# Quality Inspections at Origin

> We inspect your goods at the supplier’s factory before shipment: AQL sampling, photographic evidence and a clear ship-or-hold recommendation.

Source: https://www.freightspot.com/en/solutions/additional-services/inspecciones-de-calidad · Publisher: FreightSpot

The worst place to find a defect is your warehouse — goods already paid for, freight already spent. We find it at the factory, while it can still be fixed.

## What we do

When defective goods arrive, there are no good options left: returning them costs another freight bill and months of back-and-forth; accepting them punishes your brand or your production line. The only genuinely cheap move happens before shipment, while the supplier can still fix, replace or renegotiate.

We coordinate inspections directly at the factory or warehouse of origin against criteria we define with you: product specs, quality tolerances under AQL sampling, packaging, markings and labeling — including Mexican labeling standards (NOMs) when they apply. The results arrive before the cargo moves.

## When you need it

- You’re about to buy for the first time from a supplier you’ve only met on video calls
- Out-of-spec goods have reached you before, and you paid for it
- Your product carries regulated labeling, or goes straight to the shelf or the production line
- Seasonal purchases where one defective lot means missing the sales window

## Benefits

- Defects caught while the supplier can still fix or replace
- An informed shipping decision: findings arrive before you pay the balance or release the cargo
- Fewer rejections at destination for labeling or packaging out of standard
- A supplier who knows you inspect produces differently — the deterrent effect is real

## How it works

1. **We define the criteria with you** — Specs, AQL tolerances, the product’s critical points, and packaging and labeling requirements. What isn’t defined can’t be enforced.
2. **We schedule the inspector** — The visit happens at the supplier’s factory or warehouse at the right point in the production cycle — inspecting too early or too late invalidates the exercise.
3. **Inspection under a standard** — AQL-based sampling: quantities, function, finish, packaging, markings and labeling, all documented with photographs.
4. **Report and recommendation** — You get the report the same day, findings ranked by severity, with a clear call: ship, fix, or hold.

## What you get

An inspection report with photographic evidence, findings ranked by severity and an explicit shipping recommendation — before your goods move.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is AQL, and how is it used in an inspection?

AQL (acceptable quality limit) is the industry’s statistical sampling standard, defined in ISO 2859-1. Instead of checking every unit, the inspector checks a sample sized to the lot, against limits agreed in advance for critical, major and minor defects. If the sample exceeds them, the lot fails. We set those levels with you before the visit.

### When in the production cycle should the inspection happen?

A pre-shipment inspection happens once production is finished and most of the order is packed: it tells you whether what is about to ship meets spec. For large orders or a new supplier, an additional inspection during production can be worth it, while fixing a problem does not yet mean remaking the lot. Inspect too early or too late and the exercise tells you nothing.

### What happens if the inspection fails?

You decide, with the facts in hand. The report ranks findings by severity and recommends one of three calls: ship, fix, or hold. The usual path is to have the supplier rework or replace the goods and then re-inspect, or to renegotiate. The advantage is timing: the findings reach you before you pay the balance and before you pay the freight, while you still have leverage.

### How is this different from a customs compliance inspection?

They check different things. A quality inspection answers whether the product is made right: specifications, function, finish, packaging. A customs compliance inspection answers whether what ships matches what will be declared at the border: quantities, models, serial numbers and labeling against the invoice and packing list. With a new supplier or a regulated product, the two are usually done together.

---

Need to move cargo or sort out a filing? [Contact FreightSpot](https://www.freightspot.com/en/contact) · Tel. +52 55 5351-8362 · hello@freightspot.com