How to Pay a Hair Vendor Safely: 6 Steps and 6 Scam Red Flags (2026)

By Tommy Huynh, CEO of Govihair · Updated 31 October 2026

Quick answer: How to pay a hair vendor safely: pay only a registered business, against a signed invoice and sales contract. Send a deposit of 30–50%, never 100% upfront. Pay the balance only after a video shows each bundle weighed and the hair tested. Confirm the receiving account through the vendor’s official website before every payment.

Safe hair vendor payment at a glance

How do you pay a hair vendor safely, step by step?

A safe wholesale hair payment follows six steps, and each one leaves a document you can show if something goes wrong.

1. Verify the vendor and its receiving account on the vendor’s official website and payment page.
2. Get a signed invoice and sales contract under the vendor’s registered business name.
3. Pay a deposit of 30–50%. Production starts after the deposit.
4. Approve a QC video showing each bundle weighed and, on request, a bleach or scrape test.
5. Pay the balance only when every line of the video matches the invoice.
6. Receive tracking, the commercial invoice and origin documents to clear customs at home.

What are standard hair vendor payment terms?

Standard wholesale hair vendor payment terms are a deposit of 30–50% before production and the balance after the buyer approves a QC video, with the buyer paying import duties.

Paying 100% upfront to a vendor you have never bought from is not a standard term. Keep the balance until you have seen your order.

What are the 6 most common hair vendor deposit scams?

A hair vendor deposit scam is a fake or unreliable seller who takes your deposit, then ships nothing, ships less, or ships different hair. Most cases follow one of six patterns, and the first is the most common in the hair trade:

A discount for a particular payment method is not a scam signal by itself. The signal is a receiver who changes or does not match your documents.

Why is an unsolicited message from a hair vendor a red flag?

An unsolicited message from a hair vendor you have never contacted is the most common scam in the hair trade. From what I see every year, I estimate 9 out of 10 of these offers are scams.

The exception is a supplier you contacted first, worked with before or bought from. Otherwise, ask yourself how a stranger got your number. Often your details were leaked or sold, which may itself breach data-protection law. The seller then uses them to chase you with prices far below reputable suppliers. Once you pay, the money disappears.

This is a typical example, received on WhatsApp from an unknown number. WhatsApp itself flags it: the number is not in your contacts and you share no groups. The sender asks you to “visit my factory” and promises “100% raw human hair with best price”.

What is a realistic wholesale price for raw Vietnamese hair?

A realistic wholesale price for Double Drawn Vietnamese bulk hair in Europe is about $58–$181 per 100 g, depending on length and colour. Use the reference prices below to check whether a vendor’s quote is too cheap to be genuine.

Govihair reference prices — Europe bulk hair, Double Drawn, USD per 100 g

Reference prices for market comparison, not a quote. Ex-works Da Nang, orders from 1 kg; shipping is quoted separately. Super Double and Luxury grades, textures and tape or tip work cost more. For your wholesale price, chat with Tommy on WhatsApp at +84 795 746 986.

If a vendor offers raw hair far below this range, ask how. Genuine raw hair costs what it costs to collect, sort and process. A price that looks too good is usually virgin hair sold as raw, short weight, or a scam.

When should you order hair for the Christmas season?

Order wholesale hair about 2 months before Christmas. In peak season, factories hold less stock, raw material prices rise and demand peaks, so late orders risk missing your sales window.

Peak season is also when hair vendor scams peak, every single year. Cheap offers arrive exactly when genuine suppliers are raising prices, and that is when buyers get caught.

A true story: one cheap order that cost a salon owner far more than $2,000

A salon owner in the UK had bought from Govihair for years. In the 2025 peak season she restocked with us again and again. Raw material prices were rising fast, demand was high and hair was scarce. We told her our prices had to change, and that we were working hard to keep the increase small without lowering quality.

At the same time, a stranger messaged her with a much cheaper price list. She doubted him at first. But the prices were tempting and he kept messaging, so she placed a $2,000 trial order.

After she paid, he stopped replying regularly. She told him she would expose him publicly and report him to the police in Vietnam if he did not deliver. Only then did he ship.

The hair was poor quality. It tangled and shed, and her clients complained one after another. Her brand’s reputation suffered badly, and she faced a wave of client complaints and legal claims that exhausted her.

She told me what had happened and asked for good hair to put things right with her clients. We supplied it quickly. Since then she has never complained about price again, and she now works only with Govihair.

The lesson: a cheap price from a stranger is not a saving. Its real cost includes your clients and your reputation. If you buy for a UK salon, see our guide to wholesale hair extensions in the UK.

What makes a hair vendor invoice valid?

A valid hair vendor invoice is issued by a registered business, carries its legal name, address and tax code, and names the same receiver you are paying. An invoice typed in Word, sent as a screenshot, or issued by an individual protects nothing.

If one line does not match, do not pay. Ask for a corrected invoice.

This is what a real one looks like. Every Govihair order comes with a written sales agreement and a commercial invoice issued by Binh An Phat Trading Household Business (BAP GLOBAL), the registered business behind Govihair. Check that the seller name, address and tax ID on yours match the business on the vendor’s website, as they do here.

The full sample agreement, published with the customer’s permission, is on our About page and as a PDF.

Why pay a registered business instead of an individual?

A registered business in Vietnam is accountable to the state for tax, customs and the origin of its goods, so a buyer has somewhere to complain if the order goes wrong. An individual seller is accountable to no one.

This is what most suppliers will not tell you. Vietnamese businesses cannot operate as they please: their goods must have a traceable source, and the hair trade has become more transparent under state oversight. If a registered supplier delivers late, ships the wrong hair or does not deliver, a buyer can file a complaint with:

• the Vietnam Trade Office in the buyer’s country;
• the Department of Industry and Trade where the supplier is registered;
• a commercial arbitration centre, if the contract has an arbitration clause.

With an individual, even one you have bought from several times, there is no legal entity to claim against. Late delivery, damaged hair or a seller who stops replying means the money is simply gone.

For large orders, ask for a contract that states the governing law and how disputes are settled. A vendor who refuses to sign one is a warning sign. With a registered business, your money is backed by a legal entity, a paper trail and Vietnamese authorities you can turn to — not by trust in one person.

Why do you need a sales contract and invoice to clear customs?

Customs in Vietnam and in importing countries now ask for proof of origin and proof of payment for hair, and a shipment without a commercial invoice, sales contract and payment receipt can be held or returned.

Importing hair used to be easier. Since early 2025, after several hair extension cases came to light in Vietnam, hair has become a sensitive product, and checks are strictest in the year-end shopping season. Vietnam has tightened origin checks on exports at borders, seaports and airports (Viet Nam News).

Importing countries are stricter too. From 1 July 2026, the EU ended the customs duty exemption for parcels under €150 sent from outside the EU. A flat €3 duty applies to each category of goods in the parcel, by six-digit tariff code, until 30 June 2028 (PwC).

A courier notice received by one of Govihair’s EU customers shows what customs now asks for:

“Please provide instructions within 5 working days if you agree to pay the €3 fee per item… to avoid the parcel being abandoned or returned to sender… VAT/EORI NUMBER AND PROOF OF PAYMENT FROM THE IMPORTER ARE REQUIRED TO CLEAR THIS SHIPMENT.”

Without these documents, a buyer can lose the shipment and the money, and the buyer’s own import record can be flagged for future shipments. Prepare these before the order ships:

• Commercial invoice matching the amount paid
• Signed sales contract
• Payment receipt or bank statement
• Origin documents from the supplier
• VAT or EORI number (EU and UK buyers)
• Receiver’s phone number and email

A valid invoice also lets a business abroad record the purchase as a cost and, in many countries, reclaim import VAT. Check the rules with your accountant. For the full import process, see our guide to importing Vietnamese hair into Europe.

What should you check before paying the balance to a hair vendor?

Before paying the balance, ask the vendor for four proofs from your own order: each bundle weighed on video, the elastic band weight, a bleach test for raw hair, and a branded scrape test. Govihair runs this QC process before every balance payment.

How do you check the weight of hair bundles?

Weigh each bundle separately on video, with the scale reading and the length visible. A 100 g bundle should contain 100–102 g of hair once the elastic band is deducted.

How do vendors cheat on weight with elastic bands?

Some hair vendors count a heavy elastic band as hair. A 10 g band on a 100 g bundle means the buyer loses 10% of the value paid, before the box is even opened.

No supplier will tell you this. Ask three questions before paying: how much does the band weigh, is it included in the gram weight, and will each bundle be weighed on video?

How do you prove hair is raw, not virgin?

Ask the vendor to bleach a small sample from your own batch and send a photo or video. Raw and virgin hair look almost identical in photos, but only good raw hair lifts cleanly to a light blonde.

In Govihair’s QC photo, the sample lifts to light blonde while the root keeps its natural colour for comparison. A vendor who sells “raw” hair but will not bleach a sample is a warning sign. For the full comparison, see the difference between raw hair and virgin hair.

Why ask for a scrape test video with the vendor’s brand in frame?

A scrape test shows whether hair is 100% human or mixed with synthetic fibre. The vendor’s logo or brand tag in the frame proves the video was filmed for your order, not copied from the internet. Govihair provides scrape test videos on request; see how to scrape test raw hair at home.

When the weight, colour, length and hair type in the video all match your invoice, pay the balance.

Is it safe to pay a hair vendor by Western Union or MoneyGram?

Paying a hair vendor by Western Union or MoneyGram is safe only when the receiver’s name matches both the vendor’s official payment page and your invoice, because these transfers cannot be reversed once collected.

Money transfer services in Vietnam pay out to a named person, so a business appoints staff to collect them. At Govihair, transfers are collected by finance staff appointed by BAP GLOBAL, named on the official payment page and printed on your invoice.

• Check the receiver’s name against the official page before every transfer.
• Send the transfer reference (MTCN) and receipt to your sales rep immediately.
• For large orders, use a bank transfer to the business account instead.

Which payment methods are safest for wholesale hair orders?

The safest payment method for a wholesale hair order is a bank transfer to the vendor’s registered business account, because it leaves a bank record that matches the invoice. No method is safe if the receiver is wrong.

Govihair accepts bank transfer (T/T) in USD and EUR, Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria, Remitly, Wise, Revolut, Lemfi, SendWave, TapTap, credit card via secure payment link, USDT (TRC20) and Bitcoin. Local agent payment is available in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and selected African markets. Available methods vary by market. Your sales representative will confirm which options apply to your order and send the payment details directly. Production begins after a 30–50% deposit.

How do you verify a hair vendor’s bank account and sales rep?

Verify a hair vendor’s account by matching the account holder to the legal name on your invoice and the vendor’s official payment page, then confirming by phone on the number published on the website.

1. Compare the account holder’s name with the invoice.
2. Compare it with the vendor’s official payment page.
3. Call or WhatsApp the number on the vendor’s website to confirm.

If a “new” account arrives by email or chat, stop and confirm by phone before paying.

The sales rep should be a real person who appears on the company’s website and social channels, using the WhatsApp number shown on the website. Scammers pose as real companies’ sales staff; a buyer who pays an impostor gets no protection from the company and can lose 100% of the money.

Govihair’s sales team are real people, not AI avatars. You can see them on Govihair’s Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, packing and weighing real orders, and meet them on our About page.

How do you spot an AI-built hair vendor website before paying?

An AI-built hair vendor website uses generated or copied photos without the brand’s own logo, shows no real staff, and cannot issue a valid invoice or contract, so any deposit sent to it is unprotected.

These sites are usually newly opened trading companies with no factory and no real orders, and some are fake sites built only to collect deposits. Buying from them risks poor-quality hair, lost money, lost customers and damage to your own brand, with no after-sales support and no documents for customs. Full warning signs are in our raw hair vendor red flags checklist.

The fastest test is the sales rep’s hair knowledge. Ask these ten questions:

1. What is the difference between raw and virgin hair, and which is this order?
2. Can you bleach a sample from my batch and send a photo?
3. What colour can this hair be bleached to?
4. What products do you use to bleach and dye hair?
5. Can you send a scrape test video with your brand in the frame?
6. What is the difference between double drawn, super double and luxury?
7. How much does the elastic band weigh, and is it included in the gram weight?
8. Will you weigh each bundle on video before I pay the balance?
9. How long is production after the deposit, and what happens if it is late?
10. Which registered business will issue my invoice and contract?

If a vendor can’t show you real people, real photos and a real invoice, don’t send the deposit.

Which wholesale hair suppliers in Vietnam can you trust?

In my experience, four Vietnamese wholesale hair suppliers are established enough to shortlist: Govihair, YogHair, Apohair and Luxshine Hair. A shortlist is not a substitute for checks, so run every step in this guide with any supplier, including us.

Details are as published on each supplier’s own website in October 2026. Govihair has no business relationship with the other suppliers listed. For a longer comparison, see our list of the top Vietnamese hair vendors.

How does Govihair handle wholesale hair payments?

Govihair, a wholesale hair manufacturer in Da Nang, Vietnam, takes a 30–50% deposit, sends a bundle-by-bundle QC video before the balance, and issues an official commercial invoice for every payment method.

Govihair has traded since 2016; BAP GLOBAL is the registered business that has operated it since 30 June 2026. Tommy Huynh’s family has collected hair for nearly 20 years.

• Invoice and documents: official commercial invoice for every payment, emailed after payment confirmation, plus sales contract and origin documents.
• QC before balance: each bundle weighed on video; bleach and scrape tests on request.
• Receiving details: published on the order and payment policy page.
• Import duties: paid by the buyer; Govihair supplies the documents to support the import.
• Visit us: Head Office, Ricco Building, 363 Nguyen Huu Tho Street, Cam Le, Da Nang City. Factory, 292 Phu Dong Street, Hoa Xuan Ward, Da Nang City. Monday–Saturday, 07:30–17:00.

What proof should you get after a vendor ships your order?

After shipping, a real vendor sends a photo of your weighed parcel, a tracking number and, on delivery, the carrier’s proof of delivery. Govihair photographs every parcel on the scale with the order number before handing it to UPS.

This UK order shipped by UPS Worldwide Express Saver on 6 October 2026 and was delivered on 12 October 2026, six days later. You can check it yourself on ups.com with tracking number 1Z11BR240432537870.

Can you visit Govihair before you order?

Yes. Buyers visit Govihair’s Head Office and factory in Da Nang to see the hair, meet the team and check the process in person before placing larger orders.

FAQ

How much deposit should I pay a hair vendor?

Pay a deposit, not the full amount. At Govihair, production begins after a 30–50% deposit, and the balance is paid after you approve a QC video of your order.

Should I pay a new hair vendor 100% upfront?

No. Keep the balance until you have seen your order weighed and tested on video, and pay only against a signed invoice from a registered business.

How do I know if a hair vendor is a scam?

Warning signs include demands for 100% upfront, a receiving account that changes mid-deal, a receiver who does not match the invoice, AI or copied photos, and a sales rep who cannot answer basic hair questions.

Is it safe to pay a hair vendor by Western Union?

Only if the receiver’s name matches the vendor’s official payment page and your invoice. Western Union transfers cannot be reversed once collected, so check before every transfer.

Is a hair vendor who messages me first a scam?

Usually, yes. From what Govihair sees every year, an estimated 9 out of 10 unsolicited hair vendor offers are scams. Only buy from a supplier you contacted first or have bought from before.

When should I order hair for Christmas?

About 2 months before Christmas. Peak season brings lower stock, higher raw material prices and more scam offers, so order early from a supplier you have verified.

What should I do if a vendor asks me to pay a different account?

Stop. Call or WhatsApp the number published on the vendor’s website, and check the account against the official payment page before sending anything.

How much should a 100 g hair bundle weigh?

A 100 g bundle should contain 100–102 g of hair after the elastic band is deducted. Ask for each bundle to be weighed on video before paying the balance.

Will I get an invoice for my payment?

Yes. Govihair issues an official commercial invoice for every payment method, emailed after payment confirmation, together with origin documents.

Who pays import duties on wholesale hair?

The buyer pays import duties and handles import procedures. Govihair supplies the commercial invoice and origin documents to support customs clearance.

What is a fair wholesale price for Vietnamese hair?

Govihair’s reference prices for Double Drawn bulk hair in Europe run from about $58 per 100 g for 16-inch natural black to about $181 per 100 g for 30-inch blonde-ready raw hair. A raw hair quote far below this range should be questioned before you pay.

Ready to order? Chat with Tommy on WhatsApp at +84 795 746 986 for a quote and payment details for your market, or email [email protected].