You paid the deposit. How do you stop the goods being swapped or delayed?
Between the deposit and loading is the stretch where the buyer has least leverage. Four things make it controllable: a production schedule, progress photos, reserved-material confirmation, and an inspection milestone.
Why is this the riskiest stretch?
Because the money is paid but the goods are not in your hands, so your hold over the supplier is weakest. Three things can happen here: your slot gets pushed back, the block is swapped for a lower grade, or the colour batch changes. None of them will be volunteered. So the checkable milestones should be agreed at the same time as the deposit.
What do you look for in a production schedule?
Two dates: start of processing and expected completion. Then ask whose work those saws are running in the meantime. A supplier willing to give you a schedule is usually actually scheduling; one who only says do not worry, soon, may still have your order in the queue of intentions. Get the schedule, then check against it once at the midpoint.
How detailed should progress photos be?
Three moments, one each: blocks arriving on site, showing batch number and quantity; cutting complete, showing specification and count; packing complete, showing the actual goods per pallet. Photos need dates and ideally a reference object. A single wide shot of the workshop is the same as nothing. Ask for the same fixed angle each time so they can be compared.
How do you confirm the material was not swapped?
Do a reservation confirmation when the blocks arrive: have your batch stacked separately with a tag, photographed for you, order number written on the tag. It sounds trivial, but it separates your material from the general pile. Then require that tag to be in shot in every progress photo.
Where is the most effective inspection point?
After packing is complete and before loading. At that point the goods are final and you can check specification, quantity, surface and edge profile pallet by pallet, and nothing is in the container yet, so changes are cheapest. Inspecting after loading only lets you find problems, not fix them.
Which clauses cover this stretch?
Three: the scheduled production dates and a duty to notify delay; no change of block batch or grade without written consent; and the remedy and cost allocation if inspection fails. Add that the inspection report is a condition for paying the balance, and your leverage shifts from chasing to conditioning.