Many supplier disputes start without a clean signed contract. Buyers may have a pro forma invoice, purchase order, email chain, Alibaba messages, deposit wire, samples, and shipment records—but no fully executed agreement. The litigation file should show offer, acceptance, performance, breach, damages, and the correct Chinese defendant before Hague service begins.
Line up purchase orders, pro forma invoices, email approvals, WeChat or Alibaba messages, payment records, and sample or shipment documents.
Confirm whether the factory, trading company, payment beneficiary, English trade name, or affiliate is the party that accepted and breached the deal.
Translate the key exhibits consistently so the complaint, summons, defendant name, address, and damages theory match the Hague service request.
A missing signature does not always end a supplier-breach claim, but it makes the evidence sequence more important. Courts and settlement counterparties need to see the commercial terms, who accepted them, what performance occurred, and how the breach caused loss.
Preserve native emails, purchase orders, pro forma invoices, commercial invoices, wire confirmations, Alibaba or WeChat exports, sample approvals, inspection reports, packing lists, bills of lading, refund promises, and any messages showing price, quantity, specifications, delivery dates, and payment conditions.
If the evidence uses different names—factory name, exporter name, payment beneficiary, sales agent, or English storefront—the pleading and service package should explain the relationship instead of assuming every name identifies the same legal entity.
Before sending a demand, filing a complaint, or serving documents in China, organize the evidence around the correct legal entity, address, payment trail, shipment trail, and damages theory.
Sometimes, depending on the documents, messages, payment history, performance, applicable law, and forum/jurisdiction facts. Attorney review should focus on whether the evidence proves the deal and the right defendant.
Purchase orders, pro forma invoices, emails, platform messages, WeChat exports, payment records, sample approvals, inspection reports, shipping documents, refund promises, and communications about specifications or delivery terms.
Yes. The complaint and exhibits served in China should use consistent party names, addresses, translations, and exhibit labels so the Ministry of Justice and later U.S. court record line up.
For a complete strategy, compare this page with related supplier-dispute, shipping-document, Hague-service, and recovery resources:
Sometimes, depending on the documents, messages, payment history, performance, applicable law, and forum/jurisdiction facts. Attorney review should focus on whether the evidence proves the deal and the right defendant.
Purchase orders, pro forma invoices, emails, platform messages, WeChat exports, payment records, sample approvals, inspection reports, shipping documents, refund promises, and communications about specifications or delivery terms.
Yes. The complaint and exhibits served in China should use consistent party names, addresses, translations, and exhibit labels so the Ministry of Justice and later U.S. court record line up.