On this page
- Five rules for messages that get answers
- When to send what
- 1 · Confirm the ship date (before it's late)
- 2 · Status and photos (gone quiet)
- 3 · New ship date and reason (ship date missed)
- 4 · Tracking and new ETA (arrival missed)
- 5 · Ship part of it first
- 6 · Copy their manager (no reply)
- 7 · Holiday cut-off (before Chinese New Year)
- Writing to suppliers in China
- Keep a follow-up log
- Frequently asked questions
The short answer
Chase on dates, not on feelings. Confirm a week before the ship date. Ask for shipping details the day after the ship date passes. Ask for a new arrival date and the reason the day after the arrival date passes. Follow up after 7 days of silence, and copy the supplier's manager after two unanswered messages.
Below are seven ready-to-send messages for those moments, each in English and Simplified Chinese.
Most follow-ups with suppliers fail for the same reasons: they're vague ("any update?"), they bury the purchase order number, they ask five things at once, and they don't say when you need the answer. The supplier replies "working on it", and a week later you're asking again.
The templates in this guide fix that. Each one names one order, asks short numbered questions, and gives a date. They're the same messages built into our free Open PO Health Check, which tells you which orders need which message today.
Five rules for messages that get answers
- One order per message. Put the PO number — and the item code — in the first line.
- Ask closed, numbered questions. "1) ship date, 2) tracking number" gets two answers. "Please update us" gets none.
- Write dates as 2026-11-14, never 11/14 or 14/11. Everyone reads the same date.
- Say when you need the reply. A deadline turns your email into a task on their list.
- Ask for evidence. Photos of finished goods, the booking confirmation, a tracking number. "It's ready" is a promise; a photo is a fact.
When to send what
| Moment | Trigger | Template |
|---|---|---|
| Before it's late | 7 days before the promised ship date | 1 · Confirm the ship date |
| Gone quiet | No news for 7 days during production | 2 · Status and photos |
| Ship date missed | The day after the ship date, no shipping details | 3 · New ship date and reason |
| Arrival missed | The day after the promised arrival date | 4 · Tracking and new ETA |
| You're about to run out | Stock will run out before the full order lands | 5 · Ship part of it first |
| No reply | Two messages without an answer | 6 · Copy their manager |
| Holiday ahead | 6–8 weeks before Chinese New Year | 7 · Holiday cut-off |
Replace everything in {curly brackets}. Read each message before you send it — these are starting points, not autopilot.
1 · Confirm the ship date (before it's late)
The cheapest follow-up is the one you send before anything has gone wrong. It gives the supplier a chance to tell you about a problem while you still have time to react.
ENHi {Name}, just confirming that PO {PO #} is still on track to ship on {Ship date}. Is there anything that could cause a delay?
中文您好 {Name}，想确认一下订单 {PO #} 是否仍按计划在 {Ship date} 发货？有没有可能导致延误的情况？
2 · Status and photos (gone quiet)
Silence during production is the earliest warning sign you'll get. Ask for photos: a factory that has finished the goods can send them in a minute; one that hasn't started will tell you more by what it doesn't send.
ENHi {Name}, could you share the current status of PO {PO #} ({Item})? Please confirm the ship date, and send a few photos if production is finished. Thank you!
中文您好 {Name}，请问订单 {PO #}（{Item}）目前的进度如何？请确认发货日期，如果已经生产完成，请发几张照片。谢谢！
3 · New ship date and reason (ship date missed)
Ask for the reason as well as the date. "Waiting for materials" and "the boxes are on the truck" are very different problems, and the reason tells you whether the new date is believable.
ENHi {Name}, PO {PO #} was due to ship on {Ship date}, and we haven't received shipping details yet. What is the new ship date, and what is causing the delay? We need a firm date by {Deadline}.
中文您好 {Name}，订单 {PO #} 原定于 {Ship date} 发货，但我们还没有收到发货信息。请问新的发货日期是什么时候？延误的原因是什么？请在 {Deadline} 前给我们一个确定的日期。
4 · Tracking and new ETA (arrival missed)
Once goods have shipped, the supplier often stops watching them. Ask for the tracking or booking number so you can check the carrier yourself, and say plainly that the delay is costing you.
ENHi {Name}, PO {PO #} was due to arrive on {ETA} and is now {Days late} days late. Please send the tracking number and the updated arrival date today. This delay affects our stock, so a quick reply would help a lot.
中文您好 {Name}，订单 {PO #} 原定于 {ETA} 到货，现在已经延迟 {Days late} 天。请今天发给我们物流单号和最新的到货日期。这次延误影响了我们的库存，请尽快回复，非常感谢。
5 · Ship part of it first
When the full order won't make it in time, part of it often can. Factories rarely offer a split shipment; they often agree when asked. Ask what it costs before you commit — splitting can mean a second freight charge.
ENHi {Name}, about PO {PO #}: we are running low on {Item}. If the full quantity can't ship by {Ship date}, can you ship part of it first? Please tell us 1) how many pieces are ready now, 2) the earliest date they can ship, and 3) when the rest will be ready. If splitting the shipment adds any cost, please let us know.
中文您好 {Name}，关于订单 {PO #}：我们的 {Item} 库存快用完了。如果 {Ship date} 前无法全部发货，能否先发一部分？请告诉我们：1）现在已经准备好多少件；2）这部分最早什么时候可以发货；3）剩下的什么时候能完成。如果分批发货会产生额外费用，也请告诉我们。
6 · Copy their manager (no reply)
After two unanswered messages, widen the circle. Keep the tone neutral — you're not complaining about your contact, you're making sure the order doesn't fall between two desks.
ENHi {Name}, I wrote about PO {PO #} on {Date 1} and {Date 2} and haven't had a reply yet. I'm copying {Manager} so we can sort this out quickly. We need 1) the current status and 2) a confirmed ship date. Please reply by {Deadline}.
中文您好 {Name}，关于订单 {PO #}，我在 {Date 1} 和 {Date 2} 联系过两次，还没有收到回复。我抄送了 {Manager}，希望能尽快解决。我们需要：1）目前的进度；2）确定的发货日期。请在 {Deadline} 前回复。
Add a consequence only if you mean it. If the order is truly at stake, one extra line makes that clear: "If we can't get a confirmed date by {Deadline}, we will have to cancel the remaining quantity and buy it elsewhere." — 如果 {Deadline} 前还无法确认日期，我们只能取消剩余数量，另找供应商。 An empty threat costs you more than it gains.
7 · Holiday cut-off (before Chinese New Year)
Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027. Many factories stop for two to four weeks around it, and output stays slow for a while after, as workers return. Golden Week, 1–7 October, closes many offices too. Ask early, for every open order at once.
ENHi {Name}, before the Chinese New Year holiday, could you confirm the following for our open orders ({PO list})? 1) Your factory's holiday dates. 2) The last date you can ship before the holiday. 3) Which of our orders will ship before the holiday, and which after. We'd like to plan our stock early. Thank you!
中文您好 {Name}，春节假期前，想跟您确认一下我们未完成订单（{PO list}）的安排：1）贵厂的放假时间；2）节前最后的发货日期；3）我们哪些订单能在节前发货，哪些要等节后。我们想提前安排库存，谢谢！
Writing to suppliers in China
- Send both languages. Your contact may read English well, but the production manager they forward it to may not. A short Chinese version travels further inside the factory.
- Keep the English simple. Short sentences and no idioms translate cleanly, whether by a person or a translation app. "Touch base" and "circle back" don't.
- Use the channel they answer. Many sales contacts reply faster on WeChat than by email. Send the same text on both, and keep the email as the record.
- Get photos before the balance payment. Finished goods, packed cartons, shipping marks. It's the moment you have the most leverage.
- Check high-stakes Chinese. These templates are plain, polite business Chinese. For anything contractual, have a native speaker read it first.
Keep a follow-up log
For every open order, write down three dates: when you last asked, what they promised, and when you'll ask next. Without the log, a late order is a feeling; with it, it's a pattern — and after a few months you'll know exactly which suppliers' "next week" means next week. That history is also what you need to measure a supplier's real lead time for your safety stock.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I follow up with a supplier?
On dates, not on a fixed rhythm: a week before the promised ship date, the day after any missed date, and after seven days without news. Between those moments, extra chasing mostly adds noise.
What should I ask for when an order is late?
Three things: the new date, the reason for the delay, and evidence — a tracking or booking number, or photos of the finished goods. The reason tells you whether the new date is believable.
Should I write to Chinese suppliers in Chinese?
Send both. The English version is your record and is often what your contact reads; the Chinese version can be forwarded to production without being translated again.
What if the supplier stops replying?
Send one more message after three to five days, then copy their manager. If that gets no answer either, message them on the channel they use most, such as WeChat, and start lining up another supplier for the next order.
How do I spot late orders before they are late?
Track the promised ship date, the promised arrival date and the date of the supplier's last update for every open PO line, and flag lines whose ship date is close but unconfirmed. The free Open PO Health Check does this for you.