Product quality cannot be ignored when participating in international trade. Businesses need to focus on Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) to keep pace with what customers require and comply with rules. Here, just before goods are shipped, this serves as a last check to be sure that the customer is getting what they wanted.
What Does Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) Mean?
Before anything is shipped from the supplier, importers or authorized inspectors inspect the goods to see if they are acceptable. When at least 80% of the order is packed and ready, PSI is used so customers can preview their goods without having to wait for them to be shipped.
Without PSI, businesses run the risk of receiving damaged, substandard, or incorrect products, which can lead to:
Customer dissatisfaction and returns
Customs clearance issues
Legal penalties for non-compliance
Financial losses and brand damage
PSI minimizes these risks by ensuring product quality and compliance before the goods leave the supplier’s warehouse.
Usually, Pre-Shipment Inspections are conducted by:
- Third-party inspection companies are examples of SGS, TÜV, and Intertek.
- Having quality control teams work inside the company (for big businesses)
- Organizations recognized by SASO/Saber as certification bodies for exporting products to Saudi Arabia
- A certified and experienced inspection agency gives you accurate, unbiased, and internationally approved services.
PSI is included as part of the official certification process in many nations, for example, Saudi Arabia. For the Saber platform, both Consumer Goods require a Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC) and a Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC), which rely on passing the inspection.
Pre-Shipment Inspection is not just a quality control step—it’s a business safeguard. In a competitive global market, ensuring product quality before delivery protects your brand, reduces risks, and builds customer trust. By incorporating PSI into your supply chain, you gain a powerful tool for delivering consistent, reliable products to your end users, every time.
