Pre-Shipment Inspection in China: From £275
CCB checks finished goods in China against your approved sample, specification and packing instructions before shipment. Standalone inspection starts from £275 per inspector-day in Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, plus VAT. Location, product and scope determine the final quote; you decide whether to release the shipment.
We reply the same working day to confirm receipt and arrange next steps.
What to send us for a quote
Send the purchase order, supplier address, product files or drawings, quantities by SKU, approved sample, materials and finish, tolerances, packing list, artwork, readiness date and shipment deadline. Specify function tests, defect classes, AQL limits and laboratory requirements before the visit.
What drives the cost?
Product complexity, SKU count, sampling effort, test duration, travel and report scope determine inspector time. Destructive tests, laboratory work and a return visit need an agreed scope. The published starting price is not a fixed fee for every shipment.
How is quality controlled?
Agree the ISO 2859-1 sampling plan, inspection level and critical, major and minor defect definitions in advance. We check quantity, readiness, workmanship, dimensions, function, packing, marks and labels within scope. First-article and in-process checks address earlier risks; pre-shipment sampling cannot prove every unit is defect-free or certify legal compliance.
What affects lead time?
Arrange inspection before final payment and the freight cut-off, with finished goods and packing ready for representative sampling. The CCB Verification Standard says the photo report is usually available within 24 hours of inspection. Leave time for corrective action and reinspection; a failed result is not permission to ship.
What should UK importers check?
Confirm the commodity code, customs value, origin, importer of record and EORI with your broker. Duty depends on classification and applicable trade measures. Check product-specific UKCA or CE requirements where relevant; a component or factory certificate does not establish conformity of the finished product. Great Britain and Northern Ireland can follow different routes.
Standards and regulatory sources
Check the applicable market and agreed edition; naming a standard is not a certificate of compliance.
What you get
- A UK sourcing company with its own team in China, coordinating your brief and supplier questions.
- A written specification, acceptance criteria and delivery responsibilities agreed before commitment.
- Evidence and open questions recorded for your approval.
What we do
- Review your files and intended use; clarify specification, inspection scope and delivery.
- Compare supplier proposals or agree the check scope, including exclusions and required evidence.
- Coordinate samples or on-site work, record findings and obtain your approval before the next commitment.
- Arrange the agreed production follow-up, inspection, report and delivery paperwork.
Cambridge China Bridge in brief
- Buying from Chinese factories since 2021 (the company was incorporated in September 2022), for our own businesses and for clients on the same terms.
- Our own staff are based in China, at two bases: the Pearl River Delta (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan) and the Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu). They visit factories themselves.
- Quotes to suit how you buy: one delivered price, or an itemised quote with the factory cost, freight, duty and our service fee shown separately. Open-book detail is available on request.
- Audits and inspections are usually included in the quote for an order placed with us; complex checks that need a third party are charged extra, agreed first.
- Orders run from a first trial to scheduled full containers; the factory’s own minimum is stated in the quote.
- In one project, a UK EV charging operator cut unit cost by 70% and scaled 3× faster. In another, a multi-site Cambridge café chain saved 50% on packaging.
- A UK company in Cambridge and London: Cambridge China Bridge is the trading name of Piggy Pineapple Ltd, company number 14385590.
- Send 1–3 products you buy now and what you pay. We compare the same specification, quantity, inspection and delivery scope to establish a cost benchmark.
- A reference call with a past client can be arranged, with that client’s agreement.
How we charge
Quotes to suit how you buy: one delivered price, or an itemised quote with the factory cost, freight, duty and our service fee shown separately. Open-book detail is available on request.
Our margin is included in the quoted price or shown separately as a service fee. The service fee depends on the agreed scope, including products, samples, inspections and ongoing supply.
Questions buyers ask
What does the inspection report contain?
The sampling plan, checked quantities, product and defect photos, measurements and test results, packing and label findings, and Accept or Reject by defect class. Checks can be Pass, Fail or Pending; you approve release after reviewing the findings.
What do you need before quoting?
Send the purchase order, supplier address, product files or drawings, quantities by SKU, approved sample, materials and finish, tolerances, packing list, artwork, readiness date and shipment deadline. Specify function tests, defect classes, AQL limits and laboratory requirements before the visit.
What changes the price?
Product complexity, SKU count, sampling effort, test duration, travel and report scope determine inspector time. Destructive tests, laboratory work and a return visit need an agreed scope. The published starting price is not a fixed fee for every shipment.
How do you check the order?
Agree the ISO 2859-1 sampling plan, inspection level and critical, major and minor defect definitions in advance. We check quantity, readiness, workmanship, dimensions, function, packing, marks and labels within scope. First-article and in-process checks address earlier risks; pre-shipment sampling cannot prove every unit is defect-free or certify legal compliance.
When can the goods or report be ready?
Arrange inspection before final payment and the freight cut-off, with finished goods and packing ready for representative sampling. The CCB Verification Standard says the photo report is usually available within 24 hours of inspection. Leave time for corrective action and reinspection; a failed result is not permission to ship.
How do I start an enquiry?
Use the contact page to send your brief and existing files. We clarify scope, evidence gaps, delivery and the next approval. Phone, WhatsApp or a Meet call can be arranged through that page.