Home › Insights › Product Quality Comparison Checklist Product Quality Comparison Checklist for B2B Importers
✍️ By Sarah Mitchell · International Trade Compliance Analyst
20-Dimension Scoring Template — Compare Suppliers Objectively
📌 How to Use: For each supplier, score 1-5 on each dimension (5=excellent, 1=poor). Multiply by category weight. Total max score = 5.0. Minimum recommended passing score = 3.5. Red flag: any supplier scoring <2 on Certifications is automatically disqualified regardless of total score.
📋 Category 1: Business Verification (Weight: 15%)
# Checklist Item Score 1-5 How to Verify
1 Business license authenticity gsxt.gov.cn or local AIC database 2 Factory existence verified (not trading co) Factory audit report or video walkthrough 3 Export license & customs registration China Customs enterprise credit query 4 Registered capital & business scope match claims Business license document
📐 Category 2: Product Quality & Specs (Weight: 20%)
# Checklist Item Score 1-5 How to Verify
5 Key specs match datasheet claims Compare LM-79 report to marketing claims 6 LM-79/LM-80 test reports provided (full, not summary) Request latest test reports from accredited lab 7 Sample quality matches production quality Third-party inspection of production batch 8 Compliance with target market standards IEC/EN/UL standards mapping
✅ Category 3: Certifications & Compliance (Weight: 30%)
# Checklist Item Score 1-5 How to Verify
9 UL/ETL certification authentic & current productiq.ul.com with file number 10 DLC Premium/Standard listing verified designlights.org/search 11 CE marking with valid DoC & notified body Notified body database (4-digit NB number) 12 ISO 9001 or equivalent QMS certified Certification body database (SGS/TÜV/BV)
💰 Category 4: Pricing & Commercial Terms (Weight: 25%)
# Checklist Item Score 1-5 How to Verify
13 FOB unit price competitive (normalized by cert level) Compare 3-5 suppliers at same cert level 14 MOQ reasonable for order size MOQ vs order requirement ratio 15 Volume discount structure transparent 100/500/1000 unit pricing table 16 Payment terms acceptable (T/T 30/70 or L/C) Written quotation with payment terms
🔧 Category 5: After-Sales & Support (Weight: 10%)
# Checklist Item Score 1-5 How to Verify
17 Warranty terms clear & enforceable Written warranty document 18 Spare parts availability & pricing Spare parts list with pricing 19 Communication responsiveness (RFQ → quote time) <24h = 5, 24-48h = 4, 3-5d = 3, >5d = 1 20 Defect rate history & return policy Ask for historical defect rate data
📊 Scoring Summary
Category Weight Supplier A Score Supplier B Score Supplier C Score
Business Verification 15% Product Quality & Specs 20% Certifications & Compliance 30% Pricing & Commercial Terms 25% After-Sales & Support 10% TOTAL (max 5.0) 100%
🚦 Decision Rules: 🟢 Score ≥4.0: Preferred supplier — proceed to sample order. 🟡 Score 3.5-3.9: Acceptable — proceed with caution, consider additional verification. 🟠 Score 3.0-3.4: High risk — only if no better options, require third-party inspection. 🔴 Score <3.0 or Certifications <2: Disqualified — do not proceed regardless of price.