You’ve just spent six weeks negotiating a killer price on a custom-manufactured product. The mold is ready, the golden samples look perfect, and the factory is waiting on a 30% initial deposit. Then an invoice lands in your inbox with a different company name on it and instructions to wire the funds to a personal bank account.

Do you send the money?

If you hesitate, good. You’re already sharper than the thousands of importers who lose millions to trade scams every year. One bad wire can erase your entire procurement budget. Honestly, knowing how to pay China suppliers safely matters more than any price you negotiated. Below is the payment strategy and red-flag list our sourcing agency uses to protect client capital.

The Gold Standard: 30/70 T/T Bank Transfers

About 85% of B2B transactions leaving China run on the Telegraphic Transfer (T/T), better known as a plain wire. The standard terms are specific: 30% upfront as an initial deposit, and the remaining 70% when goods are completed