Tooling
What to Check Before Sending Tooling Money to a Chinese Factory
Before sending tooling money to a Chinese factory, check ownership terms, drawings, sample approval, payment account, refund terms, timeline, and what happens if the project changes.
Not a formal factory audit. Not legal due diligence. Not quality inspection. Not a supplier reliability guarantee.
Short answer
Before tooling money moves, the buyer should know what is being built, who controls it, how approval works, and what happens if the project changes.
Why this matters
Tooling money often feels different from a normal deposit because it creates project lock-in. Once tooling starts, changing details becomes slower and more expensive. That is why ownership terms, drawing version control, and approval checkpoints matter so much before payment.
Step-by-step checklist
1. Confirm the drawing or version basis in writing.
2. Confirm who owns the tooling and what happens if the project stops.
3. Confirm how sample approval works before tooling is treated as final.
4. Confirm timeline and revision logic.
5. Confirm payment account, refund terms, and what happens if specs change.
Common red flags
Red flags include vague wording around ownership, no final drawing reference, no clear approval step, and pressure to send tooling money before revision logic is settled. Another warning sign is when the supplier can describe a tooling fee but cannot describe what the tooling process actually includes.
Example supplier questions
Can you confirm the drawing version that this tooling quote is based on?
Who owns the tooling after payment?
What is the approval path before tooling is treated as final?
What happens if the project changes after the first tooling stage?
What this cannot prove
This cannot prove long-term project success, tooling performance, or dispute outcome. It only helps reduce ambiguity before tooling starts.
This guide helps reduce tooling-stage ambiguity, not formal audit, legal due diligence, quality inspection, or supplier reliability guarantee.
Before tooling payment, clarify the supplier reply
Send the tooling quote, drawing notes, or supplier reply when ownership, approval, or payment terms remain unclear.
Gewuji reviews visible supplier information and communication signals. This is not a formal factory audit, legal due diligence, quality inspection, or supplier reliability guarantee.