A solid contract is your main protection in a cross-border deal. It should specify: 1. Vehicle identification: VIN, year, mileage, trim level, and photos of the actual car appended as an annex — not just「a 2021 Toyota」. 2. Condition guarantees: no accident, no flood or fire damage, no structural repairs, supported by a third-party inspection report referenced in the contract. 3. Price and Incoterm: total amount, currency, the named port, and whether freight and insurance are included. 4. Payment schedule: e.g., 20–30% deposit after contract signing, balance against copy of the Bill of Lading. Avoid 100% upfront. Use T/T to the company's corporate bank account only — never a personal account. 5. Timeline: inspection date, estimated loading date, and latest shipment date, with remedies if delayed. 6. Dispute clause: governing law and arbitration (CIETAC or your local chamber) rather than foreign court litigation. Ask for the contract in English (or bilingual) with the supplier's company chop. A company that refuses a written contract or pushes for full prepayment is a red flag.

This is one of the most common disappointments after importing a Chinese EV, so check before you buy. Many Chinese EVs rely on an embedded SIM that only works on Chinese carrier networks. Once the car leaves China, remote functions — battery status, pre-conditioning, charging control, and locating the car — may stop working entirely. Some brands let you transfer the account to a foreign phone number, but many require a Chinese ID or Chinese phone number for registration, which you cannot provide. What to do before purchase: ask the exporter to test the app functions live on video while the car is still in China, including remote air-conditioning and battery percentage reading. Ask the brand's official customer service (in writing) whether overseas account activation is supported for your specific model and year. Workarounds if the official app does not work: some functions may still operate locally through the car's own settings, such as scheduled charging from the dashboard. Third-party OBD dongles with companion apps can sometimes restore battery monitoring and pre-conditioning. The car itself drives fine without connected services, but if app functionality matters to you, treat it as a purchase criterion, not an afterthought.

If General Average is triggered, all cargo owners must share the rescue costs. If you purchased marine insurance with a "General Average included" clause under CIF terms through us, the insurance company will cover this high shared cost for you; if you are an uninsured FOB buyer, you will need to pay it yourself.