In short: Payment terms are a risk-sharing agreement, not a formality. Before a deposit moves, fix five things in writing: the schedule, the inspection window that sits before the balance, the documents you will receive, the currency, and what happens if the unit fails inspection. Our own terms are 70% before shipment.
Two buyers can agree the same trailer at the same price and carry completely different levels of risk, because the risk sits in the payment schedule rather than in the price. Here is what to settle in writing before the first payment, in the order that matters.
The schedule itself
Split payment exists to match money to delivered value. On our orders the schedule is 70% before shipment, with the balance structure agreed per order, and we quote on FOB, CIF or EXW so you can decide where your responsibility starts. Whatever schedule you agree, write down which event triggers each payment and what evidence accompanies it. “Before shipment” only means something if the document that proves shipment is named in the contract.
The inspection window is the term that actually protects you
An inspection is worthless if it happens after the balance is paid. Put the third-party inspection inside the window before the balance falls due, and name the scope: what is checked, by whom, against which specification sheet, and what happens if something fails. We accept SGS and BV and cooperate with both; the inspection fee is the buyer’s. Read what a factory inspection proves and does not prove so the report you commission answers the question you actually have.
The documents you should receive, and when
Agree the document list up front rather than discovering a gap when the container is at sea. Our orders ship with a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin. If your bank or your customs broker needs anything beyond that list, say so at the quoting stage – adding a document after the goods have left is far more expensive than naming it before.
Currency, and who carries the movement
We quote in US dollars. If your bank account is in another currency, the exchange rate between quotation and payment is a real number and it belongs in the negotiation, not in a surprise on the invoice date. Fix the currency of the contract and be explicit about what happens if the rate moves materially between the two.
What happens if the unit fails inspection
This is the clause most buyers never discuss and the one they need most. Decide in advance whether a failed inspection means the unit is corrected and re-inspected, or the order is cancelled and the deposit returned – and in what timeframe. A supplier who resists writing this down is telling you how the conversation will go later.
Warranty and after the balance
Payment terms do not end at delivery. Our orders carry a one-year warranty on the major structural components, and we provide drawings, photographs and video through the build so you have a record of what was made. Read the warranty clause as a map of where the manufacturer expects stress, and check the certificates we hold alongside it.
FAQ
What payment terms do you offer?
70% before shipment, with the balance structure agreed per order. We quote FOB, CIF and EXW so you can see where your responsibility begins.
Can I pay a smaller deposit?
Discuss it with us at quoting stage rather than assuming. A build is started against a deposit, so the split is a commercial negotiation, not a fixed rule.
Will you accept payment against a letter of credit?
Terms are agreed per order. Tell us what your bank requires at the quoting stage, because the documentary requirements affect how the order is prepared.
What if the trailer fails my inspection?
Agree the remedy in writing before paying: correction and re-inspection, or cancellation and deposit return, with a timeframe for each.
Key facts
- Our payment terms are 70% before shipment, balance structure agreed per order.
- The third-party inspection window should fall before the balance payment, and be named in the contract.
- Standard documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin.
- We quote in US dollars; fix the contract currency and who carries exchange movement.
- Agree in writing what a failed inspection triggers – correction or cancellation, and by when.
- One-year warranty covers the major structural components.
Related: what a 3-axle flatbed costs, and what FOB leaves out, and the order sequence in full.
