For most building materials, payment is a solved problem: a purchase order, an invoice, a bank transfer, done. Imported granite does not work that way. Every G682 order is produced to specification, takes three to five weeks from block selection to container loading, and ships several thousand kilometres before anyone sees the goods. The payment structure you agree on is not an administrative detail – it is the main risk-control tool you have. Here is how experienced importers and wholesalers of Chinese golden granite structure it.
Why Payment Terms Work Differently in Stone
Granite sits between a commodity and a custom-made product. A G682 slab order is cut from quarry blocks, finished to a chosen surface – flamed, honed or polished – and packed to your loading plan. Once production starts, the material cannot easily be resold to someone else, which is why factories ask for a deposit before cutting. At the same time, the buyer pays a large share of the value before the container arrives. A good payment structure splits that risk in a way both sides can accept.
T/T: The 30/70 Standard
Telegraphic transfer with a 30 percent deposit and 70 percent balance is the working default in the China stone trade, and for good reason:
- 30% deposit confirms the order, locks block selection at the quarry and covers the first production phase.
- 70% balance is paid against the scanned Bill of Lading, after the goods are loaded and shipping documents exist.
The balance-against-B/L point matters. You should never be asked for the full balance before loading photos, the packing list and the draft B/L are in your inbox. If a factory pushes for payment before production evidence, that is a signal to slow down, not to speed up.
Letters of Credit: When They Are Worth the Paperwork
A letter of credit at sight adds bank-level security, but it is not free: issuing and amendment fees typically add 0.5 to 1.5 percent of order value, and documentary discrepancies cause most LC payment delays. An LC makes sense when the order is large – a full-year stocking programme, or mixed G682 and G603 volumes for a distribution centre – or when your own financing requires it. For a trial container, an LC usually costs more in fees and admin time than the risk it removes. Match the instrument to the order size.
Milestone Payments for Cut-to-Size Orders
Project orders cut to shop drawings deserve their own structure. A common schedule is 30 percent on order confirmation, 40 percent when the finished panels pass inspection at the factory, and 30 percent against shipping documents. The middle milestone is your strongest lever: it means you only release the production-stage payment after someone – your inspector or a third party such as SGS or Bureau Veritas – has measured thickness, flatness and colour against the approved samples. Payment and quality control should be linked, not sequenced.
Reducing Risk Before Money Moves
The cheapest risk control happens before the deposit, not after. Importers who buy directly from a quarry-owning factory in Suizhou, Hubei, get three structural advantages: first, the pricing conversation happens without trading-company margin in the middle; second, production is controlled from block selection to final packing, so the schedule behind your payment milestones is real; third, factory inspections and third-party checks are welcome rather than tolerated, because the factory is confident in what is on its racks.
A Pre-Payment Checklist for Importers
- Confirm the factory holds the quarry and processes in-house – ask which quarry blocks current stock comes from.
- Agree golden samples and inspection criteria before the deposit, and reference them in the contract.
- Define what “loading evidence” means: loading photos, container seal number, packing list, draft B/L.
- State the balance trigger in writing – against B/L copy, not “before shipment”.
- For LC orders, agree the draft documents with the factory before the LC is issued.
الخلاصة
Payment terms are not about trust; they are about staging money against verifiable milestones. A 30/70 T/T with balance against B/L, milestone payments tied to factory inspection on project orders, and an LC reserved for large stocking programmes will cover almost every G682 buying situation. Get the structure right and the payment conversation becomes routine – and your cash exposure at any single moment stays small relative to the value you control.
اترك تعليقاً