24/03/2025
The vehicle has finally been shipped, and I’d like to share a quick lesson. Knowing the client’s payment process can be slow, I proactively advised them to begin the payment as soon as the vehicle was nearly finished. This way, once they confirmed with photos and videos, payment could be made promptly to avoid missing the ship.
However, by March 5th, the shipping company informed us the vessel would dock on March 11th and urged us to get the vehicle to port. By March 7th, the client still hadn’t responded, and I was getting anxious. If we followed our usual process and waited for full payment, we’d miss the ship and incur demurrage fees under CIF terms.
The client hadn’t provided a payment receipt, citing the finance manager’s absence. As the sales rep, I didn’t want to risk the company’s losses or the client missing the shipment. After confirming with the logistics company that they could hold the goods at the destination port, I decided to cover the balance myself if the payment wasn’t confirmed by the end of the day.
By 4 PM, with no word from the client, I paid $21,105 (about ¥151,956) myself to ensure the shipment went out on time. That evening, the client finally sent the SWIFT copy, but the payment wouldn’t clear until March 12th. Fortunately, the vehicle arrived at port on March 9th, just in time for the ship.
On March 12th, the payment was confirmed, and I could finally relax. This experience reinforced that, in key moments, quick thinking and flexibility can make all the difference. Over the years, I’ve learned that putting both the company and the client first always leads to a positive outcome.