Free Resource
The Bali Import Checklist
Everything to check before a shipment leaves Bali, from the first deposit to the container clearing your port. Use it on every order, not just your first.
Most import problems trace back to something that was never checked, not something that went unpredictably wrong. A missing signature on a proforma invoice. A packing spec nobody confirmed. A phytosanitary certificate nobody arranged until the container was already at the port. None of these are complicated once you know to look for them. They are just easy to miss the first time, and expensive to fix once the goods are loaded.
This checklist is the one I actually use, broken into the four points where a shipment can go wrong: before production starts, during production, before loading, and after the vessel sails. Work through it in order and nothing gets missed.
Before production starts
- Written order confirmation received, restating specification, quantities, price and production timeline
- Proforma invoice received and every line item checked
- Deposit paid by bank transfer, transfer record kept
- Sample route agreed: before the order and paid separately, or inside the order after the deposit
- Acceptable range of natural variation agreed in writing for timber or stone
During production
- Mid-production check scheduled for larger or more complex orders
- Packing specification confirmed with the workshop and adequate for sea freight
- Fumigation and phytosanitary certificates arranged where the goods require them
- HS codes confirmed with your customs broker and current duty rate checked
Before loading
- Physical pre-shipment inspection completed by you, your agent or a paid inspector
- Dimensions and quantities checked against the purchase order
- Goods checked against the approved sample and photographed
- Packing list accurate and matching the physical goods
- Commercial invoice values correct for the customs declaration
- Certificate of origin obtained
- Balance payment made
- Freight paid, so the cargo company can collect
- Freight forwarder holds every export document
Shipping and arrival
- Bill of lading received
- Customs broker engaged and holding all documents
- Port arrival date tracked and free storage days counted
- Goods cleared and delivered
- Final check on arrival, any damage photographed the same day
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Want the full guide behind this checklist?
This checklist is one piece of the Bali Import Starter Kit, a free guide covering how to write a brief that gets accurate quotes, what a sample actually proves, how payment and shipping terms work in Bali, and how to choose between LCL and FCL. Enter your email and I will send it straight over.
Where each of these comes up in more detail
If any item on this list raises a question, these cover it properly: how to import products from Bali for the full process end to end, how to avoid sourcing scams for the red flags behind the deposit and specification items, the export documentation guide for certificates and HS codes, and the Bali shipping guide for LCL versus FCL and what drives the cost.
For a second pair of eyes on quality before anything ships, see quality control. For how payment and staged release actually work on my orders, see Bali Buying Agent.
Tell me what you are looking for
Products, quantities, destination, timeline. I’ll come back with an honest first response, usually within a few hours.