China Inspection Services
Inspection Services in China: Pre-Shipment, Factory Audit and FBA Checks
QIS runs quality checks inside Chinese factories for overseas ecommerce sellers and Amazon FBA importers — where a problem is still cheap to fix: before the balance payment, before the cartons are sealed, before the container is loaded. Every visit answers one question: can you ship this lot, or not?
This page is the comparison: the five services, when each earns its cost, and what you get back. Each also has its own page with the full checklist and on-site sequence; for the general process, see how QIS runs product inspections in China.
If you already know what you need, book an inspection date and we will confirm the scope, checklist and AQL values before an inspector is dispatched. Still choosing? The table below is the fastest way through.
Compare services
The Five QIS Services at a Glance
Every booking is scoped to the product and lot: these are types of visit, not fixed packages.
Product Inspections
Pre-shipment Inspection (PSI)
Pre-shipment inspection is the final quality checkpoint before the balance payment, freight pickup or Amazon FBA delivery. QIS inspects the finished lot with a random AQL sample and your checklist.
When to Book
- Production is 100% finished and at least 80% packed. You cannot sample cartons that do not exist yet.
- Unpacked goods say nothing about how they survive freight.
- Leave runway for rework and a re-check before the ship date.
What QIS Checks
- A random AQL sample drawn by the inspector, not chosen by the factory, against your checklist.
- Function, dimensions, materials, finish, workmanship, assembly and accessories.
- Quantity against the order, labels, and inner and master carton marks.
Report Output
- Pass, fail or hold.
- The AQL plan and sample size actually used, plus the defect list by class with photos.
- A recommendation: ship, rework and re-inspect, or sort.
For FBA sellers, PSI is where product quality and the Amazon label and carton checks happen in one visit — for most sellers, the whole reason to book.
Full scope: pre-shipment inspection in China
Factory and Supplier Audits
Factory and Supplier Audit
A factory and supplier audit checks whether the entity you are paying matches the site that will produce the goods — before you wire a deposit or start a new product category.
When to Book
- Before you wire a deposit to a supplier you have not used before.
- Before a new product category with an existing supplier.
- When the quote is far below the others and you suspect a trading office rather than a factory.
What QIS Checks
- Whether the entity you are paying matches the production site.
- Equipment, lines and capacity against your order size.
- In-house QC steps and records, incoming material control, subcontracted processes, and how approval samples are kept. These are document and process checks — an audit is not a certification and does not issue one.
Report Output
- Findings with photos and risk notes by area.
- A list of items to resolve before the deposit.
- Written so you can forward it to the supplier as a to-do list.
For FBA sellers, an audit does not tell you the goods are good. It tells you whether the supplier can plausibly make them at your volume — and whether you are dealing with the party you think you are.
Full scope: factory and supplier audit
Production Control
During Production Inspection (DUPRO)
During Production Inspection (DUPRO) checks the order while the line is still running, so a defect can be corrected on the goods that have not been made yet.
When to Book
- While the line is still running. Industry convention puts the visit at roughly 20–40% of the order produced.
- The exact trigger point is agreed at booking.
- A defect found at 30% can be corrected on the remaining 70%. The same defect found at 100%, packed and palletised, is a rework bill and a missed vessel.
What QIS Checks
- Mass production against the approved sample: colour, material, construction, print position and dimensions.
- Workmanship on the running line, component substitution against spec, and assembly and packing station practice.
- The defect pattern so far, and whether earlier corrective actions were implemented.
Report Output
- Defects found with photos.
- Corrective actions requested.
- A clear position on whether the run should continue as-is, be corrected on the line, or be held.
For FBA sellers, DUPRO protects a ship date instead of reacting to it. A problem found at 30% leaves weeks; the same problem at PSI leaves days, and Amazon's inbound window does not move for you.
Full scope: during-production inspection (DUPRO)
Supplier Quality Control
Supplier Quality Control (Quality Engineering)
Supplier Quality Control (Quality Engineering) is for when the same defect returns across lots, or the spec has never been written down so the factory and the buyer can agree on it.
When to Book
- The same defect returns across lots.
- You are adding SKUs and need the spec written down, or the checklist is a screenshot of someone else's.
- Nobody can agree on what counts as "major", or you want to stop paying for a full inspection on every lot.
What QIS Does
- Define the defect taxonomy and AQL plan per SKU.
- Build the checklist from your specification and approval sample.
- Pin down tolerances and finish expectations you and the factory both accept, and follow corrective actions instead of re-reporting repeat issues.
Report Output
- Written specifications and checklists.
- Agreed defect definitions by class.
- A corrective-action record you can hold the factory to on the next order.
For FBA sellers, this turns inspection from a recurring cost into a supplier that stops producing the same problem — most useful before a peak-season run.
Full scope: supplier quality control and quality engineering
Shipment Control
Container Loading Supervision
Container loading supervision checks that the cartons which passed inspection are the cartons that go into the container, and records the seal number at closing.
When to Book
- The lot has passed inspection and is being loaded.
- Several SKUs ship together, or goods are consolidated with other cargo.
- The value is high, or you have been short-shipped before.
What QIS Checks
- Carton count against the packing list, and carton condition.
- Container condition: dry, no holes, no odour, no residue.
- Separation of mixed SKUs, loading sequence and palletisation, and the seal number at closing — with photos of the empty container, the loading, the full container and the sealed doors.
Report Output
- A count record against the packing list.
- The photo set and the seal number.
- Notes on anything that differed from the plan.
For FBA sellers, PSI proves the goods were right at the factory. Loading supervision proves the right cartons went into the box, which is where short-ships and carton-count disputes actually happen.
Full scope: container loading supervision
Amazon FBA sellers
Amazon FBA Shipments Need a Combined Checklist
An FBA inspection is not a product inspection with a label check bolted on. Two things work differently.
Label and carton defects are binary
A scuffed panel is cosmetic and may be acceptable under an AQL. A unit with the wrong FNSKU, an unscannable barcode, or a missing polybag suffocation warning cannot be received correctly — it does not average out across a sample. QIS treats those findings as Major at minimum, and Critical where a required safety or compliance marking is missing.
The failure lands in Amazon's network, not at the factory
Rework in China costs a few days. A rejected inbound shipment costs freight both ways, storage, removal or disposal, and time on a live listing.
So FBA shipments run against a combined checklist, in one visit at pre-shipment timing:
FNSKU labels — the right code on the right SKU, on every unit, positioned so it does not cover required product information. Barcode readability — an actual scan test, not a visual judgement. Curved, glossy or low-contrast labels fail at the warehouse even when they look fine in a photo. Carton labels and shipping marks — FBA box labels, PO / SKU / carton numbering, and carton counts that match the packing list. Carton limits and construction — weight and dimensions, sealing, no crushed corners, no mixed SKUs unless the plan allows it. Polybag requirements — suffocation warning where the bag opening requires one, no staples, barcode visible on or through the bag. Retail packaging and inserts — artwork version, manuals, warranty cards, set composition, required markings. Shipment readiness — does the physical shipment match what your Amazon shipment plan and packing list say will arrive.
Which page to use. This page compares the five services and helps you choose the visit. The FBA procedure itself — full scope, checklist order, what to prepare before the inspector arrives — is on Amazon FBA inspection in China. Choose the service here, then read that page before briefing the factory.
Buyer risk control
Common Sourcing Problems — and the Service that Fixes Each
A new factory, and the deposit is due
You have a quote, a sample, and no evidence the line exists. Book a factory and supplier audit before you pay.
The sample was great; mass production is not
Colour is drifting, seams are inconsistent, the material feels lighter than the approved piece. Book a during-production inspection (DUPRO) while the rest of the run can still be corrected.
The ship date is close and you need a go/no-go
Goods are finished, packed, and the forwarder is booked. Book a pre-shipment inspection in China against your own checklist and AQL values.
The same defect has come back three lots running
Each inspection finds it, the factory fixes that lot, it returns on the next. Use supplier quality control and quality engineering to fix the process, not the lot.
The product is fine; you are worried about labels and cartons
FNSKU mix-ups, unreadable barcodes, cartons over Amazon's limits. Use the FBA label and carton checklist, run at PSI timing.
Goods passed inspection, then the container arrived short
Or the container arrived with cartons that were never yours. Book container loading supervision on the next load.
How to choose
Which Inspection Service Should You Book?
Nothing produced yet, supplier you have not used
Factory audit.
Line running, ship date weeks away
DUPRO now, then PSI before loading.
Finished and packed, ship date days away
PSI, with FBA checks added if the goods go to Amazon.
Selling on Amazon and unsure what is required
Read the Amazon FBA inspection procedure first, then book the visit.
Goods ready to load
Container loading supervision.
If two of those describe you, book both: DUPRO plus PSI, or PSI plus loading supervision, on the same order — the second visit usually costs less than the rework it prevents. Then book an inspection date and the scope is confirmed in writing before anyone is dispatched.
AQL
Where AQL Fits into Every Visit
None of these services runs on an inspector's opinion. Each uses a defined sample and defined limits: lot size and inspection level set the sample size, and the agreed Critical / Major / Minor AQL values set how many defects are allowed before the lot fails.
If those numbers are not fixed yet, the AQL sampling tables and calculator give the sample size and accept / reject points for your lot. Final values are confirmed on the booking form, per product — a high-value SKU and a low-cost accessory in the same shipment do not need the same plan.
Booking
How Booking Works
1. Send the basics
SKU list, quantities, factory address, target inspection date, and whether the goods ship to Amazon or a retail buyer.
2. QIS confirms the scope
Service type, checklist, AQL values, sample size and quotation, in writing, before the visit.
3. Book the date
Through the booking page. The inspector works to the confirmed plan; the report comes back with the result, defect counts and photos.
You do not need to be in China to act on it.
Which inspection do I need for an Amazon FBA shipment?
Pre-shipment timing — production finished and at least 80% packed — with the FBA label and carton checks added to the checklist. If you also want the run checked earlier, add a during-production inspection. Full scope: Amazon FBA inspection in China.
What does a QIS report contain?
The pass / fail / hold result, the AQL plan and sample size used, defect counts by class, a defect list with descriptions and photos, carton and label photos where relevant, and a recommendation to ship or rework.
What happens if the lot fails?
You get the evidence to decide: rework and re-inspect, sort the affected defect class at 100%, negotiate a price adjustment, or reject the lot. The report can be forwarded to the supplier as a rework instruction.
How many units will be inspected, and at what AQL?
That depends on lot size, inspection level and the AQL values you agree. The AQL sampling tables and calculator show the sample size and accept / reject numbers for your lot; final values are confirmed on the booking form.
Book an Inspection in China
Send the SKU list, finished quantity, factory location and ship date. QIS confirms the service, checklist and AQL values, inspects on site, and sends a report with a clear PASS / FAIL / HOLD outcome before the goods leave the factory.
Book: qualityloyal.com/booking/
Email: info@qualityloyal.com
Phone / WhatsApp: +86-18928019798
Not sure which of the five services fits? Send us the product and supplier details and we will tell you which visit makes sense — including when the honest answer is that you need none yet.
