Pre-shipment inspection
Inspection Report
- TDS rejection rateTested
- 500 PSI hydrostatic burst testTested
- AQL sampling — visual & functionChecked
- Carton drop test & labellingChecked
- Quantity, seal & container conditionVerified
English report within 48 hours of the visit
Factory audit checklist (PDF)The report format behind every gate — what your inspection fee buys.
The complete water purification supply chain, from one partner.
China Water Sourcing (CWS) covers the full water-purification industry chain in Ningbo–Cixi: components, membranes, filter cartridges and finished RO systems — with factory audits and staged QC on every order. One partner, from raw fitting to sealed container.
- service fee
- 0.6%
- service fee
- QC on every order
- 4-stage
- QC on every order
- report turnaround
- 48h
- report turnaround
Every order passes four gates.
Production is inspected at four gates, and you approve each gate before production continues. Pick a gate to see what is checked — and what lands in your inbox.
Gate 1 of 4
Before you order
Factory audit
An on-site assessment of a manufacturer’s certifications, production capacity and quality systems. Our auditors visit the factory, verify NSF/CE certifications and real output capacity — before any money moves.
You receive: Written English audit report within 48 hours — yours to keep.
Evidence & reading
Gate 2 of 4
First articles approved
Pre-production check
First-article and raw-material approval before mass production begins. Production samples are measured against the spec sheet, so the run starts from an approved article — not from a promise.
You receive: Approved first-article record, with measurements.
Evidence & reading
Gate 3 of 4
AQL sampling mid-run
During-production inspection
Mid-run AQL inspection while production is still on the line — quality drift caught while it can still be fixed, not after the cartons are sealed.
You receive: AQL sampling report with photo evidence at the gate.
Evidence & reading
Gate 4 of 4
Final gate, supervised stuffing
Pre-shipment & loading
Final AQL sampling, function testing and the 500 PSI burst test — then supervised container stuffing at the factory: quantity, condition and seal verified before the doors close.
You receive: Pre-shipment report and loading record, before you pay the balance.
Evidence & reading
One chain, end to end.
Most agents sell you a product. We cover the chain it comes from — so a cartridge, its housing, its fittings and the RO system they go into can all come from audited factories, in one consolidated container.
Components
Fittings, tubing, pumps, housings
RO Membranes
1812 / 3012, NSF 58
Filter Cartridges
PP, CTO, UDF/GAC, T33
Finished Systems
RO purifiers, countertop units
QC Layer
Audit + 4-stage inspection
Export
Consolidation, one B/L
Nine services. One team on the ground.
Use us for a single inspection or for the full order, factory to container. Every service billed transparently — no retainers, no hidden margins.
Factory Audit
On-site assessment of certifications, production capacity and QC systems. Written report in English, yours to keep.
Pre-Production QC
First-article and raw-material approval before mass production begins.
During-Production Inspection
Mid-run AQL checks — quality drift caught while it can still be fixed.
Pre-Shipment Inspection
AQL sampling, function testing, 500 PSI burst test. Photo and video report.
Loading Supervision
Supervised container stuffing at the factory — quantity, condition and seal verified.
Lab Test Coordination
NSF/CE sample submission, lab follow-up and report translation.
New Product Development
Factory matching, negotiation and prototyping follow-up for OEM/ODM projects.
Sampling Follow-Up
Sample chasing, spec verification and express shipment to you.
Mixed-Container Consolidation
Multiple factories, one container from our Ningbo hub. One bill of lading.
Published pricing. No black box.
One service fee for full-order sourcing. Per-job pricing for standalone inspections. Typical sourcing agents charge 3–7%, and trading companies add roughly 20% hidden markup in the product price — we quote the factory's price, add 0.6%, and show both numbers.
Factory Audit
Standalone — before you commit to a factory
$400–600
per day · prepaid
- On-site assessment of certifications, capacity & QC systems
- NSF/CE certificates and real output verified
- Written English report within 48 hours
QC Inspections
Standalone — on your factory or ours
$250–350
per man-day · prepaid
- Pre-production, during-production & pre-shipment gates
- AQL sampling, function testing, 500 PSI burst test
- Photo and video report in English
Full Sourcing
Full-order serviceFactory to container, one partner
0.6%
of order value · on factory-direct pricing
- Factory matching & price negotiation
- All four QC gates included in every order
- Mixed-container consolidation, one bill of lading
Full-order sourcing — what the 0.6% covers
| Factory matching, negotiation, staged QC, consolidation | 0.6% of order value | 50% on confirmation, 50% before shipment |
Standalone services — per job
| Factory audit | $400–600 / day | Prepaid |
| QC inspection (pre-production / mid-run / pre-shipment) | $250–350 / man-day | Prepaid |
| Loading supervision | $200–300 / job | Prepaid |
| Lab test coordination | $150 + lab fees at cost | Prepaid |
| New product development | $500–1,000 / project | 50% upfront, 50% on sample approval |
| Mixed-container consolidation | $300–500 / container | With 0.6% order fee |
Example: a $20,000 order costs $120 in service fees — against $600–$1,400 at a typical 3–7% agent.
Your factory, or ours.
Two ways to work with us. Same QC standards either way.
Source from our audited factory network
Vetted water-purification factories in Ningbo–Cixi. Factory identity, pricing and audit reports disclosed to you — not hidden.
- 0.6% service fee on factory-direct pricing
- Staged QC included in every order
- Mixed-container consolidation from Ningbo hub
Bring your own supplier
Already working with a factory? We act as your local QC team — audit, inspect, supervise — billed per job, no retainer.
- Pay per inspection, from $200
- English reports within 48 hours
- We flag failures before shipment — you decide
Guides, checklists & the tech wiki.
The questions overseas buyers actually ask us — answered plainly, with a printable checklist on every page. Written from the factory floor and the inspection line, not from a brochure.
Buyer Guides · 17 guides
Sourcing & QC, step by step
Finding suppliers, factory audits, AQL inspection, certifications for the USA & Europe, Incoterms and after-sales.
Browse the guidesChecklists · 37 PDFs
Printable, one page each
The factory-audit checklist, the AQL checklist, the TDS test checklist — the same sheets our inspectors carry, free to download.
Get the checklistsTech Wiki · 20 entries
The technology, in plain language
RO membranes, TDS, NSF/ANSI 58, filter housings, pressure testing — each entry opens with a definition you can quote.
Open the wikiQuestions buyers ask us.
Direct answers — the same ones our Ningbo team gives on every first call.
What does China Water Sourcing charge?
0.6% of order value for full-order sourcing, calculated on factory-direct pricing — a $20,000 order costs $120 in service fees, and that is the whole fee: supplier search, price negotiation, staged QC coordination and mixed-container consolidation are all covered by it, with no retainer and no hidden trading-company markup added to the factory price. Standalone inspections are billed per job instead: factory audits $400–600/day, QC inspections $250–350/man-day, and container loading supervision $200–300 per loading. You always see the factory’s direct price and the CWS service fee as two separate lines before you commit, so you know exactly what the goods cost and what our work costs.
What is a factory audit?
An on-site assessment of a manufacturer’s certifications, production capacity and quality systems, carried out at the factory itself — most factories we audit sit in the Ningbo–Cixi water-purification cluster. Our auditors verify the business and export licenses, check that NSF and CE certifications are genuine and cover the exact models you want to buy, walk the production line and the QC lab, and confirm real output capacity rather than brochure capacity. You receive a written English report within 48 hours of the visit, with photos and a clear pass, conditional or fail conclusion. The report is yours to keep and to use in any negotiation, whether or not you source through CWS afterwards.
How does staged QC work?
Production is inspected at four gates, and you approve each gate before work continues. Gate one is the factory audit, before any order is placed. Gate two is a pre-production check of first articles against your specification and golden sample, so materials, tooling and labelling are right before the run starts. Gate three is a during-production AQL inspection in the middle of the run, sampled to AQL 0.65/1.5, which catches drift while it can still be corrected. Gate four is the pre-shipment inspection plus supervised container loading at Ningbo Port. The inspection criteria for every gate are agreed with you in writing in advance — no gate, no surprises.
Can you inspect a factory I already work with?
Yes. Under the bring-your-own-supplier model we audit your existing factory, inspect its production runs and supervise its container loading, without taking over the commercial relationship and without asking you to switch suppliers. Each service is billed per job — factory audits $400–600/day, QC inspections $250–350/man-day, loading supervision $200–300 — with no retainer and no minimum order value. You can book a single gate, for example only the pre-shipment inspection, or the full four-gate sequence. Reports are delivered in English within 48 hours of each site visit, with photos and measured results, so you can manage a supplier you have never visited as if you were standing on the factory floor.
How fast is the quotation?
FOB quotations are returned within 24 hours of your RFQ, itemised by product, quantity and packing, so you can see the factory-direct price and the 0.6% CWS service fee as separate lines. Factory audit and QC inspection reports follow within 48 hours of the site visit. The fastest way to keep those timelines is to send your target specification, estimated quantities and destination port with the first message — most delays come from missing specifications, not from our side. Everything is handled in English by our Ningbo team, and the same timelines apply whether you are pricing a first sample order or a full mixed container.
Request a quote.
Tell us what you need. Our Ningbo team replies within 24 hours.
- FOB quotation — within 24 hours, in English
- Factory audit report — available with any product RFQ
- 3D container loading — plan included for mixed orders
- Direct line — WhatsApp, email, or the form on the right
Prefer email? Write to us — address in the footer.