Legal notice and terms of service
Version of 21 October 2026
Legal notice
Website publisher. Factory2Europe, trade name of Fan ZHANG, sole proprietor (entrepreneur individuel, EI) — 93 rue Terrusse, 13005 Marseille, France — SIRET 102 782 992 00014, registered in the French National Business Register (RNE) — EU VAT FR53 102 782 992 — contact@factory2europe.com (projects) — gestion@factory2europe.com (contracts, invoices) — +33 7 82 38 52 99.
Publication director. Fan ZHANG.
Hosting. LWS (Ligne Web Services), 10 rue Penthièvre, 75008 Paris, France — www.lws.fr.
Form processing. Requests sent from the website are processed by Cloudflare, Inc. (101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA) and emails are sent by Resend, Inc. (USA). These providers act only on our behalf; transfers outside the EU are covered by the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.
Personal data. Data controller: Fan ZHANG EI (Factory2Europe).
| Data collected | Name, email, phone, country, status, company, project description, attachments |
| Purposes | Answer your request, issue quotes and invoices, perform the mission |
| Legal basis | Pre-contractual steps and contract; accounting obligations |
| Recipients | Factory2Europe and, during a mission, only the suppliers, forwarders and customs brokers strictly needed |
| Retention | 3 years after last contact for a request with no follow-up; 10 years for accounting records |
| Your rights | Access, correction, erasure, restriction, objection, portability: gestion@factory2europe.com. You may complain to the CNIL (www.cnil.fr) |
Cookies. The website sets no advertising or analytics cookies. It only remembers your chosen language in your browser. Fonts are loaded from Google Fonts, which sends your IP address to Google.
Intellectual property. The texts, logo, photos and videos on this website belong to Factory2Europe. Any reproduction without written permission is prohibited.
Website information. Published prices apply on the date of the quote. Project examples are shown for illustration.
Mediation. Consumer mediator: CM2C, 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris, France — www.cm2c.net.
Factory2Europe – Terms of Service
1. Provider, scope and definitions
Factory2Europe is a China purchasing support service paid by fixed fees only. Factory2Europe is not the seller, manufacturer, carrier or customs broker of the goods.
Provider. Factory2Europe, trade name of Fan ZHANG EI — SIRET 102 782 992 00014 — EU VAT FR53 102 782 992 — 93 rue Terrusse, 13005 Marseille, France — contact@factory2europe.com (projects) — gestion@factory2europe.com (contracts, invoices, cancellations) — factory2europe.com.
Scope. These terms apply to every service ordered from Factory2Europe. They prevail over any document from the client unless agreed otherwise in writing.
Nature of the commitment. Factory2Europe has a best-efforts obligation: it applies its know-how and diligence but does not guarantee a commercial result, a purchase price or the conduct of a third party.
Definitions.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Client | The business or private person who orders a service. |
| Supplier / factory | The Chinese manufacturer or seller with whom the client signs the purchase contract. |
| Purchase contract | The sales contract signed directly between the client and the supplier, written in Chinese and in the client's language. |
| Forwarder | The international transport company that ships the goods. |
| Customs broker | The licensed agent who clears the goods through EU customs. |
| Quote | The document sent by Factory2Europe and confirmed by the client by email, setting the package, options, price and schedule. |
| Mission | All services described in the confirmed quote. |
2. Services, order, prices and payment
Prices are those published on factory2europe.com on the date of the quote, applied without mark-up, without commission on purchases and without hidden fees.
| Service | Price excl. VAT |
|---|---|
| Package 1 | €149 |
| Package 2 | €299 |
| Package 3 | €449 |
| Option: extra supplier | +€40 |
| Option: extra factory visit | +€150 |
| Negotiation | €40 / supplier |
| Company background check | €40 / supplier |
| Factory visit | €150 |
| On-site post-production inspection | €150 |
| Purchase contract supervision | €50 |
| International shipping arrangement | €100 |
| EU customs clearance and delivery (coordination) | €100 |
Order.
- The client sends a request through the website form.
- Within 24 working hours, Factory2Europe sends the client, based on its needs and choices, a quote and payment request calculated exactly at the prices published on the website, together with these terms and the client form.
- The client confirms the quote by email; this confirmation means acceptance of these terms.
- The client fills in the client form and pays the invoice. The mission officially starts once both are received; all lead times run from that date.
VAT. A French invoice is issued for every mission. Client in France: 20 % VAT. Business in another EU country with a valid VAT number: reverse charge (art. 196, Directive 2006/112/EC). Business outside the EU: VAT not applicable (art. 259-1 French Tax Code). Private person in the EU: 20 % VAT.
Payment. No online payment on the website. 100 % of fees are paid on order by bank transfer (IBAN on the invoice) or by a secure payment link sent by email. Services added during the mission are quoted separately and paid before they are carried out.
Not included. Price of goods, shipping, insurance, customs duties, import VAT, certification or laboratory tests. The client pays these directly to the supplier, forwarder and customs broker on their own invoices. Factory2Europe never receives or transfers money intended for these third parties.
Late payment (businesses). Penalties at 3 times the French legal interest rate plus a €40 fixed recovery fee (art. L441-10 French Commercial Code).
3. Split of responsibilities
Each party answers for its own part: Factory2Europe for the quality of its support, the factory for the goods, the forwarder for transport, the customs broker for customs, and the client for its decisions and importer obligations.
| Party | Responsible for | Not responsible for |
|---|---|---|
| Client | Accurate and complete specifications (size, materials, quantities, standards, packaging, labelling); approval of quotes, samples and drawings; final choice of supplier; signing and paying the purchase contract; importer status (EORI for businesses); product compliance with EU rules (CE, REACH, WEEE…); duties, taxes and insurance; receiving and checking goods on delivery. | Faults of the factory, forwarder or customs broker. |
| Factory2Europe | Careful search and shortlisting; accurate, honest reports on what was seen and checked; negotiation in the client's interest; visit and inspection per the agreed checklist; drafting and supervising the purchase contract (Chinese + client's language); coordinating transport and customs; following up claims; confidentiality. | Quality, lead times or warranty of manufactured products; defects not visible in a sampling inspection; loss, damage or delay in transit; customs decisions; the solvency or good faith of the factory beyond the checks performed; changes in material, freight or exchange rates. |
| Factory / supplier | Goods conforming to the purchase contract; production lead time; packaging; product warranty and after-sales. | — |
| Forwarder | Carriage, transit times, loss and damage in transit, under its own contract and terms. | — |
| Customs broker | Accuracy of the customs declaration and import formalities, under its mandate. | — |
Direct contracts. The client contracts with and pays the factory, forwarder and customs broker directly. Factory2Europe is not a party to these contracts and does not guarantee their performance.
Client decisions. Every decision to buy, pay a deposit or balance, and ship belongs to the client. Factory2Europe gives written advice; if the client overrides a written reservation, the client bears the consequences.
Information from the client. Factory2Europe is not liable for a defect caused by wrong, incomplete or later-changed information from the client.
Cap. Factory2Europe's total liability, for any cause, is limited to the fees (excl. VAT) paid for the mission concerned. Indirect losses are excluded: loss of revenue, customers or business. For private clients, this cap does not apply in case of gross negligence or personal injury.
Force majeure. No party is liable for delay caused by force majeure (art. 1218 French Civil Code): ordered factory closure, port strike, natural disaster, epidemic, conflict, sanctions or export controls, extended Chinese public holidays.
4. Inspection, after-sales and claims
Factory2Europe follows up any claim linked to its mission free of charge for 12 months after delivery; repair or replacement is borne by the factory under the purchase contract warranty.
Scope of after-sales. Factory2Europe's after-sales follow-up covers only orders placed with a supplier found, checked or negotiated by Factory2Europe within a paid mission, and only for the steps Factory2Europe was in charge of. It does not cover purchases made without Factory2Europe or from another supplier, nor steps the client handled itself (for example an inspection not ordered, or a carrier chosen by the client).
Factory2Europe's role when a problem arises. Factory2Europe coordinates and proposes solutions; the supplier repairs, replaces or compensates.
| Factory2Europe will | Factory2Europe does not cover |
|---|---|
| Analyse the problem using the client's evidence, the purchase contract and the inspection report | The price of the goods, their repair or replacement |
| Contact the supplier in Chinese and coordinate all exchanges | Return, reshipment or labour costs |
| Propose written solutions to the client: spare parts, repair, replacement, credit or partial refund | Refunding the goods in place of the supplier |
| Negotiate with the supplier and follow up until the file is closed | A warranty longer or wider than the purchase contract's |
| Help build the claim with the carrier or insurer | Indirect losses: loss of business, project delays, penalties from the client's own customers |
Post-production inspection. Carried out on site before the balance is paid, using the checklist approved by the client (size, appearance, function, quantity, packaging, labelling). Sampling inspection (ISO 2859-1 / AQL, agreed level) unless a 100 % check is requested and quoted. Photo and video report within 48 hours. The client alone decides whether to release the balance and shipment. If defects are found, the factory corrects them at its cost; a re-inspection costs €150 excl. VAT unless the purchase contract puts it on the factory.
| Issue found | What to do | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Damaged, missing or opened package at delivery | Write precise reservations on the delivery note, take photos, then confirm to the carrier by registered letter | Same day; confirmation within 3 days (art. L133-3 French Commercial Code) |
| Visible defect in the goods | Send photos, videos, order number and quantities affected to contact@factory2europe.com | 7 days after delivery |
| Hidden defect or failure in use | Same, with a description of use | During the purchase contract warranty |
Claim procedure.
- The client sends the claim with evidence.
- Factory2Europe acknowledges within 48 working hours and opens a file.
- Factory2Europe compares the defect with the purchase contract and inspection report, then sends the file to the factory in Chinese.
- Factory2Europe negotiates a solution with the factory: spare parts, repair, replacement, credit on the next order or partial refund.
- For transport damage, Factory2Europe helps the client build the claim with the forwarder or insurer.
- The client approves the proposed solution; Factory2Europe follows it until the file is closed.
Who bears what. The factory bears manufacturing defects within the limits of the purchase contract. The forwarder or insurer bears transport damage under their terms. Costs of return to China, reshipment or local repair are shared as set in the purchase contract; otherwise they are negotiated with the factory.
After 12 months, or for on-site work (new visit, expert check), follow-up is quoted at published prices.
If the factory refuses. Factory2Europe gives the client a complete file (contract, reports, translated exchanges) for amicable or legal action. Factory2Europe does not guarantee the outcome and advances no costs.
5. Cancellation, refunds, confidentiality and governing law
A mission cancelled before it starts is refunded in full; after it starts, only steps not yet begun are refunded.
Cancellation by the client. By email to gestion@factory2europe.com. Steps already done or committed (search delivered, visit scheduled within 72 hours, inspection performed) remain due at the published price. Refunds are made within 14 days.
Minimum result guarantee. If Factory2Europe cannot find at least 2 suppliers matching the approved specifications, the search step is not charged and its price is refunded.
Right of withdrawal (private clients). Private clients have 14 days after confirming the quote to withdraw without reason (art. L221-18 French Consumer Code). If they expressly ask for the mission to start earlier, they pay for the part already performed; a service fully performed before the end of this period can no longer be withdrawn (art. L221-25 and L221-28).
Cancellation by Factory2Europe. If the mission becomes impossible (product banned from import, insufficient information, unlawful request), Factory2Europe may end it in writing and refunds the steps not performed.
Confidentiality. The client's drawings, prices, supplier names and information are confidential and shared only with third parties needed for the mission. Reports are for the client's sole use.
Personal data. Data is processed to perform the mission and issue invoices, kept 10 years for accounting obligations, and never sold. The client may exercise GDPR rights of access, correction and erasure at gestion@factory2europe.com.
Language and law. These terms exist in French, English, Italian and Spanish; the French version prevails. French law applies. Disputes with businesses: courts of Marseille. Private clients: free recourse to the consumer mediator CM2C – Centre de la Médiation de la Consommation des Conciliateurs de Justice, 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris – www.cm2c.net, then the competent court under the law.
Acceptance. Confirming the quote by email or paying the invoice means acceptance of these terms, available on factory2europe.com.