Paid in full under DDP terms — goods never delivered, full refund refused
We placed an order with Baoji Qinghang Metal Material Co., Ltd. for machined titanium Grade 5 parts (Proforma Invoice QH26-2026512), paying in advance under agreed DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) terms. Under DDP, the seller is responsible for all export formalities, freight, and customs clearance at destination.
After receiving full payment, the supplier informed us for the first time that the goods were dual-use items subject to Chinese export control regulations, requiring end-user documentation — a condition never disclosed before the contract or payment. Despite our cooperation in providing the required documentation, the goods were never exported or delivered.
The supplier subsequently attempted to change the agreed delivery terms unilaterally and refused to issue a full refund. Over several weeks of negotiation, partial refund offers of USD 2,000, USD 2,500, and USD 3,000 were made — all of which we rejected as the failure to deliver originated entirely on the supplier's side.
We have formally reported this case to the Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Spain. We strongly advise other international buyers to exercise extreme caution and to ensure any export compliance requirements are disclosed in writing before making any advance payment to this supplier.