Supplier Evaluation: The 7-Point Checklist

Before sending any money, evaluate your supplier against these criteria:

1. Manufacturing Capability

• Do they have their own CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and assembly lines?
• Or are they just screwing together components bought from other suppliers?
• Red flag: “Factory” photos that look suspiciously like stock images or show different facilities

2. Laser Source Authenticity

• Can they provide the laser source’s serial number for verification?
• Will they allow you to verify the source directly with Raycus/JPT/MAX?
• Red flag: Refusing to specify the laser source brand or claiming “OEM equivalent”

3. Export Experience

• How many machines have they exported to your country?
• Can they provide references from buyers in your region?
• Red flag: No export experience to your country or continent

4. After-Sales Support

• Do they have English-speaking technical support?
• What’s the typical response time for technical issues?
• Do they provide video tutorials and remote diagnostics?
• Red flag: “Warranty included” with no specifics on response time or process

5. Documentation

• Will they provide English manuals, CE/FDA documentation, and electrical schematics?
• Can they supply a Declaration of Conformity for customs?
• Red flag: “We can provide documents later” — later never comes

6. Payment Terms

• Standard terms: 30% deposit, 70% before shipment (after inspection)
• Better terms: 30% deposit, 70% after inspection report confirmation
• Red flag: Demanding 100% payment before production

7. Communication Quality

• Are responses detailed and technical, or generic and evasive?
• Do they ask about your application, or just push to close the sale?
• Red flag: Every question answered with “no problem, we can do it”

When Alex from Toronto bought his first laser marker from a supplier he found on Alibaba, the sales rep promised “Raycus 30W, no problem.” The machine arrived with an unbranded laser source that failed after 3 months. “I didn’t know to ask for serial number verification,” he says. “Now I insist on it for every purchase.”

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