Importing Machinery from China FAQ

1. Qualifying the supplier

Chinese machinery suppliers range from genuine manufacturers with engineering teams to trading companies selling other factories' machines. The difference is visible in three places: the factory itself, the delivered project list, and the documents. Visit or video-audit the factory; ask for delivered projects with contactable owners — then actually contact one.

Check certificates (ISO 9001, CE where applicable) and whether the company holds them as a manufacturer or as a trader. A trader can still be fine, but you should know who builds the machine and who stands behind it.

Preference the supplier who can name the engineer who will build your line, not just the salesperson who quoted it.

2. Payment terms that protect you

T/T in stages is the norm: a deposit with the order, a payment at FAT or before shipment, and the balance after installation or on agreed milestones. L/C is standard for larger values. The structure matters less than the triggers — every payment should be tied to a document or event you can verify: order confirmation, FAT report, loading photos, arrival, acceptance.

Never pay the full balance before the line runs at the agreed output on your bottle. The final payment is your only control after the machine ships.

3. FAT: inspection before shipment

Factory acceptance testing is where quality is actually controlled. The supplier runs the line on your bottle (or the closest available) at the rated output, and you or a third-party inspector sign the FAT report. Problems found at FAT are fixed at the factory, where engineers and parts are; problems found after shipment are fixed on your site, at your cost and time.

Put the FAT criteria in the contract: output on the agreed format, leak tests, electrical safety, and the spare-parts list to be shipped. Then attend it, in person or by video with a checklist.

4. Shipping and documents

Machinery ships by sea container, by rail, or by truck for land destinations such as Kazakhstan. The document set is standard: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or CMR, and the certificate of origin where preferences apply. Insurance is your call — do not ship a line uninsured to save a fraction of a percent.

For land routes, confirm the customs clearance point and who handles it. Suppliers who ship to your country regularly have this in their process; first-timers learn on your cargo.

5. Certification and compliance

Certification is market-specific: CE for Europe, EAC for the EAEU (Kazakhstan, Russia and neighbours), national approvals elsewhere. The certificate must cover the exact machine model and be issued before shipment — a certificate for a different model does not clear customs.

Ask the supplier to itemise certification in the package price. If they quote 'certification extra', get the cost and the issuing body in writing before order.

6. After-sales and warranty

Warranty is typically twelve months from commissioning or eighteen from shipment. Agree exclusions in writing (wear parts, operator damage, consumables) and buy a first-year spare-parts kit at order — it is cheaper than air-freighting later.

Fix the support channel: who answers emails, how fast spare parts ship, whether a technician can reach your site and at what cost. A machine without a support channel is a liability, whatever its price.

7. Common mistakes

Five mistakes repeat across importing buyers: buying on brochure photos, paying too much before FAT, skipping the FAT itself, ignoring certification until customs, and treating after-sales as an afterthought. Each one is cheap to avoid and expensive to fix.

Buying a filling machine from China is not risky when the process is managed; it is risky when it is improvised. Write the process down, follow it, and the outcome is predictable.

Frequently asked questions