Payment terms
Payment Terms for a Made-to-Order Bronze Order from Vietnam
Deposit, tooling, sample credit and balance: how payment is staged on a cast-to-order bronze order, and what the proforma must state before you pay.
On a cast-to-order bronze order, payment is staged against production, not paid in one lump. A T/T deposit starts the pattern and the first pour, sample costs are credited against the first production order, and the balance is paid before shipment, after you have seen the inspection report on your own goods. Every figure, from the deposit percentage to who pays bank charges, is written on the proforma invoice before you send money. If it is not on the proforma, it is not agreed.
When is the deposit paid and what does it start?
The deposit is the signal to begin work. Until it clears, nothing is reserved on the casting floor and no pattern is cut for you. Once it clears and the pattern is approved, our casting window is 21–30 days, plus finishing, packing and freight. The weeks before Lunar New Year are the busiest of the year.
We do not publish a deposit percentage. It is set per account on the proforma and depends mostly on how much new tooling the order needs: a reorder from patterns we already hold carries less risk for both sides than a first order built on new ones. The general terms are on our trade terms page.
How are sample and tooling costs credited?
A catalogue sample or a cast-to-drawing sample is paid for up front, and that sample cost is credited against your first production order. How samples are judged is covered in bronze samples before a wholesale order.
New tooling is different. A pattern in wood or resin, or one taken from a 3D print of your file, is quoted as its own line, and the quotation states whether any of it comes back against production. The pattern stays at the foundry for your repeat orders.
T/T or L/C for a first bronze order?
Our standard terms are T/T: deposit, then balance before shipment. If your bank or buying programme requires a letter of credit, raise it at the enquiry stage and we will tell you plainly whether the order size justifies one. A documentary credit adds bank fees and document checks on both sides, and on a small mixed first order those costs can outweigh the protection. For most first orders, a clear proforma plus inspection before the balance gives the same control.
What must the proforma say?
Check each of these before you pay the deposit:
- The seller's legal name, with a bank account held in that same name
- Item code, size, finish and quantity for every line
- The tolerance standard: ±1–3 cm across a five-piece set is normal; more than 5 cm on a single piece is a fault and is re-cast
- Wall thickness: 5 mm, and 8 mm where a foot, handle or crane's leg carries load
- Deposit percentage, amount and currency
- The event that makes the balance due, such as "on acceptance of the pre-shipment inspection report"
- Incoterm and place: EXW Nam Dinh or FOB Hai Phong
- Who pays which bank charges
- Sample and tooling credits, line by line
- What happens to a line that fails inspection
| Production milestone | Payment | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation accepted | None | Written quotation, item list, stated weights |
| Sample ordered (optional) | Sample cost | Photographs, then the sample; cost credited on the first order |
| Proforma signed | Deposit by T/T | Signed proforma and your bank's transfer record |
| Pattern approved, first pour | None | Photographs of the pattern and first castings, video on request |
| Casting and finishing, 21–30 days plus finishing | None | Progress photographs by line |
| Pre-shipment inspection | None | Report with dimensions, weights, finish and photographs per line |
| Inspection accepted | Balance by T/T | Commercial invoice and packing list; export documents follow loading |
When is the balance due against inspection?
The balance is due before shipment and after you have accepted the inspection. You can ask us for a filmed inspection of your order, or appoint a third-party inspector; we have no objection to either. Our guide to pre-shipment inspection of a bronze order explains sampling and what to measure.
Read the weights, not just the photographs. A size-65 altar set poured solid weighs about 36 kg. The cranes should stand 5–7 cm taller than the censer and the candlesticks 12–15 cm shorter. A set that reports well under its weight, or out of proportion, is a question to settle before the money moves, not after the container lands.
What if a batch fails inspection?
A piece more than 5 cm out on a single dimension, a cold shut, or a finish that does not match the signed-off sample is a fault on our side. We re-cast it and it is inspected again. Whether the passed lines ship now or wait for the re-cast is your decision, and it changes your freight, so settle it on a call rather than across a long email chain.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays the bank charges on a T/T?
The usual arrangement is that each side pays its own bank's charges. Intermediary banks can still take a fee in transit, so the proforma should say who covers a short-paid amount before it becomes an argument over the balance.
Can we use a letter of credit on a small first order?
Ask at the enquiry stage. On a small order the bank fees and document checks often cost more than the risk they cover, and we will say so plainly rather than agree and slow the order down.
Which currency do we pay in?
Tell us the currency you need when you ask for a quotation. Whatever is agreed is written on the proforma, and the receiving account must be in the seller's legal name.
Do payment terms change after repeat orders?
Terms for repeat accounts are reviewed after the third order. By then both sides have a track record to review.
Can we cancel after the metal is poured?
Changes before the pattern is approved cost little. Once metal is poured for your lines, the labour and material are spent. Cancellation terms are written on the proforma, so read that line before you sign it.
Ask for a proforma you can check
Send your line list and target quantities through the request a quote form, or message us on WhatsApp at +84 926 199 999. We quote within two working days, and the proforma will state every term above. Finished pieces can also be seen at our showrooms in Nam Dinh, Ha Noi and Hai Phong before you pay a deposit.