This document provides tips for quality control when sourcing products from Asia. It advises to not underestimate supplier selection audits, to not use middlemen for auditing, and to clearly define specifications. It recommends knowing risks of direct sourcing, establishing a quality control schedule with suppliers, and linking payment to quality acceptance. The document encourages subscribing to a quality control blog for sourcing tips and contacting the quality manager for any questions.

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3. DON’TS:
 Don’t 1: Underestimate selection audits
 Don’t 2: Use your middleman or factory representative for your
auditing and product inspections.
 Don’t 3: Poorly define your specifications
DO’S:
 Do 1: Know the risks involved in sourcing directly from Asia.
 Do 2: Establish a clear road map with your supplier, including a
quality control schedule.
 Do 3: Link the quality of your order and the payment to your
vendor.
DO’S & DON’TS

4. DON’T 1:
Underestimate selection audits
Knowing whom you are working with is vital to succeeding.
What an Audit will help you to verify?
•Working with a real existing supplier
•Your supplier has experience making products like
yours
•Your supplier has the required documentation and
export licensing

5. DON’T 2:
Use your middleman or factory representative for auditing and
product inspections.
While an agent can sometimes provide useful services when arranging orders and
shipment with your factory, quality control is not something that you should
entrust to them.
What can go wrong?
•Conflict of interest
•Poor QC knowledge
•Costs

6. DON’T 3:
Poorly define your specifications
Providing thorough product specs to your supplier AND inspection team is a must!
Sending an accepted reference sample to your inspection company is one good way
to minimize the risk of subjective details.
What can go wrong?
•Exhaustive instructions
•Misunderstandings
•Products not usable

7. DO 1:
Know the risks involved in sourcing directly from Asia.
Inspecting your goods in production and before shipment is a necessary step in
ensuring quality results.
What are the main checkpoints of an inspection?
•Quantity of products and status of production
•Cosmetics of the products and their packaging
•Conformity to your pre-arranged requirements, based on the specifications sent to
the inspection firm
•Tests related to your product’s functionality and your country’s safety regulations

8. DO 2:
Establish a clear road map with your supplier, including a
quality control schedule.
When first working with a new supplier, creating a road map ahead of time that
clearly outlines your expectations for quality, delivery and volume is crucial.
Do not leave anything to chance.
•Buyers often assume that since their supplier makes similar products
frequently, they don’t need to provide much feedback. This is dead wrong!
•Be extremely detailed in your instructions with your factory- do not take any
point for granted.
•Be clear with your QC expectations in order to ensure positive results.

9. DO 3:
Link the quality of your order and the payment to your vendor.
Suppliers will likely try to propose the most favorable terms for them.
However, the best and safest option is to link your payment to quality
acceptance.
•What this means is paying the deposit up front, and then paying the
balance (probably 70%)
•Once the products pass your inspections but before the goods ship and
before your final payment is made.
•This gives the factory further incentive to produce quality products, as you
have clearly stated that you will not pay the balance until your standards
are met.

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Thank you for your attention!
Feel free to contact me anytime for any questions:
Habib Rkha
Quality Manager @ Asia Quality Focus