Vetting takes a day and can save you thousands. Work through this checklist. Verify the business: ask for the company registration number and check it on China's National Enterprise Credit Information system or a commercial registry tool. Confirm the registered address matches where they claim to operate, and that their business scope includes vehicle export. Check export credentials: they must hold a used-vehicle export license issued by Chinese commerce authorities. Ask for the license and a recent export declaration showing they actually ship cars. Test their knowledge: a real exporter answers detailed questions about your destination country's import rules (age limits, left/right-hand drive, emission standards) without hesitation. Vague answers about your own country's requirements are a red flag. Structure payments safely: small deposit (10-20%), balance only against inspection reports and shipping documents, ideally through a payment method with recourse. Refuse full prepayment by irreversible transfer—no legitimate exporter requires it.

A complete service history tells you more about a car than its mileage. In China, most maintenance is done at authorized (4S) dealers, and each visit is recorded in the brand's national database. First, ask the seller for the service booklet and maintenance invoices, then have your inspection agent call the brand's 4S network with the VIN to pull the full service record. This shows oil changes, major repairs, recall work and accident-related repairs. Second, check that the mileage recorded at each service visit increases logically. A gap between the database mileage and the dashboard reading is a red flag. Third, ask for the annual inspection (nianjian) records, which are mandatory in China and show whether the car passed emissions and safety checks on time. If the seller claims a full service history but the database shows no records, assume the car was maintained at small independent shops or neglected. Adjust your offer accordingly — plenty of used cars in China have documented histories.

Two separate protections matter: cargo insurance and contractual risk transfer. Cargo insurance: for container or RoRo shipments, buy marine cargo insurance covering total loss and damage, typically 110% of the CIF value (average cost 0.3%–0.8%). Check exclusions — many policies exclude pre-existing damage, so a pre-shipment inspection report is essential to prove the car's condition at loading. Incoterms define who bears risk and cost at each stage: 1. FOB (Free On Board): exporter pays until the car is loaded on the vessel; risk passes to you at that point. You pay ocean freight and insurance. Common and usually cheapest if you have your own freight forwarder. 2. CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight): exporter pays freight and minimum insurance to your port. Convenient but the insurance coverage is basic — consider topping it up. 3. EXW (Ex Works): you handle everything from the exporter's yard; only choose this if you have a trusted agent in China. Put the agreed Incoterm and port clearly in the contract, and never release final payment before the Bill of Lading is issued.