1) Verify the company: business license, export track record, and a live video call where they show the actual car and its VIN. 2) Hire an independent pre-shipment inspection. 3) Sign a contract stating the VIN, specs, price, Incoterm, and refund conditions. 4) Pay a 20–30% deposit by bank transfer only after the contract is signed — never the full amount, and never to a personal account. 5) After the inspection passes, pay the balance against a copy of the bill of lading. 6) Track the shipment and prepare import documents. 7) Inspect the car on arrival before releasing any final documents. Each step is a checkpoint. Don't let the seller rush you past one.

Absolutely not. The U.S. DOT and EPA have strict import restrictions on non-compliant vehicles. Any Chinese used car that is not 25 years old and not produced to U.S. standards will face mandatory crushing and destruction upon arrival at U.S. ports. We directly reject such non-compliant orders.

A professional pre-shipment inspection typically costs a small fraction of the vehicle price and routinely pays for itself. A thorough inspection covers: paint thickness measurement across 30+ points to map body repairs; structural assessment of pillars, rails and crossmembers for accident damage; engine and transmission operation; a full electronic scan for fault codes; suspension and underbody checks for leaks and rust; and, for EVs, battery SOH and thermal management performance. You receive a written report with photos before the car is loaded — if the car fails, you can stop the shipment or renegotiate. Skipping the inspection to save a small fee is the classic false economy in used car importing: discovering a problem after arrival is far more expensive than preventing it at origin.