Short, specific answers to the questions that come up right before a deposit. Not general sourcing theory.
A normal manufacturer deposit is 30-50% of order value. Here's what justifies more, what's a red flag, and how to push back.
Seven specific questions to ask your manufacturer before signing a PO, covering yield, tolerances, lead time, and the gaps that cost founders money.
The checks worth doing yourself: business license, video calls, reverse image search, and the point where they stop being enough.
The tells that separate a real factory from a well-dressed middleman, and why rigidity is the biggest one.
Tooling amortization, yield drift, and paperwork mismatches: what routinely sits outside the headline quote.