Is It Safe to Buy a Car from China Online?

Updated 27 Oct 2026. Craveuo is an export platform, not a car brand and not a dealer of any brand. The seller on your contract is a licensed Chinese export company, and we take no payment before a signed contract. Nothing here is a promise, legal advice or a quote.

Short answer

It can be safe if you check three things before paying: the exporter's licence, a written contract signed first, and the car itself before it ships [1][2].

The common pattern the FTC describes is a cloned dealer website that copies a real dealer's logos, listings and photos, sometimes with fake customer testimonials, then pushes for a wire transfer and refuses an inspection [1]. The steps below are how to test a seller against that pattern. For the full buying process, read How to Buy a Car Directly from China.

Step 1: check who the exporter is

• Business licence. Ask for the Chinese company name and credit code, then search them on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn). You can search by company name or credit code [3]. Registered users can see basic information, administrative penalties, the abnormal-operations list and the serious-violation blacklist [4].
• Export licence. Since 1 January 2026, pure-electric passenger cars need a Chinese export licence [5]. The Ministry of Commerce published the 2026 list of companies qualified to apply for car export licences with Announcement No. 85 of 2025, issued on 26 December 2025. Its annex pairs each carmaker with the export companies it has named [6][7]. A Shenzhen Commerce Bureau notice dated 10 October 2026 says the 2027 online filing system opened on 30 September 2026 [8].
• Three names must match. The seller on the contract, the exporter on the customs papers and the owner of the bank account should be the same name (our advice). Ask in writing which company on the list will export your car, find the name yourself, and write it into the contract.
• Reputation. Search the company name with "scam", "review" and "complaint". The FTC advises this, and notes that any negative result is a red flag [1].

Step 2: contract and payment

• Sign a written contract before paying. A consumer-association head quoted by TSA Algérie on 29 July 2025 says it should state the brand, the features, the final price, the payment method, the delivery time, the exact mileage and the production and registration years. The same article warns that a zero-kilometre car is not necessarily new: a car built in 2023 and never driven is not new [9]. We would add both companies' names, the VIN, and a refund if the car cannot be exported or imported (our advice).
• Pay only into a bank account in the contracting company's name. Confirm any account change by phone, on a number you already hold (our advice). The FTC says wired money usually cannot be recovered [2], and TSA Algérie quotes the same consumer-association head saying payment should go through a bank, not in cash [9].
• Our terms. We take no payment before a signed contract.

Step 3: check the car and the shipment

• Inspection. Ask for dated photos and a live video call that shows the VIN plate. The FTC advises hiring a mobile inspection service when the car is far away, and says to take your business elsewhere if the seller refuses an inspection [1]. Choose the inspector yourself, not the seller (our advice).
• Bill of Lading. The carrier's document acts as a receipt for the goods, a document of title and a contract of carriage [10]. Check the consignee, vessel, container number and VIN against your contract.

How to choose a Chinese car exporter

Best website to buy Chinese cars: what to compare

No website is best for everyone, so compare sellers on the table above instead of on how the site looks. Carmakers' export arms and licensed export companies sell under a signed contract. Online marketplaces vary: China EV Marketplace, which serves European buyers and takes orders from one vehicle, is reported to charge homologation and import duties separately and to sell cars built to Chinese specifications [11]. If a site cannot name the licensed exporter on your contract, treat that as a red flag.

Red flags

• A price far below comparable offers, or pressure to pay today (our advice).
• Payment by wire transfer only, or to a personal or differently named account [1].
• No video call or inspection allowed [1].
• A website that copies another dealer's logos, listings or photos [1].
• Extra "fees" requested from a third party after you have paid (our advice).