What is Product Quality Control (QC) and why should you arrange it in China
“Quality control”, AKA QC, is an inspection of goods that takes place at the factory to verify:
- The state of the goods upon exiting the factory;
- The difference between the characteristics of the final product and those in the initial order;
- The quality of the final product.
This QC check is carried out to ensure that the goods actually meet the standards required by the purchaser, in relation to both the characteristics of the items and the requirements necessary to be placed on the market in the country of destination. Such inspections therefore provide a greater guarantee that the stock of products meets the required quality standards.
Product Quality control, also known as “quality assurance” is therefore a process that aims to prevent any scams or discrepancies with the initial order made.
Why it is important to perform a quality check if you buy Chinese goods
Sometimes suppliers agree to manufacture goods at really low prices because they recover the price-reduction, using cheaper materials or components, therefore of medium-low quality.
As far as goods purchased in China are concerned, the responsibility for organising the control phases of the goods lies not with the producer but with the importer. If you buy Chinese goods you must therefore make sure that the quality control is carried out on site also because the purchased goods, if defective, cannot be returned to the manufacturer.
It is therefore very important to check the goods directly at the factory before they are shipped because, once they have entered Europe, it will be really difficult to intervene to solve problems related to the poor quality of the components or final products.
The only way to ask the supplier to repair the damage or make changes to the products is therefore to carry out an inspection before paying the balance of the payment. If you buy goods from a Chinese factory, you can carry out the check yourself by going to the factory where the production is carried out, in the event that it is too difficult for you to face a trip to China, you can hire an inspector to carry out the check on your behalf.
How to do quality control and what are the standards : AQL
Chinese manufacturing, although very specialized, often does not guarantee 100% perfect merchandise. If you buy from China you cannot expect to receive goods free of defects, but you can aim to obtain goods whose rate of defects, obviously not serious, is reduced and equal to 1-2%. We are talking about defects that do not affect the product and do not cause damage to consumers.
The SQL (Acceptable Quality Level) is the maximum percentage of defective parts exceeded which the batch of goods is rejected as defined in ISO 2859-1. SQL is accepted because it is linked to production risks, but it is always a very low number. The buyer must therefore check that his goods do not contain too many defects: but how do you establish the limit between acceptance and rejection? To agree and measure it, use the AQL tables.
There are three types of defects that are distinguished from this classification, for most consumer goods the limits are:
● 0% of defects considered unacceptable as they could harm consumers or fail to comply with regulations;
● 2.5% of significant defects that can however be accepted by the end user;
● 4% minor defects that represent a small gap from product specifications, but that most customers would not notice.
These proportions vary according to the function of the product and its market. For example, components used for the construction of buildings or airplanes are subject to stricter rules.
This tool is usually used during final inspections, i.e. before the products are shipped and sometimes during production when you already have a sufficient number of items ready to get an idea of the quality of the goods.
In quality control inspections, however, not only defective products are considered, but also:
- the conformity of the packaging (bar codes, inner packaging, shipping marks);
- the conformity of the products (e.g. if the colour varies it is not a defect);
- the tests indicated in the inspection checklist which can sometimes not be carried out on all samples, for example in the case where they are too long or destructive as in the case of foodstuffs.
The SQL is therefore an acceptable quality limit that must not be exceeded and in this sense suppliers must present goods whose quality standard is higher than the imposed limit. If a control fails because it reveals too high an AQL, the supplier will have to make changes to the goods to make them conform to the default standard.
If you want to be protected in the event of such a case, the advice is to insert a specific clause when entering into a contract with the supplier.
Product Quality Control on imports from China: how to do it with Yakkyofy
If you want to buy products from China without any problems and be sure to receive the goods you have actually ordered, you can contact Yakkyofy.
Yakkyofy allows you to make a secure purchase, not only because it connects you with certified suppliers, but because it ensures a check on all orders in order to verify that the goods are in possession of the necessary documentation to be sold in the EU.
The quality of the goods is then examined before shipment according to AQL standards.
You can request a product quality control both for the products you buy wholesale and for those you buy one by one in dropshipping.
There are three versions of the control performed by Yakkyofy:
- Product evaluation: the evaluation of the sample to check the quality of the product before purchasing a wholesale order or sending dropshipping orders. The customer can request it by paying the cost of the sample. You will receive a PDF report with the product specifications.
- Standard Quality Control: Included in all paid plans, is sample quality control.
- Advanced Quality Control: Extended quality control, included only in the Luxury Concierge Plan, but available for all other types of plans as an upsell to bulk order payment.
In short, through Yakkyofy, you can protect your business and avoid bad surprises on the purchase of products: you can be sure to receive the goods you want – of quality – directly at home and on the established date.
What are you waiting for?
