How to Vet a Spare Parts Exporter in India: 7 Questions Every African Importer Should Ask

The India-Africa spare parts trade is large, growing, and unfortunately, full of bad actors. Scams range from outright fraud (taking advance payment and shipping nothing or sending wrong items) to quality fraud (shipping Chinese-sourced parts as Indian-manufactured) to documentation fraud (forged certificates of origin or fake Form M compliance).

African importers who buy through established local traders in Lagos, Nairobi, or Accra have some protection — the local trader's reputation is at stake. But when you go direct to India to remove middlemen (and save 30–50%), you take on the responsibility of vetting your supplier yourself.

These 7 questions will help you separate genuine exporters from bad actors.

Every Indian exporter must have an IEC (Importer Exporter Code) issued by the DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade). Without an IEC, an entity cannot legally export from India.

Ask for the IEC number and verify it at the DGFT online portal (dgft.gov.in — search by company name or IEC number). A legitimate exporter's name, address, and registered date will appear.

If a supplier cannot provide an IEC — or the IEC doesn't match their company details when you verify — do not proceed.

GST (Goods and Services Tax) registration is mandatory for all Indian businesses above a revenue threshold. A genuine manufacturer or established trading company is always GST-registered.

Ask for the GSTIN and verify it at the GST portal (gst.gov.in). The registration details will show the company name, address, and business type.

More importantly: ask for the manufacturing address and compare it to the GST registered address. If a supplier claims to be a Ludhiana manufacturer but their GST address is in Delhi or Mumbai, ask why — they may be a trading company, not a manufacturer.

Trading companies are not automatically bad — many legitimate exporters are traders. But knowing whether you're dealing with a manufacturer or trader affects your expectations on price, customisation ability, and quality control.

A genuine spare parts exporter who has been shipping to Africa will have customers. Ask for references — specifically: company name, country, contact number, and how long the relationship has been.

Follow up with at least one reference. Ask them: How long have you been buying from this supplier? Have you had quality issues? How were they resolved? Do they deliver on time?

Suppliers who hesitate to provide references — or provide references that cannot be reached or don't verify the relationship — should be treated with caution.

CrestMAX can provide references from existing customers in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. We encourage prospective buyers to contact them.

Any legitimate exporter will accommodate a sample order — typically sent via DHL or FedEx air freight, with you paying the air freight cost.

A sample order achieves two things: (1) It proves the supplier exists and can actually produce and pack what they claim. (2) It lets you physically inspect the quality before committing $10,000–50,000 to a container order.

For engine parts specifically — pistons, rings, gasket sets — sample inspection is critical. Have an experienced mechanic check bore dimensions, ring gap, and gasket material quality.

If a supplier refuses to send samples, or insists on full container commitment before any sample — this is a significant warning sign.

For legitimate import to Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and most African countries, you need:

1. Commercial Invoice (with HS codes, CIF value, Form M number for Nigeria) 2. Packing List (detailed by carton, with weights and dimensions) 3. Bill of Lading (issued by the shipping line) 4. Combined Certificate of Value and Origin (CCVO) or Certificate of Origin (for Nigerian customs) 5. Phytosanitary certificate if applicable

Ask your supplier: "Do you include all of these in your standard documentation?" A supplier who says "we just send the invoice" is going to cause customs problems.

Also ask: "Can you include my Form M number on the invoice and B/L?" (Nigeria-specific.) A supplier unfamiliar with Form M has probably never shipped to Nigeria — or has shipped with problems.

The most common quality fraud in Indian spare parts exports is this: a supplier claims to supply "Ludhiana-manufactured" parts, but actually sources from Chinese manufacturers or from cheaper Indian manufacturers outside Ludhiana's quality cluster.

Ask directly: "Which manufacturers do your parts come from? Are they Ludhiana-based?"

Follow up: "Can you tell me the manufacturer's name for the piston kits you would supply for the Bajaj Boxer BM150?"

A genuine Ludhiana-sourced supplier will be able to name specific manufacturers (there are well-known ones in the trade). A trading company sourcing opportunistically from multiple places will give vague answers.

You can also verify by requesting photos of the parts in manufacturer packaging — Ludhiana-origin parts typically have specific brand names and packaging styles familiar to the trade.

Two critical questions:

Payment terms: Standard for legitimate India-Africa spare parts trade is 30% advance on confirmed order + 70% balance against Bill of Lading copy (T/T wire transfer). 100% advance before shipment to unknown suppliers is high-risk. L/C (Letter of Credit) is the safest method for large orders but involves bank charges.

Red flag: any supplier requesting 100% advance for a first order from an unknown buyer — or requesting payment through informal channels (cryptocurrency, PayPal, Western Union for commercial quantities).

Quality issue resolution: Ask: "If I receive parts that don't match the specification, what is your resolution process?"

A legitimate exporter will have a clear policy: inspection photos, manufacturer investigation, credit or replacement on the next shipment for confirmed defects. A fraudulent operator will go silent or become hostile when quality problems arise.

CrestMAX's policy: if a batch has a documented quality defect (wrong dimensions, wrong parts shipped), we investigate with the manufacturer and provide either a credit note or replacement parts on the next shipment. We have never disappeared on a quality complaint.