Pre-Shipment Inspection: What It Is & When to Use It

A pre-shipment inspection is the last look at your goods while you can still do something about them. Once a container leaves the supplier, every problem becomes your problem — and your customer’s. PSI is how you find defects in China, not in a return request.

What a pre-shipment inspection is

A pre-shipment inspection (PSI) happens once production is roughly 80–100% complete and the goods are packed, but before they leave the supplier. The order is finished; the inspector confirms it’s actually what you ordered before money and freight are committed.

It’s a snapshot of the real, final product — not a sample sent ahead of the run, and not a promise from the factory.

What inspectors check

A solid PSI covers the things that quietly go wrong between your PO and the shipment:

Quantity — the carton count and unit count match the order, not just the packing list.
Workmanship and defects — units are pulled at random and judged against an AQL standard for visible flaws.
Function tests — switches, zippers, seams, electronics, moving parts — whatever the product is supposed to do.
Labeling and packaging — correct logos, care labels, retail and master cartons, drop-test resilience.
Barcodes — they scan, and they match the right SKU.

The AQL concept, briefly

AQL — Acceptable Quality Limit — is the rulebook for “how many defects are too many.” Instead of inspecting every unit, the inspector pulls a statistically valid sample and sorts findings into minor, major, and critical defects. Each tier has a threshold. Cross it, and the batch fails.

You don’t need to memorize the tables. You do need to agree on the AQL levels with your supplier before production, so a fail means something both sides accept.

When PSI is worth it

Pre-shipment inspection earns its cost in clear situations:

First order with a new supplier, when you have no track record to trust.
High-value, fragile, or complex goods, where one bad batch wipes out the margin on several good ones.
A history of recurring defects with a product or factory.

For a repeat order from a proven partner on a simple product, a lighter check — or skipping straight to spot checks — can be reasonable. Match the rigor to the risk.

How it fits with during-production inspection

PSI is powerful but late. If it fails, you’re renegotiating timelines under pressure. A during-production inspection (DUPRO) catches systemic problems — wrong material, a miscalibrated machine, a misread spec — while there’s still time to correct the run. The strongest setups use both: DUPRO to steer, PSI to confirm. For more on catching issues earlier, see our guide to common product defects and how to prevent them, and if the supplier itself is the unknown, a factory audit answers a different question.

PSI is one stage in a larger discipline — see the complete guide to quality control when importing from China for how the stages fit together.

How MorePlus builds inspection in

With MorePlus, inspection isn’t a separate vendor you book and chase. We source from 1688, then run quality control in our Guangzhou operation as part of fulfillment — checking each order before it ships and catching defects in China, not at your customer’s door. FS International has been doing this work since 1989. See how it works on our quality control service page.

Want a sourcing partner that inspects before it ships? Get a free quote →