You import promotional goods from China. You're sitting at your desk, staring down at the balance sheet, burning the midnight oil again. You have an order of 20,000 pens currently in production and scheduled to leave the factory in less than a week. You have a choice to make.

Do you save some money in the short run by skipping product inspection altogether? Or do you somehow allocate part of an already limited budget for inspection?

If you've manufactured goods before, especially abroad, I probably don't have to tell you the value of inspecting product before shipment. Pre-shipment inspection is the most reliable way to ensure that your products meet specifications and expectations for quality.

You might save a bit of money in the short term by forgoing inspection. But any issues with your finished product after it reaches distribution centers—or worse, your customers—might have you wishing you'd made the relatively small investment in quality control beforehand.

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