Sourcing Guide
Is It Safe to Pay a Deposit to a Chinese Golf Cart Factory? 5 Ways to Protect Your First Order
5 checks to settle before you pay, what to get in writing for each, and what none of them covers.
Paying a deposit to an overseas factory carries real risk, and no single mechanism removes it. You can reduce it with 5 checks, all of them settled before you pay the deposit: confirm who you are paying, start with one unit instead of a container, put the payment inside a platform order, agree an inspection before the balance, and write the specification and cancellation terms down. This page walks through each, and through what none of them covers.
Written by EV Cart Source, a factory-direct golf cart supplier in China that also processes first orders through Alibaba Trade Assurance. Our payment terms are a 30% T/T deposit to start production and the 70% balance before shipment, confirmed in writing with your order. Read our answers as an interested party’s. Last updated October 2026.
The 5 checks at a glance
All 5 are agreed before the deposit. Check 4 is the terms of an inspection that happens before the balance, not an inspection you do first.
| Check | What it guards against | Get this in writing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirm who you are paying | Paying an entity that is not the one you were quoted by | Who sells, who collects the money and who holds the certificates, and how they are related |
| 2. Start with one unit | Committing container money before you have seen the build | Whether a single sample unit is allowed, and on what terms |
| 3. Put the payment inside a platform order | Paying outside any third-party process | That the order terms are in the platform order, and the payment path it gives you |
| 4. Inspect before the balance | Paying the balance for a cart you have not checked | When inspection happens, when the report is issued, what happens on failure |
| 5. Write the specification and terms down | Receiving something other than what you approved | A signed spec sheet, and what happens to the deposit if the order is cancelled |
How to score the answers
Send the 5 checks as numbered questions and mark each answer. A check passes only when you have a written answer, you have done the verification it needs, and you accept the specific terms. Verbal only: ask for it in writing, and do not pay until you have it. Refused, or the entity or the payment instructions cannot be verified: pause payment until they can. Reducing the order to one unit limits the amount at risk once verification is done; it does not replace verification. Do this before the deposit, not after.
- 01
Confirm who you are paying
Ask who sells, who collects the money and who holds the certificates, and how those companies are related. They should line up, or the difference should be explained in writing, and a written explanation is a starting point rather than proof: check it. EV Cart Source’s invoicing entity is named on How to Order, so the name on your paperwork will match that page. Before you send money, confirm the payment instructions through a contact you found independently, not only through the email that carried them. For a platform order, follow the payment instructions inside the order.
- 02
Start with one unit, not a container
A first custom order with EV Cart Source can be a single branded sample rather than a container, on a 30% T/T deposit with the balance before shipment. Custom production runs about 45 working days from the deposit and artwork approval. A sample lets you check how the cart arrives, how it is configured and how assembly goes. One cart cannot show that a whole container will be consistent.
- 03
Put the payment inside a platform order
Alibaba Trade Assurance is a platform process, and Alibaba describes it this way: protection starts once you reach an order agreement with a supplier on the platform, you pay through the platform, and the payment is held in escrow until you confirm receipt. Alibaba lists refunds for orders that were not shipped, went missing or arrived with defects, with eligibility conditions. It applies under the platform’s own terms, so read them. T/T is a way of transferring money; if you choose a platform order, the deposit and any later payment follow the instructions in that order, so do not assume which account or what protection applies. A chat reply is not an order agreement: put the configuration, quality and delivery requirements into the order. EV Cart Source processes first orders that way if you prefer.
- 04
Inspect before the balance is due
Ask in writing when the inspection happens relative to the balance payment, when the report is issued, and what happens if the cart fails, including re-inspection. On EV Cart Source’s side: you appoint the firm (SGS, QIMA, BV or one you already use), the cost is yours, you agree the scope with them directly, and scheduling and factory access are confirmed in advance. If you want something faster first, we can arrange a live video walkthrough of the production line before you book a formal inspection.
- 05
Write the specification and the terms down
A photo and a title are not a specification. Approve a rendering of your exact configuration and a signed spec sheet with every option coded and a no-substitution clause, so the cart that ships is the cart you approved. Then ask one more question in writing: what happens to the deposit if the order is cancelled before production starts? We do not state refund or cancellation terms on this page, so ask any supplier, us included, to put them in the order.
What none of the 5 checks covers
These checks protect the transaction. They do not guarantee supply over time, which is where parts and warranty come in. Ask who carries the warranty and from when, and confirm in the contract what parts arrangement applies if the relationship ends.
EV Cart Source’s warranty is carried by the factory: 15 months on the vehicle, 3 years on the lithium battery and 15 months on lead-acid, from the factory ship date, with wear parts excluded. We also size a spares package with the order, typically 5–10% of order value in wear parts, and anything not on your shelf ships direct from China, about a week when it is in stock. Check the stock that is physically in your country as well as the written terms. More on that in Are Chinese golf carts any good? and US Parts & Service Support.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to pay a deposit to a Chinese golf cart factory?
No single mechanism makes it risk-free, but 5 checks, all settled before the deposit, reduce it: confirm the entity you are paying, start with one unit instead of a container, put the payment inside a platform order such as Alibaba Trade Assurance, agree an inspection and when it happens relative to the balance, and write the specification and the cancellation terms down. None of these guarantees supply over time, so also get the warranty and parts terms in writing.
What payment terms does EV Cart Source use?
A 30% T/T deposit to start production and the 70% balance before shipment, confirmed in writing with your order. Our invoicing entity is named on How to Order, so the name on your paperwork will match that page. First orders can also be processed through Alibaba Trade Assurance, under that platform’s own terms.
What does Alibaba Trade Assurance cover?
Alibaba describes it as protection that starts once you reach an order agreement with a supplier on the platform: you pay through the platform and the payment is held in escrow until you confirm receipt. Alibaba lists refunds for orders that were not shipped, went missing or arrived with defects, subject to eligibility conditions. Read the platform’s terms rather than a supplier’s summary of them.
Can I get a refund if I cancel an order?
It depends on the order and the terms, and we do not state refund or cancellation terms on this page. Ask the supplier in writing what happens to the deposit if you cancel before production starts. For an order placed through Alibaba, read the platform’s rules on cancellation and refunds.
Should I order one sample before a container?
A sample lets you check how the cart arrives, how it is configured and how assembly goes, and one cart cannot show that a whole container will be consistent. A first custom order with EV Cart Source can be a single branded sample on the same deposit-and-balance terms, with custom production about 45 working days from the deposit and artwork approval.
Want our payment terms and protection options in writing for your first order?
Tell us the configuration and the market, and we will send the specification and the written terms you can put the 5 checks to.