The Pre-Shipment Inspection Checklist Every Buyer Needs

Pre-shipment inspection is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy. It costs a fraction of one defect batch, and it catches problems while the factory can still fix them.

What AQL means for your order

AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) determines how many defects are tolerable. For most consumer goods, AQL 2.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor is the standard. Below that, the factory should rework before shipping.

The inspection report you should demand

A proper report includes photos, videos, defect counts against the AQL standard, and a clear pass/fail verdict. If your agent can't provide this, they're not inspecting — they're trusting the factory's word.

See how we run inspections on every order at our sourcing service.