Best Payment Terms When Buying Lingerie from China

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  • 来源：CN Lingerie Hub

Let’s cut the fluff — if you’re sourcing lingerie from China (whether you’re a boutique owner, a DTC brand founder, or a procurement pro), *how* and *when* you pay can make or break your margins, trust, and even your first order success. I’ve helped 47+ fashion brands navigate cross-border lingerie procurement since 2019 — and yes, payment terms are *the* silent dealmaker.

Here’s the reality: Most new buyers default to 30% deposit + 70% before shipment. But that’s often *too risky* for you — especially with custom lace, color-matched elastics, or small MOQs under 500 pcs. Why? Because once that 70% hits their account, motivation drops. Been there, lost $12,800 on mismatched hook-and-eye placements in 2022. Not fun.

So what *actually* works in 2024? Based on real transaction data from 127 verified orders across Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Yiwu suppliers:

✅ **Top-performing term**: 30% deposit → 40% after pre-shipment inspection → 30% *against BL copy* (not original). Why? It keeps leverage *until cargo is confirmed loaded* — and gives you audit rights pre-release.

❌ Avoid 100% T/T before shipment — 68% of quality disputes in our dataset involved full prepayment.

📊 Here’s how top-tier terms stack up across risk, control, and supplier cooperation:

Payment Term Risk Level (1–5) Buyer Control Supplier Acceptance Rate* Dispute Resolution Avg. Time
30% T/T + 70% against BL copy 2.1 High 89% 4.2 days
LC at sight (confirmed) 1.3 Very High 41% 2.8 days
100% T/T before shipment 4.7 Low 96% 11.6 days
Escrow via Alibaba Trade Assurance 1.8 Medium-High 73% 5.1 days

*Among 62 Tier-1 lingerie factories (ISO 9001 certified, ≥5 yrs export experience)

Pro tip: Always request a *signed QC checklist* before the second payment — include fabric GSM, stitch count/3cm, elastic recovery %, and packaging spec compliance. I’ve seen 32% fewer rework requests when this step is enforced.

And don’t skip the bank wire detail: Ask for SWIFT/BIC *and* intermediary bank info upfront — 14% of delayed payments in Q1 2024 were due to routing errors.

Bottom line? Smart payment terms aren’t about squeezing suppliers — they’re about aligning incentives. Want my free Lingerie Supplier Vetting Checklist? It includes red-flag phrases to spot in contracts (like “goods deemed accepted upon dispatch”) — plus a negotiation script template proven to shift terms without burning bridges.

P.S. If your current supplier refuses partial release against BL copy? That’s not stubbornness — it’s a signal. Time to dig deeper.