Guides
Verification, explained well enough to do yourself
How to Verify a Chinese Supplier Before You Pay
Verifying a Chinese supplier before payment means establishing four things in order: that the legal company exists and is active, that the company quoting you is the company being paid, that the documents are internally consistent, and that the production site is what was claimed. Each step answers a different question, and none of them individually proves the supplier will perform..
11 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
Alibaba Supplier Scam Red Flags
The red flags that matter most in Alibaba transactions are structural rather than cosmetic: a mismatch between the storefront name, the invoicing company and the bank beneficiary; a request to pay outside the platform; a change of bank details mid-transaction; and time pressure applied around payment. Poor English and a plain profile are not red flags.
10 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
Factory or Trading Company: How to Tell
You can usually tell a factory from a trading company by reading the registered business scope, the registered address type, the employee and capital indicators, and how the supplier answers technical and tooling questions. Documentary indicators point strongly but are not conclusive, and a visit to the stated production address is the direct test.
10 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
How to Check a Chinese Business License
A Chinese business license shows the registered legal name in Chinese, the 18-character unified social credit code, the legal representative, registered capital, establishment date, registered address and business scope. Checking one means confirming the code resolves to that exact Chinese name in the public registry, that the status is active, and that the business scope matches what the supplier claims to do.
9 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
What to Check Before Paying a Supplier Deposit
Before paying a deposit, confirm that the company on the proforma invoice, the registered legal entity and the bank beneficiary are the same party or explainably related; that the deposit percentage and balance trigger are written down; that the specification, packaging and lead time are complete; and that an inspection stage exists before the balance is due. Everything on that list is cheap to settle before the transfer and expensive to argue about afterwards..
10 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
How to Review a Proforma Invoice from China
A proforma invoice should identify both legal parties, describe the goods to a level that makes a dispute resolvable, state the Incoterm and named place, set out the deposit and balance trigger, name a bank beneficiary matching the seller, and specify packaging, lead time and an inspection stage. Most problems come from what is missing rather than what is wrong, and a PI is a commercial document, not a substitute for a contract..
11 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
Factory Audit vs Live Factory Video Visit
A formal factory audit is a structured assessment of a supplier’s management systems against a defined standard, performed by a qualified auditor over one or more days and issued as a formal report. A live factory video visit is a real-time visual check of a specific site, directed by the buyer, that answers identity and existence questions quickly and cheaply.
9 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
Live Factory Visit Checklist
A useful live factory visit is prepared, not improvised. Before the call, confirm the exact site address, who will attend and what may be filmed.
10 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
What a Factory Video Visit Can and Cannot Prove
A live factory video visit is strong evidence that a site exists at a given address, that it is occupied by the claimed business, and that certain equipment and activity were present at that moment. It is weak evidence of capacity, systems and consistency, and it is no evidence at all of future quality, financial stability or regulatory compliance.
9 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
Questions to Ask a Chinese Supplier Before Your First Order
The most informative questions are specific, verifiable and awkward to answer vaguely: which legal entity will issue the invoice, which address the goods are made at, which processes are subcontracted, what the tooling ownership is, and at what point an inspection may take place. How a supplier handles a precise question is often more informative than the answer itself..
10 min read · Updated 2026-07-23
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