will be improvised, when approval matters most, and because a buyer who approves without a process will approve hastily, or late, either of which delays, or degrades, the order. Approvals confirmed in writing, before payment, are approvals that can be relied on, and approvals assumed are approvals that cannot.

Confirm the minimum order, as an inquiry

Before payment, confirm the minimum order quantity for the exact order, in the inquiry, in writing, with its unit: pieces, and whether the minimum counts per design, per material, or per order, because a minimum stated in one unit is not the same as a minimum stated in another, and because a buyer who orders the minimum in the wrong unit will either order too few, and face a rejected order, or order too many, and face unwanted stock. Ask for the minimum for your design, not for models in general, because minimums differ by design, by material, and by family, and because a minimum stated for one design must not be assumed for another, however similar the designs appear.

Ask for the minimum to be stated explicitly, with its unit and its counting basis, and compare it to the quantity you need, because a minimum that exceeds your need is a quantity you must either accept, negotiate, or abandon, and because a minimum that fits your need is a quantity you can order without waste. Confirm the minimum in writing, before payment, because a minimum confirmed after payment is a minimum that cannot be relied on, and because a buyer who pays without confirming the minimum has paid for an order whose quantity is unknown, which is an order that may be rejected, or over-ordered, when the minimum is finally stated.

Confirm the mold terms, as an inquiry

Before payment, confirm the mold ownership terms for the exact order, in the inquiry, in writing, with their meaning: who owns the mold, what it may be used for, where it is stored, who maintains it, what happens when production ends, and what happens if the relationship ends, because each answer changes what the mold ownership is worth, and because a mold term that is not written down, with its meaning, is not a term a buyer can rely on. Ask for the mold terms for your design, not for molds in general, because mold terms differ by design, and because a mold term stated for one design must not be assumed for another.

Ask for the mold terms to be stated explicitly, with their meaning, and read them against your needs, because a mold term that allows reuse for other buyers does not protect your design, while a mold term that restricts use to your products only does, and because a buyer who pays without confirming mold terms has paid for an order whose design protection is unknown, which is a design at risk, however good its production appears. Confirm the mold terms in writing, before payment, because mold terms confirmed after payment are mold terms that cannot be relied on.

Confirm the timeline, as an inquiry

Before payment, confirm the production timeline for the exact order, in the inquiry, in writing, with its start point, its end point, and its exclusions: prototype, mold, sample, and mass production, each with its duration and its start, because a timeline stated without its start and end is a timeline that cannot be planned on, and because a buyer who plans on a timeline counted from the wrong start, or excluding shipping when shipping was expected, will plan for a delivery that arrives later than expected, with a project delayed, a customer disappointed, and a schedule disrupted.

Ask for the timeline to be stated explicitly, with its stages, and compare it to your schedule, because a timeline that exceeds your schedule is a timeline you must either accept, negotiate, or abandon, and because a timeline that fits your schedule is a timeline you can plan on. Confirm the timeline in writing, before payment, because a timeline confirmed after payment is a timeline that cannot be relied on, and because a buyer who pays without confirming the timeline has paid for an order whose delivery is unknown, which is an order that may arrive late, however good its figures are.

Confirm the payment and shipping terms

Before payment, confirm the payment terms, in writing: what is paid, when it is paid, how it is paid, and what happens if the order does not serve, because payment terms that are not written down are payment terms that cannot be relied on, and because a buyer who pays on unwritten terms has paid on a hope, which will disappoint when the order fails, and when the supplier's interpretation differs from the buyer's expectation. Ask for the payment schedule, the payment method, the currency, and the refund or replacement process, because each answer changes what the payment is worth, and because a payment whose terms are unknown is a payment whose recourse is unknown.

Before payment, confirm the shipping terms as well, in writing: who ships, who pays, who insures, who bears transit risk, and what happens if the order is lost, damaged, or delayed, because shipping terms that are not written down are shipping terms that cannot be relied on, and because a buyer who pays for figures whose shipping terms were assumed will face a shipping dispute, a cost, or a loss that was not planned for. Payment and shipping terms confirmed in writing, before payment, are terms that can be relied on, and terms assumed are terms that cannot.

Confirm the certificates, by name

Before payment, confirm the certificates that apply to your market, by name, with documents attached, because a certificate that is not named, with its document, is a certificate that cannot be verified, and because a buyer who pays on an unnamed certificate has paid on a claim, not on evidence, which will disappoint when the market's regulator asks for the certificate, and when the certificate cannot be produced. Ask for each certificate by name, with its document, and check that the document matches the design, the market, and the requirement, because a certificate for another design, another market, or another requirement does not satisfy your market, however genuine it appears.

Certificates are available upon request on this site, with no names, numbers, or issuers stated, because none are evidenced, and because a certificate that is not evidenced cannot be presented as current. A buyer who needs certificates for their market should ask for them by name, in the inquiry, with documents attached, and should check those documents before paying, because a certificate checked before payment is a certificate that can be relied on, and a certificate checked after payment is a certificate that cannot be changed, however unfavourable its terms appear.

Pay only on written confirmations

Pay only when every confirmation is written: the design for the exact order, the prototype and sample approvals, the minimum order with its unit, the timeline with its start and end, the mold terms with their meaning, the packaging options, the payment and shipping terms, the rights position where applicable, and the certificates by name, with documents attached. Read every confirmation against the order's facts, before paying, because a confirmation that mismatches is an order that will fail, and a confirmation that matches is an order that will serve, and because a mismatch found before payment can be corrected, while a mismatch found after payment must be returned, replaced, or disputed, at cost, delay, and effort.

A buyer who pays only on written confirmations has bought an order that will serve, because its design, its terms, and its certificates were checked against the order's facts before the money moved, and a buyer who pays on assumptions, on family examples, or on general claims has bought an order that may or may not serve, with the uncertainty discovered only when the order arrives. Pay on writing, not on hope, because writing can be relied on, and hope cannot, and because the hour spent confirming before payment saves the order, the delay, and the dispute that follow a payment made without it.