You paid a Chinese supplier. The promised shipment or refund did not arrive. The explanations are changing, messages are being deleted, or the person who took the order has suddenly stopped answering.
The first useful move is not another angry message. It is to preserve the record while it still exists.
A China-side recovery assessment depends on more than proving that money left your account. It also depends on identifying the company that made the promise, the company that received the money, the people who spoke for it, and the evidence connecting them. The stronger that map is, the easier it is to decide whether negotiation, a lawyer’s letter, asset preservation, arbitration or litigation is proportionate.
1. The signed contract, purchase order and every set of terms
Keep the document that both sides signed, but do not stop there. Preserve the purchase order, pro forma invoice, quotation, sales confirmation and any standard terms exchanged before payment.
Check whether the Chinese and English versions name the same company, whether the dispute clause appears in both versions, and whether later emails or messages changed delivery dates, specifications or refund promises. Do not edit the originals. Save clean copies and working copies separately.
2. The complete payment trail
Preserve the bank transfer confirmation, SWIFT message, payment instruction, beneficiary name, account number, bank name, currency, amount and date. If the supplier asked you to change accounts, save the message that gave the new instructions.
Write down who requested the payment and how that person explained the relationship between the beneficiary and the factory. A payment to a Hong Kong company, an individual or an unrelated trading company may materially change the recovery analysis.
3. The supplier’s exact Chinese legal identity
An English trading name is not enough. Preserve the Chinese company name, unified social credit code, registered address and legal representative if you have them. Useful sources include the business licence, company chop, contract, invoice and public company registration record.
Put each name in a simple table and record where you found it. The mismatch is often part of the problem, not a clerical detail.
4. Every version of the invoice and quotation
Save each quotation, commercial invoice and pro forma invoice, including documents that were later replaced. File names and metadata can help establish when terms changed. If an invoice contains a company chop or bank account, preserve a high-resolution copy.
5. The full communication history
Export complete email threads. For WeChat, WhatsApp and other messaging platforms, preserve the contact profile, account identifier, dates and the surrounding conversation—not only screenshots of the most favourable lines.
A sequence usually matters more than one admission. It may show the original promise, an agreed extension, an excuse, a refund commitment and then silence. Screenshots should be backed up outside the phone, and important voice messages should be saved in their original format where possible.
6. Proof that the person speaking had a role
Keep email signatures, business cards, staff pages, trade-show records and messages showing the person’s title or authority. If the person used a company email address, record it. If they used a personal account, preserve how the company presented them as its sales representative, manager or owner.
7. Specifications, samples and quality requirements
If the dispute involves defective or substituted goods, preserve the approved sample, drawings, bill of materials, colour references, testing standard, packaging requirement and acceptance criteria. Record which version was approved and when.
A general complaint that goods were “bad” is weaker than a clear comparison between what was agreed, what was delivered and how the difference was documented.
8. Inspection, production and logistics records
Keep inspection reports, photographs, videos, production updates, packing lists, booking confirmations, bills of lading, airway bills and messages with freight forwarders. Preserve original files where possible rather than compressed copies forwarded through chat.
If shipment never occurred, save each promised production or shipping date and the supplier’s explanation for missing it.
9. Refund promises and proposed settlement terms
Save every promise to refund, replace goods, grant a credit or repay by instalments. Record the amount, date and conditions. If the supplier sent a draft settlement or repayment schedule, keep every version—even if it was never signed.
Do not describe a proposal as a final agreement unless that is what the record supports. A lawyer needs to see the difference between an admission, a negotiation position and a binding settlement.
10. Your notices and the supplier’s responses
Preserve the notices you already sent, proof of delivery and every response. Create a short chronology: payment, promised delivery, missed deadline, notice, refund promise and last substantive reply.
A chronology should point to documents, not replace them. For each event, note the date, people involved, amount and file that proves it.
11. Public-facing material that may disappear
Save the supplier’s website pages, marketplace profile, product listings, staff descriptions and stated addresses if they are relevant. Record the page URL and access date. Do not rely on a bookmark alone; pages and profiles can change once a dispute escalates.
12. A clean loss calculation
Separate the principal payment from freight, inspection fees, replacement costs, lost profits and other claimed losses. Keep the supporting record for each number. A clear calculation helps distinguish the amount that is easy to document from losses that may be disputed or uneconomic to pursue.
What not to do while preserving evidence
- Do not delete inconvenient messages or present a selective conversation as complete.
- Do not edit screenshots, rename original files or overwrite source documents.
- Do not threaten criminal action, public exposure or unrelated harm to force payment.
- Do not send originals to the supplier or a third party without keeping secure copies.
- Do not wait for the supplier’s next promise before backing up the current record.
The practical test
When the material is organised, four questions usually become clearer: who made the obligation, who received the money, what breach can be proved, and whether there is a realistic target worth pursuing.
Evidence does not guarantee recovery. It does, however, make the first legal assessment faster and more honest. It may show that a focused demand is justified, that court action should be considered, or that the identity and asset problems make further spending difficult to justify.
This article is general information, not legal advice. The appropriate preservation method and recovery route depend on the documents, parties and forum in a particular matter.