Made this after seeing the same handful of red flags show up over and over in DMs from people about to get burned by a "factory" that was actually just a trading company with good photos.

It's a free 12-point checklist — check off what's true about your supplier (100% upfront payment demands, refuses a live video walkthrough of the actual factory floor, invoice entity doesn't match their storefront name, pushes unusual payment methods, etc.) and it gives you an instant weighted risk score.

Takes about 90 seconds: auto-import-guide.whop.site/scam-checklist

No email required, nothing to sign up for. If you're mid-negotiation with a supplier right now, run it before you send the deposit. If your score comes back high, happy to help think through it in the comments.

Most first-time importers price their resale based on the supplier's quoted unit price. That's the mistake. Here's the actual math that matters:

True Landed Cost = Unit Price + Freight (per unit) + Customs Duty + Any Inspection/Agent Fees + Port/Clearance Charges

Walk through a real example structure:

• Supplier quotes you $8/unit, FOB

• Ocean freight for your volume works out to $1.20/unit

• Customs duty on auto parts (check your country's HS code rate — this varies a lot) might be 5-15%

• Port handling/clearance fees, divided across your units, another $0.30-0.50/unit

• If you used an inspection service or sourcing agent, add that fee per unit too

That $8 quote can easily become $11-12 landed. If you were planning to resell at $13 thinking you had a healthy margin, you actually don't.

The two mistakes I see constantly:

1. Forgetting customs duty entirely because "the invoice will just say what I paid the supplier" — customs doesn't care what you paid, they assess duty on the declared value plus freight in most jurisdictions.

2. Not accounting for MOQ-driven storage or slow-moving inventory costs when the margin looked fine on paper but the cash is tied up for months.

I built a full framework for this (plus a free landed-cost calculator recommendation) into The Auto Parts Buyer's Guide — auto-import-guide.whop.site, $29, LAUNCH20 for 20% off.

If anyone wants to sanity check their own landed cost math, drop your numbers here and I'll take a look.

Every time I talk to a first-time importer, Incoterms are the thing that trips them up hardest — and factories will happily let you misunderstand them, because it usually costs you money.

Quick breakdown, no jargon:

EXW (Ex Works) — You pay for literally everything from the factory door onward: loading the truck, export customs, ocean freight, import duties, last-mile delivery. Cheapest quoted price, but you're doing (or paying someone to do) all the logistics work. Only take this if you or your freight forwarder really knows what they're doing.

FOB (Free on Board) — The factory handles getting the goods loaded onto the ship at the origin port. You take over (and pay) from there: ocean freight, insurance, import duties, customs clearance. This is the most common middle ground for first-time buyers — factory does the annoying local stuff, you control the international shipping.

CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) — The factory arranges and pays for shipping and insurance to your destination port. Sounds convenient, but they often mark up the freight cost significantly, and you have less visibility/control over which carrier and route is used. Ask for the FOB price too so you can compare — if the CIF price seems weirdly high relative to typical freight rates, that markup is where they're making extra margin.

The mistake that costs people money: comparing a EXW quote from one supplier to a CIF quote from another and thinking the EXW one is cheaper. You have to normalize to the same Incoterm before comparing supplier prices, or you're comparing apples to oranges.

None of this is complicated once someone lays it out — which is exactly why it's a full chapter in the guide I wrote (The Auto Parts Buyer's Guide, $29, code LAUNCH20 for 20% off): auto-import-guide.whop.site

Happy to answer Incoterms questions here if you're mid-quote right now.

I spent time on the floor of the Canton Fair sourcing auto parts, and the same mistake kept costing first-time buyers thousands: they pay a "factory" in full, upfront, by wire — before ever confirming the supplier actually manufactures the part.

Here's the pattern almost every scam follows:

1. You find a listing with great photos and a low price.

2. The "sales rep" responds fast, is extremely friendly, and pushes for a 100% deposit "to lock in the price."

3. You wire the money. The factory goes quiet, ships the wrong part, or ships nothing at all.

Three things that would have caught it:

• Ask for a live video walkthrough of the actual production line — not a canned factory tour video. Real manufacturers will show you the floor. Trading companies posing as factories usually stall or refuse.

• Never wire 100% upfront. A 30% deposit / 70% on shipment (against a copy of the bill of lading) is standard and protects both sides. Anyone demanding full payment upfront on a first order is a red flag.

• Check the business license registration against the company name on the invoice. Scammers often invoice you from a different entity than the one on their Alibaba storefront.

None of this is complicated once you know it — but nobody tells first-time buyers this before they wire the money. That gap is exactly why I wrote a full guide on vetting suppliers, Incoterms, payment structuring, and negotiation from direct experience at the Fair: The Auto Parts Buyer's Guide ($29, launch code LAUNCH20 for 20% off).

Happy to answer questions here if anyone's mid-negotiation with a supplier right now.