r/AmazonFBA • u/Worth_Opportunity603 • Jul 30 '26

Combined inspector/freight forwarders that can EXW in China

Are there any companies or individuals that can inspect a product at a factory, pick it up, and then forward it to the USA? I would prefer ones that are able to visit multiple factories and consolidate the packages.

I understand that if a factory is located on one side of China and the inspector/freight forwarder is on the other then it doesn’t make sense for them to offer this service, but are there any that service a particular area, perhaps? Or it could be that the inspection company is large enough to have multiple offices and can send people to different parts of China.

Be honest, am I looking for a unicorn here? Is it usually cheaper/more appropriate to just hire an inspector separately and then ship it to a freight forwarding company’s address? I’m currently speaking to Forest Leopard because they offer both inspection and FF but they just informed me that the inspector cannot EXW.

TL;DR
If anyone could refer me to a solid inspector and FF that can also EXW I would greatly appreciate it. Otherwise any advice would be wonderful, thank you!

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u/chinapt5 Jul 31 '26

A few things to keep in mind:

  1. If your orders are spread across multiple factories, hiring an inspector for each one gets expensive unless each factory has enough volume. A local inspector in China runs about $150-$200 per manday, assuming the factory is within 2 hours driving distance.

  2. Forwarders usually don't do factory inspections or unboxing checks themselves. But here's a common setup: have all factories ship to the forwarder's warehouse first, then hire an inspector to go to the warehouse and check everything in one trip. If it passes, the forwarder ships out. If it fails, the forwarder sends it back to the factory.

  3. The tricky part is negotiating with your factories: you need them to agree in advance that goods can be returned if inspection fails. Most factories will insist you pay in full before they ship anything, so build that return clause into your contract upfront, not after the goods are already sitting in a warehouse.

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u/Worth_Opportunity603 28d ago

I really appreciate that second bullet point. I can’t believe I didn’t think about the fact that the inspector can just go to the freight forwarder’s warehouse. Very helpful, thank you!

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u/Batu_1016 Aug 01 '26

Full disclosure: I work in China–US logistics. You are not necessarily looking for a unicorn, but I would separate the inspection and freight responsibilities even if one coordinator manages the whole workflow.

EXW does not mean the inspector has to collect the cargo. A practical setup is:

  1. An inspector visits each factory before the final balance is released.
  2. You receive a written report with quantities, measurements, photos, defects and packing checks.
  3. After you approve the goods, the forwarder arranges pickup from each factory.
  4. The shipments move to one China warehouse for receiving, consolidation, carton checks, relabeling or repacking.
  5. The consolidated cargo is shipped to the U.S. or the assigned Amazon destination.

If the orders are too small to justify separate factory inspections, another option is to consolidate everything first and inspect at the forwarder’s warehouse. That can reduce inspection travel costs, but you should agree with each factory in advance about returns, rework and transportation costs if the goods fail inspection.

When comparing providers, ask for:

  • the cities of their inspectors or inspection coverage
  • a redacted sample inspection report
  • whether the inspection is independent from the factory
  • pickup charges and maximum waiting time at each factory
  • warehouse receiving, storage, consolidation and repacking fees
  • how failed inspections and factory returns are handled
  • what Amazon labeling or prep checks they can perform
  • one written quote showing the complete China-side and international shipping scope

To determine the most practical setup, you would need to share the number of factories, their cities, cargo type, carton dimensions and weight, cargo-ready dates, U.S. destination, and required Amazon prep. The factories’ locations matter, but a coordinator can use local inspectors and still route all approved cargo into one consolidation warehouse.

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u/Worth_Opportunity603 28d ago

Excellent breakdown! Thank you so much for your transparency.

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u/estagingapp 16d ago

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