A supplier takes a deposit and stops shipping, or ships goods that fail inspection. A factory keeps your molds, or starts selling your design to other buyers. At that point the question is where you can get a decision that reaches the other side's assets. The path is much the same whether the other side is a factory, a trading company, or a market stall or 1688 seller in Yiwu or Guangzhou; what matters first is establishing who actually took the money and who shipped. We act for overseas buyers in Chinese courts and arbitration: demand letters on law-firm letterhead, property preservation to freeze the factory's bank accounts and assets before or during the case, litigation in the factory's local court, arbitration, and enforcement of the result.
We start with three things: the contract and its dispute clause, the evidence you hold, and the supplier's registration, assets and litigation record. If the contract points to a foreign court, we look at whether a claim can still be brought in China. A foreign company can usually run the case without travelling, by signing a power of attorney abroad that is notarised and apostilled or legalised.
Not every dispute is worth suing over. Translation, notarisation, court fees and time all count, and many disputes between small sellers and suppliers involve sums that do not justify full proceedings. When that is the case we say so, and look at a demand letter, a negotiated settlement, or simply recovering your tooling and moving to another factory.
Supplier Dispute Assessment
Before you spend money on proceedings, find out whether a claim can reach the supplier's money. The assessment answers that question in writing.
- Review of the contract, payment records and key correspondence, up to 30 pages
- Which Chinese court or arbitration body can hear the claim, and whether the dispute clause stands in the way
- The supplier's registration, assets and litigation record, and the realistic routes to recovery
- Written advice in English within 5 business days, then a 30-minute call
Fixed fee from USD 590, confirmed in writing once a conflict check on the supplier's name is clear. A demand letter, property preservation and court or arbitration work are not included; if the assessment shows the claim is worth pursuing, we quote those separately. Request a dispute assessment.
Demand letters are charged at a fixed fee. Litigation and arbitration are quoted per stage after we have reviewed the file.
Related insights (4)
- Chinese Supplier Breached the Contract: What Can a Foreign Buyer Do?
- Suing a Chinese Company in a Chinese Court: What Foreign Businesses Should Expect
- How to Freeze a Chinese Company's Assets Before You Sue: Property Preservation in China
- A Chinese Company Owes You Money: How to Collect a Debt in China
Already in a dispute with a supplier?
Tell us what was paid, what went wrong and what the contract says about disputes. We will give you a straight view on whether it is worth pursuing.