Stop relying only on chat promises. Preserve the complete transaction record, confirm the supplier's exact registered Chinese entity, identify the contract's governing-law and dispute clauses, and quantify the loss. A clearly scoped evidence review can show whether a commercial demand, lawyer involvement or formal proceedings are proportionate.
First, preserve the transaction record
A supplier dispute is easier to assess when the evidence tells one continuous story: who promised what, who paid whom, what specification and delivery date applied, what went wrong, and how the supplier responded.
Collect these items
- Signed contract, purchase order, pro forma invoice and any incorporated terms.
- Bank transfer records showing sender, recipient, account and payment reference.
- Emails and complete chat exports—not isolated screenshots only.
- Product specification, approved sample, quality standard and inspection report.
- Shipping documents, warehouse records, photos, videos and delivery status.
- Refund promises, revised deadlines, admissions and proposed settlement terms.
- The supplier's Chinese name, unified social credit code, address and bank-account holder.
Chinese courts may consider delivery notes, receipt records, settlement documents, invoices, transaction practices and other evidence when assessing whether a sales relationship existed even without a single formal written contract. This does not mean every screenshot proves the case; context and authenticity remain important.
Verify who actually received the money
The English trading name on a website may not be the registered Chinese company. The factory, exporter, sales agent and bank-account holder may also be different entities. Search the Chinese company name and unified social credit code through the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. Compare the result with the contract seal, invoice and bank beneficiary.
Warning signs include payment to an unrelated individual, frequent changes of beneficiary, a company shown as revoked or abnormally operating, inconsistent seals, and refusal to provide a Chinese registration name. These signs do not automatically prove fraud, but they affect whom a demand or claim should address.
Read the dispute clause before threatening proceedings
Check whether the contract specifies court litigation or arbitration, the institution or court, governing law, language, notice method and service address. Also identify where the supplier and its assets are located. A judgment or award is useful only if there is a practical route to enforcement.
If there is no usable dispute clause, jurisdiction and applicable law can become more complex. Foreign elements, international sales rules and cross-border evidence may matter. That is a point for a PRC-qualified lawyer or other appropriate counsel to review, not for an informal agent to decide.
Choose a proportionate next step
- Structured commercial demand: appropriate when facts are clear and the relationship may still be recoverable.
- China-side verification or contact: useful when the entity, address or current operating status is uncertain.
- Lawyer's demand or negotiation: suitable where legal position, preservation of rights or a formal settlement needs attention.
- Arbitration or litigation: considered after jurisdiction, evidence, recoverability, cost and time are reviewed.
- Criminal report: non-delivery alone is not automatically criminal fraud; obtain qualified advice before characterising a commercial breach as a crime.
Limitation periods, contract notice deadlines, platform claim windows, bank recall possibilities and evidence availability can change with time. State every known deadline in your enquiry.
How Zenlect China Desk can manage the request
For a clearly scoped supplier dispute, Zenlect can organize the evidence, verify public company information, prepare the working brief and manage coordination with an appropriate China-based lawyer, translator or other provider. Any lawyer letter, legal advice or representation is performed by qualified counsel. Zenlect does not inspect factories, negotiate sourcing terms or manage shipments.