automotive aftermarket parts / Buying guide
How we check a supplier before you pay
Every parts order goes through the same four checks before your money reaches a seller, and a fifth after the goods reach our warehouse but before they leave China.
For parts specifically, the check that matters most is the dimensional one — because the failure mode here is not poor quality, it is a part that does not fit.
In this guide
Before the order
- Trading history — years active, transaction volume and repeat-purchase rate. In this category repeat purchase is unusually informative, because workshops do not reorder a part that did not fit.
- Factory or trading company — asked directly, then cross-checked against whether they can answer material and process questions about their own product.
- Fitment and dimensions in writing — vehicle, year range, and the actual measurements, confirmed in the message thread before payment.
- Price sanity against the rest of the market for the same geometry. A large negative outlier is a different specification.
After arrival, before shipping
Parts are photographed on arrival with key dimensions measured against what the seller stated. Where you have supplied a sample or an OEM reference, we compare against it directly.
Anything that does not match is raised with you before it ships, while the goods are still in China and still returnable to the seller. After export, returning parts is not economic.
What we will not do
- Buy or ship parts bearing a vehicle manufacturer's trademark, logo or part-number stamp.
- Buy safety-critical parts without the certification for your market where that market requires it.
- Declare a value other than the transaction value on export paperwork.
- Ship airbags, pretensioners, batteries or fluids by a route that prohibits them.
Questions & answers
Common questions
- Do you measure every piece?
- A sample from the batch by default, with quantity counted in full. Full dimensional inspection is available and quoted separately, and is worth it on a first order of a critical part.
- Can you compare against a part I send you?
- Yes. A physical reference sample sent to the warehouse is the most reliable form of fitment confirmation there is.
Your next step
Have a link you want checked?
Send a 1688 or Taobao product link and you get back the specification in English, the supplier check, and the landed cost to your country before you commit to anything.
Get a quote