Frequently Asked Questions

Four verifiable layers, in order: (1) a live video call from our warehouse showing the exact batch before your deposit; (2) loading + run-test footage of your units before the 70% balance is due; (3) third-party pre-shipment inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek) at your cost, we load after the inspector signs, not before; (4) payment only to a corporate trade account whose name matches the contract entity, never a personal account. Any exporter who resists these four is telling you something important.

That scam (hacked supplier email sending "updated bank details") cost one importer $100,000. Our protocol: the receiving account is named in the contract and never changes for the life of the order. If you ever receive account-change advice, even from an address that looks like ours, treat it as fraud until you confirm on a live video call to the known WhatsApp number. We also sign a one-page banking confirmation at PI stage naming the account, currency and bank.

Yes, and you should. We provide: business license (translated), the corporate account statement matching the license name, and references you may contact. You can additionally run a background check through verification agencies in Guangzhou. A supplier hiding its legal identity is the loudest red flag in this trade.

Our PI/contract names arbitration by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) unless we agree otherwise. In practice, disputes at our scale are resolved commercially: documented claims credited on the next order. The clause exists so both sides negotiate seriously.

Grade A: ≤3 years old, full bench test passed, cosmetics 90%+, 90-day warranty, for premium urban shops. Grade B: ≤5 years old, full test passed, cosmetics 70–85%, 30-day warranty, the volume seller that clears fastest in markets like Alaba. Grade C: function-tested working with visible wear, no warranty, sold as-is working, for price-first upcountry markets. Full rubric with photo standards is on the grading page.

On benches, not by plugging in: laundry gets fill/agitate/drain/spin-balance checks, motor load draw, belt and bearing noise, lid and door safety cuts; microwaves get magnetron warm-up and heating evenness tests; heaters get element continuity, thermostat cut-off and draw tests. Every result is logged against the unit's serial number and shipped to you as an Excel log.

Chinese domestic trade-in channels (the national trade-in program generates millions of trade-ins), rental returns, and refurbisher partners. Units are screened at intake: age, model, visible damage; anything approaching waste condition is dismantled for parts, never exported.

Because the paperwork kills the profit: Nigeria prohibits used compressors, ACs and fridges outright; Ghana has banned them since 2013; East Africa's 2025 MEPS phases out inefficient cooling; and exporting refrigerant-bearing used units faces Chinese ODS controls. New cooling is supplied for Middle East and SE Asia lines only, with correct voltage/frequency versions.

Yes, logo, colors, plug type, voltage/frequency version, manual language (EN/FR/AR), packaging. MOQ is typically 200–500 units per SKU depending on category, from A-list factories with CB/CE test files. We refuse counterfeit and lookalike-brand work ("Samsong", "Hesense" etc.) — it's a criminal risk, not a negotiation.

Mixed Chinese domestic brands (Midea, Haier, TCL, Little Swan and similar) plus international brands sold in China. We don't promise specific brands per batch; we promise age, condition and function per grade. Batch pages list the brand mix honestly.

Used units: drain and inlet hoses where originally present; manuals are not included (digital PDFs available on request). New OEM lines: full accessory sets and your-choice manual language.

Standard lines are 220–240V / 50Hz, correct for all of Africa, the Middle East and most of Asia. New OEM lines offer 60Hz versions (required for the Philippines) and dual-rated motors/compressors. Every quote states the frequency explicitly, this detail is where careless importers lose money.

30% USD T/T deposit to lock serial ranges and your loading slot; 70% against B/L copy, before telex release. Payment to a corporate trade account whose name matches the contract entity. First orders are deposit-first, credit terms are earned after three clean containers, not promised at the start.

Because open-account terms require cross-border legal enforcement, which is slow and expensive for both sides. The 30/70 structure is the industry's balanced answer: you never pay for unverified goods, we never release title for unpaid ones. After three clean orders most suppliers discuss improved terms.

You're not alone — Iraqi banks are progressively restricted from USD windows. The working structure: pay from your UAE, Jordanian or Turkish corporate entity or trade partner, with a payment declaration linking it to the contract. We screen the sending bank against published restricted lists before accepting. Never send via an unnamed personal account.

Sight LC from a first-tier bank is possible for larger orders but adds $500–1,500 in bank charges and 1–2 weeks of documentation. For container-scale trade, T/T with staged payment is faster and cheaper. We do not accept standby LCs, deferred LCs, or LCs from restricted-corridor banks.

7 days in writing, including the ocean freight line. Freight re-prices monthly (weekly in peak season); batch FOB moves with sourcing cost. If freight drops between your deposit and loading, we honor the better rate, the PI holds otherwise.

For used units: sample price is the batch FOB plus actual courier/freight, credited against the 30% deposit of your first container. For new OEM: sample price plus courier, also credited against that deposit. We don't ship free samples; serious buyers don't ask for free containers either.

Planning volumes per 40'HQ: twin tub washers ≈165, semi-auto/portable washers ≈240, microwaves ≈450, blenders ≈900, kettles ≈1,200, instant water heaters ≈550, portable AC ≈280, solar fans ≈600. Mixed containers are our specialty, we produce a per-unit loading plan before you commit.

Recent 40'HQ bands: Lagos $3,000–4,000 · Tema $2,800–3,500 · Mombasa $2,500–3,500 · Umm Qasr $2,500–4,500 · Jebel Ali $1,200–2,200 · Alexandria $2,000–3,000 · Manila $1,000–1,800. These move monthly, we re-quote at order time and the quote holds 7 days.

Indicative bands: Nigeria 10–20% + 7.5% VAT · Ghana 10–20% + VAT · Kenya/EAC ~25% + 16% VAT · Iraq 5–15% + fees · UAE 5% · Egypt varies · Philippines 0–10% + 12% VAT. Exact rates depend on HS code and assessed value, your broker confirms before you commit, and our market playbooks list the bands.

Trade set: commercial invoice, packing list with serial ranges, B/L, insurance certificate (CIF). Quality set: per-batch QC test log, grade tag reference, loading photos and video links. Compliance set (new lines): CB/CE reports, energy data, declaration of conformity, formatted for SONCAP, PVoC and ICC workflows.

Used batches: 7–12 days to load after deposit (they're pre-tested) plus ocean transit (Manila 7–12 days; Umm Qasr 18–25; Mombasa 25–32; Lagos 28–38; Tema 30–38). New OEM: 20–35 days production plus transit.

Yes — LCL trial loads of 8–12m³ on select lines (roughly 30–60 washers). Per-unit cost is higher, but your first risk drops to $3,000–4,000. Many of our best clients started exactly this way; others preferred a shared 40'HQ with a co-buyer.

You do, through your clearing agent, you are the importer of record. We supply the full document set and market-specific advice (Form M and SONCAP sequencing for Nigeria, PAAR timing, ACID registration for Egypt), but clearance authority stays local, where it belongs.

On CIF orders, yes, marine cargo insurance at ~0.3–0.5% of value. On FOB orders you arrange it (your bank or agent can bind it in a day). For used goods, insure the landed value, not the FOB value, the difference matters when claiming.

Grade A: 90 days from arrival, function failures in normal use. Grade B: 30 days. Grade C: as-is working, transit-damage claims only. New OEM lines: typically 12 months, spare-parts based per contract. Full terms on the quality page.

Send photo/video of the affected unit with its serial tag visible, within the warranty window, to your usual WhatsApp contact. Response within 48 working hours; verified claims are credited on your next order or covered by priority parts shipment. The 3–5% spare parts box in your container handles most fixes on the spot.

Per container, scaled to the mix: inlet valves, drain pumps, drive belts, door/lid switches, control boards (new lines), heating elements, motor capacitors, plus consumables. For repeat clients we keep a standing parts profile against your SKU history.

Document at delivery with photos/video, notify us within 7 days, and file with the cargo insurer (insured value, not FOB). In parallel we open a commercial review: if our grading failed, the correction shows up as real credit on your next order, our business only works on containers number two, three and four.

Focus markets: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya/EAC, Iraq (via UAE corridor), Egypt, Philippines. We ship worldwide FOB/CIF and advise line-by-line eligibility, but final import confirmation is yours as importer of record.

Not for used appliances — Indonesia's Permendag 47/2025 restricts AC/fridge complete units, Vietnam's Circular 08/2023 bans used electronics, and Saudi retail requires SASO certification that used goods cannot obtain. New OEM lines are possible for some of these markets with certification, ask per category.

We advise against it: Brazil prohibits used consumer goods imports, most of the continent runs 60Hz (China domestic units are 50Hz), and Chinese new-brand channels dominate pricing. The math rarely works, we'd rather tell you than take the order.

Nigeria: SONCAP (product certificate + shipment certificate). Kenya/EAC: PVoC. Philippines: DTI-BPS ICC. Egypt: GOEIC registration + ACID. GCC: SASO. We prepare factory CB/CE test files that feed these workflows; your agent files locally. Certification cost is typically $300–1,500 per shipment depending on market and category.

Three steps: (1) WhatsApp us your market, budget and target categories; (2) receive batch videos, the per-unit loading plan and a written 7-day quote; (3) pay 30% deposit if the numbers work. Most first-time clients complete step 3 within a week of first contact.

Yes, trial LCL loads exist precisely for this. What we don't do is bargain-basement haggling: prices are tight because grades are honest. If your budget can't reach trial-LCL size, save up one more month, an underfunded first container is how this trade breaks people.

Yes — Guangzhou, one hour from the wholesale markets. Buyers and their agents are welcome; bring your own inspector if you like. If travel isn't practical, a live video walkthrough of your exact batch takes 15 minutes to arrange.

From client sell-through data. Grade B twin tubs clear fastest in Lagos volume markets; Grade A feeds premium shops; solar/DC lines grow every year in grid-gap regions. The stock board reflects what the data says, not what we happen to find.

Because those containers are untested gambles, and when you price per sellable unit instead of per unit, we usually win. Add warranty, spare parts and documents that keep clearing customs, and the "expensive" supplier is the cheap one. Run both numbers on the calculator.

The relationship: sell-through data in, next container's mix decided by week 3, standing parts profile, priority batch allocation, and improved payment terms after three clean orders. Our model only works on repeat business, which is exactly why first containers get treated well.