How is this different from sourcing?

With sourcing we go out and find manufacturers for the job and bring you a shortlist. Here the supplier is already yours and we only check them. If the check shows the company is not suitable, supplier sourcing can be ordered separately.

Can we order just the factory visit?

You can, but we advise against starting there. If the records show a trading company with no production behind it, there is nowhere to go and the trip is wasted. The records answer the first question: whether the company exists, what it is allowed to do, and whether it can export in its own name. Some of that you can do without us: vetting a Chinese supplier yourself sets out the order the checks go in.

Will the supplier know they are being checked?

The records check runs on public registers and they will not know about it. A factory audit needs the plant to agree to a visit, so there is nothing covert about it — and that is fine: a sound manufacturer shows you the floor without fuss. A refusal to receive you is itself a finding.

What if the check turns something up?

You get a report with the facts and our conclusion, including a recommendation not to proceed where the grounds are serious. We do not soften the wording to keep a deal alive: what we earn does not depend on whether you buy from this supplier.

Is there any point checking a supplier we have used for years?

There is, when something around them has changed. Companies get sold, production gets subcontracted, an export licence is not renewed. For regular importers it is worth re-checking key suppliers from time to time, particularly before increasing volumes or moving to formal, fully declared imports.

Do you vet suppliers in Europe?

Yes, though the work is different: European company registers are open and informative, and the language is not a barrier. Existence can be confirmed from the register itself, so the work shifts to an assessment of capacity and of the contract terms. From there the check feeds into a shipment from Europe into the CIS, which has its own route, paperwork and payment arrangements.

Service

Vetting the supplier you have already found

You picked the factory yourself — at a trade fair, on a platform or on somebody's recommendation. We establish who they actually are before any money changes hands: the legal entity, the plant behind it, and whether the batch matches the sample.

Request a supplier check If you have not found a supplier yet

01 — Starting points

What people come to us with

We found a factory on 1688 — is it real?
The supplier wants a hundred per cent upfront. Should we pay it?
We've worked with them two years but we're not sure it's a factory rather than a reseller.
The bank details name a different company. Is that normal?
The batch is ready to ship and we need someone to look at it in the warehouse.
We met at a trade fair and agreed terms — now we need to know who we agreed them with.

02 — What is included

What you get

01A file on the companyRegistry data, the right to export, history, related companies. Everything with a source you can check yourself.
02A report on the factoryPhotographs and video from the site, a description of the equipment and the processes, and an assessment against your product and volume.
03Verification of the bank detailsWe match the banking data against the legal entity. Substituted details sent from a compromised mailbox are how money is lost for good.
04A verdict on the batchFor a pre-shipment inspection, a report setting out what was checked, with photographs taken before loading.
05Conversations in ChineseThe work is done by people who speak the supplier's language. Some of what matters comes out in conversation and never reaches an email thread in English: how an awkward question is answered, who actually decides, whether the workshop is theirs or the one next door.

03 — What we do not do

The limits of a check

We do not guarantee how the supplier behaves laterA check describes the state of things at the time it was made. A sound factory today can change hands, lose a line or let you down in six months. Vetting lowers the risk; it does not remove it, and we will not pretend it does.
We do not certify the goodsWe compare the batch against the approved sample and the specification. Laboratory testing, certification and materials analysis are the work of accredited bodies, and we will point you to them where they are needed.
We do not sell lists of vetted suppliersThere is no such thing as a list of pre-approved factories: a check only means something for a specific product, volume and deal. A ready-made database is either out of date or advertising.
We do not negotiate as part of a checkVetting establishes facts. Bargaining, contract terms and running the deal are a separate service, and we keep them apart so that the finding stays impartial.

04 — What gets checked

Three levels, from the paperwork to the shop floor

They are ordered separately or one after another. Starting with the first makes sense: if the company is not what it claims to be, there is no point going to the plant.

01The legal entityBusiness licence and registration number, date of incorporation, registered capital, the activities the company is permitted to carry out, the right to export, court and tax history. We check against the Chinese state registers, not against the scan you were sent.
02Whether the company matches the shop windowWhether the entity on the licence is the one signing the contract and the one named in the bank details. A mismatch is something we run down before any money moves: behind it there may be a middleman in the chain, or bank details that have been substituted.
03The factory auditA visit to the site: whether there is a plant and equipment for your product, how much of its capacity is in use, how many people work there, how quality is handled. A report with photographs and video taken on site, not a presentation from the supplier. If the plant will not receive us, that is a finding in itself, and we say so plainly.
04Sample against specificationWe compare the sample you were sent with what you asked for: material, weight, completeness, marking. The requirements are put in writing so that a display sample cannot be passed off as production.
05Pre-shipment inspectionAn inspection at the factory warehouse before loading: quantity, completeness, conformity to the approved sample, packing and marking. Once the cargo has left, replacing it is no longer an option.
06A report with a conclusionWhat you get is not a folder of photographs but a conclusion: what was confirmed, what was not, which risks remain and what to watch for in the contract.

05 — Responsibility

Who is responsible for what

We are responsible for the accuracy of what we establish. The decision on the deal is yours.

On us

Gathering and checking data against official sources
The site visit and the photographic record, if the plant receives us
Comparing the batch against the approved sample
A report with a finding and the risks that remain
Work with only one client: you pay us, and the supplier under check does not

On you

The decision whether to work with this supplier
The contract terms and the payment arrangement
Arranging access to the plant where you already have it

06 — The report

What you receive

What you receive
Section	What is in it	Source
The legal entity	Registration number, date of registration, registered capital, current status, licence validity	Chinese state register
Export rights	Whether the company is registered as an exporter and can file an export declaration itself	Chinese customs register
Permitted activities	What the company may produce and sell, and whether that covers your goods	Articles and licence
Factory or intermediary	Production address, floor area, equipment, headcount; whether the site is their own	Site visit and public data
Litigation and enforcement	Court cases, enforcement proceedings, entries on defaulter lists	Chinese court registers
Photographic record	Workshops, raw material and finished goods stores, the quality control area — dated images	Site visit
Inspection of the run	A random sample: conformity to specification, defects, packing and labelling	Pre-shipment inspection
Findings and risks	What raises questions, what is missing, and what belongs in the contract	Our assessment

07 — Alongside

What people look at with this

08 — Questions

What people ask about vetting

How is this different from sourcing?
With sourcing we go out and find manufacturers for the job and bring you a shortlist. Here the supplier is already yours and we only check them. If the check shows the company is not suitable, supplier sourcing can be ordered separately.
Can we order just the factory visit?
You can, but we advise against starting there. If the records show a trading company with no production behind it, there is nowhere to go and the trip is wasted. The records answer the first question: whether the company exists, what it is allowed to do, and whether it can export in its own name. Some of that you can do without us: vetting a Chinese supplier yourself sets out the order the checks go in.
Will the supplier know they are being checked?
The records check runs on public registers and they will not know about it. A factory audit needs the plant to agree to a visit, so there is nothing covert about it — and that is fine: a sound manufacturer shows you the floor without fuss. A refusal to receive you is itself a finding.
What if the check turns something up?
You get a report with the facts and our conclusion, including a recommendation not to proceed where the grounds are serious. We do not soften the wording to keep a deal alive: what we earn does not depend on whether you buy from this supplier.
Is there any point checking a supplier we have used for years?
There is, when something around them has changed. Companies get sold, production gets subcontracted, an export licence is not renewed. For regular importers it is worth re-checking key suppliers from time to time, particularly before increasing volumes or moving to formal, fully declared imports.
Do you vet suppliers in Europe?
Yes, though the work is different: European company registers are open and informative, and the language is not a barrier. Existence can be confirmed from the register itself, so the work shifts to an assessment of capacity and of the contract terms. From there the check feeds into a shipment from Europe into the CIS, which has its own route, paperwork and payment arrangements.

Tell us about your supplier

Send us the company name, a link to their listing or their bank details, and tell us what you are buying. We will say which check makes sense in your case and what it will establish.

Tell us about your supplier +7 861 217-96-98