Chinese supplier verification
Before you wire the deposit — check who is actually on the other side.
The most expensive mistakes in importing are made before anything ships. A trading company presenting itself as a factory, a business licence that does not cover the goods being sold, a bank account in a different name than the contracting entity — each of these is visible in advance to someone who knows where to look.
Verification runs on several levels. The registration check confirms the company exists, what it is licensed to do and who represents it. A factory audit confirms production actually happens at the stated address. Sample and pre-shipment inspection confirm the goods match what was agreed, while there is still leverage to fix it.
None of this eliminates risk. It removes the categories of failure that are cheap to detect and expensive to discover late — which, in practice, is most of them.
Who it is for
- A first order with a supplier you have not worked with
- Any order where the deposit alone would hurt to lose
- Suppliers found through marketplaces rather than a referral
- Repeat orders where the price dropped suddenly and unexplainably
What it covers
- Verification of the business licence, scope of activity and registered representatives
- Confirmation that the bank account belongs to the contracting entity
- Optional: on-site factory audit with photographic documentation
- Optional: sample inspection before mass production
- Optional: pre-shipment inspection against an agreed checklist
What to watch for
- Payment to an account in a different name than the contracting company is the single most common route to an unrecoverable loss.
- A trading company is not necessarily a problem — but paying factory-direct prices to one is.
- Certificates supplied as images are worth what images are worth. Ask for the registration number and verify it at source.
- Pre-shipment inspection is only leverage if the balance of payment has not been made yet.
Common questions
Check whether you are overpaying
The form takes a few minutes and costs nothing. Even if you stay with your current forwarder, you will know what the market is worth.
No registration · no obligation · answer within 24 working hours