Article

Common Supplier Scams and How to Avoid Sourcing Fraud

Cosmo Sourcing · cosmosourcing.com Free Intermediate

A catalogue of the specific cons that trip up product founders, the golden-sample switch, fake certifications, price bait-and-switch, and traders posing as factories, with concrete defences for each.

  • The golden-sample trick: great sample, poor bulk run
  • Certifications can be forged, verify at source
  • Watch for price bait-and-switch after commitment
  • Independent inspection before final payment
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It answers 4 questions

  1. How do I avoid getting scammed by a supplier?
  2. What are the classic ways first-time importers get scammed or burned?
  3. Should I hire a third-party quality inspector, or can I trust the factory's own QC?
  4. What's 'quality fade' and how do I stop my product getting worse after the first good batch?

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  3. A practical, India-grounded checklist for turning an IndiaMART search into a vetted supplier, verify GST, sample first, avoid... dhanshikaexports.com Article How to Identify Good Suppliers on IndiaMART Dhanshika Exports
  4. The clearest explanation of why a physical, signed sample, not a spec sheet, is the real definition of 'correct' once... insight-quality.com Article What Is a Golden Sample in Manufacturing, and Why Are They Essential? Insight Quality
  5. A major third-party inspection firm's own AQL explainer and calculator, useful both to learn the standard and to see who you... qima.com Tool Acceptable Quality Limit, AQL QIMA
  6. A free, downloadable inspection checklist template, the actual document a third-party inspector (or you) would carry onto the... tetrainspection.com Template Quality Control Checklist: Free QC Checklist Guide Tetra Inspection
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