Your overseas buyer has received the shipment but is withholding payment because of a quality complaint. Before offering a discount, ask what the complaint actually covers.

Which batch? Which units? What defect? Against which agreed specification? When was it discovered, and what did the first notice say?

Those questions help connect the complaint to the goods. A photograph may be useful evidence, but it does not by itself establish responsibility for an entire shipment. An outgoing inspection report is not a complete answer either.

Where the CISG applies, notice of non-conformity matters. So do its exceptions and any relevant contractual arrangements. Avoid treating a standard internal complaint window as a universal legal deadline.

Then separate the remedies. A request for repair, a price reduction, damages and avoidance of the contract raise different questions. A buyer's proposed deduction is a position to examine, not an agreed account balance.

My commercial experience in cross-border e-commerce makes me cautious about discounts agreed before the technical facts are understood. The sales team may intend to preserve a relationship while finance records a final settlement and the buyer still considers other claims open.

A useful response can request supporting records, propose an inspection, ask that samples and packaging be preserved, and address payment separately. Whether a buyer can withhold or set off any amount needs a legal assessment; it should not be assumed in either direction.

If a settlement is sensible, identify the orders covered, the payment arrangements and the claims resolved. Have the wording reviewed under the governing rules rather than relying on a generic reservation of rights.

For exporters facing a stalled payment, the first complaint and the contract are good starting documents for a focused legal review.

Mike Wu, China-licensed cross-border attorney, Guangzhou
wzklaw.com
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