Importing from China is one of the largest cross-border B2B flows in the world. Most of that money moves online — and yet, the question "is this actually safe?" trips up nearly every first-time importer.
We've moved thousands of orders through every common rail. Here are the seven things we wish every new importer understood before sending their first payment.
1. Wire transfer is the default, but it's the least safe rail.
T/T (telegraphic transfer) is what most factories quote in. The fees are low, settlement is fast, and reversibility is almost nil. If the funds land in a fraudster's account, your bank will tell you to call the police — there is no chargeback.
Mitigate this by splitting payment: 30% deposit on PO, 70% after inspection but before shipment. Never wire 100% upfront to a supplier you've never produced with.
2. Escrow is the safest, but you pay for it.
Alibaba Trade Assurance, PayPal Goods & Services, and dedicated services like Payoneer Escrow all release funds only after you confirm receipt and quality. The catch: fees run 2-4% on the buyer side, plus suppliers often inflate their unit price to absorb their cost.
3. Credit cards are protected — but capped.
Visa and Mastercard chargeback rights apply to factory orders just like any other charge. The catch: most factories won't accept credit cards above a few thousand dollars, and the ones who do charge a 3-5% surcharge.
4. Verify the receiving account matches the company name.
The single most common scam: a hacked supplier email asks you to wire to a "new" bank account, often in Hong Kong or Singapore, in a personal name. The real factory bank account is always a corporate Chinese mainland account with a name that matches the supplier's business license, in pinyin.
- Mismatch between business license name and receiving account = stop.
- Personal-name account (no "Co., Ltd." or "Group") = stop.
- Account in a country other than China without a documented reason = stop.
5. Reuse the same supplier — don't keep starting over.
Each fresh supplier is a fresh risk surface. Once you've successfully shipped with a factory, payment risk drops to near zero on reorders. The most expensive thing you can do is run every new product through a different supplier just to save 4% on unit cost.
6. Use a sourcing agent as a middleman.
A reputable sourcing agent (we are one) acts as the receiving party for your wire. We hold deposits, run the inspection, and only release to the supplier after the goods clear our quality gate. Cost: typically 3-5% on top of factory pricing, often less than what an escrow service would charge.
7. Document everything in writing, before you pay.
PO with full spec (size, color, material, packaging, quantity, target ship date), signed pro-forma invoice with the receiving account, and a written acceptance criteria. If a supplier won't sign these, treat that as a fraud signal — not an inconvenience.
The safe rail is the boring one: 30/70 T/T to a verified corporate account, after sample approval, with a third-party inspecting the goods before the balance leaves your hands.
None of these are exotic — they are just discipline. If you can stick to them, online payment to Chinese suppliers is as safe as buying from a domestic wholesaler.