The situation: A foreign trader running a small shop in a Chinese city bought a batch of electrical appliances from a local supplier and resold them to customers. Later one unit failed and caused minor harm to a consumer, who filed a complaint seeking compensation from the shop that sold it directly.
Applicable law: Under the Product Quality Law, the seller is responsible for the safety and conformity of what it sells to the consumer, even if the goods originally came from another supplier. The seller may afterward seek recovery from the original supplier, but that does not excuse it from facing the consumer first.
Typical outcome: The shop had to address the consumer's claim through repair, replacement or compensation, then tried to recover its loss from the supplier. Those who had not kept inspection certificates and quality proof found it hard to claim back from the supplier.
🏢 Contracts & trade · Awareness case
Defective goods from your supplier… and you are liable · Yalla China
🤝 Governing law: 产品质量法 / Product Quality Law
A reseller sold products supplied by another company; the goods turned out defective and the reseller carried responsibility toward the harmed consumer.
Illustrative, general educational examples — not real specific facts and not legal advice; for awareness only. For an actual situation, consult a licensed lawyer.
🎓 The lesson / takeaway
Lesson: You are responsible to the consumer for everything you sell, even if it came from another supplier. Verify the quality of goods before selling them, and keep inspection certificates, invoices and proof of source from suppliers so you can claim back against them when needed.
🕒 Updated: 16 March 2026