Common Scams in Stone Import — and How to Avoid Them

The Stone Trade Has Unique Fraud Vectors

The international stone trade involves large purchase values, goods that are difficult to verify remotely, and complex logistics chains. This creates specific fraud and misrepresentation risks.

Mislabelling of Stone Origin

"Italian Marble" sourced from a Chinese or Iranian quarry and processed in Italy is not the same material. Protection: Request a quarry certificate of origin stating the specific quarry name and location.

Switching After Sample Approval

A buyer approves a high-quality sample, then receives inferior material in the container. Protection: Pre-shipment inspection by an independent local agent who witnesses the actual production loading.

Short-Shipping Quantity

The invoice says 300 sqm; the container holds 270 sqm. Protection: Pre-shipment inspection including independent measurement of area.

Advance Payment Disappearance

A buyer pays 100% advance to an unknown supplier who then disappears. Protection: Never pay 100% advance to a new supplier. Use Letters of Credit (LC) for large transactions — the buyer's bank releases payment only on presentation of shipping documents.

How LithoPrime Reduces These Risks

LithoPrime's vendor onboarding requires business registration documents, export licence/IEC code verification, and bank account details — creating a documented identity for every verified vendor.