Start with the exact company you are dealing with
A polished website and a quick quotation do not tell you which legal entity will supply your order. Before committing to a supplier, ask for its full registered company name in Chinese, business registration details, operating address, main contact, and the name that will appear on the contract and invoice. Keep copies of the original documents and messages rather than relying on a translated summary alone.
Compare the company names across the quotation, business documents, email signature and proposed agreement. A trading company may be a legitimate supplier, but it should be clear whether it makes the product itself or sources it from another factory. Differences are questions to resolve, not automatic proof of fraud.
- Record the website, marketplace profile and contact details that led you to the supplier.
- Ask who owns the manufacturing site and who will be responsible for quality and delivery.
- Write down every name or address that differs so the supplier can explain it.
Define the product claim you need to test
Verification is useful only when tied to the actual purchase. Create a short product brief with model numbers, materials, dimensions, tolerances, packaging, target quantity and intended market. Mark requirements that are essential and those that are negotiable. If you need a particular test report or certification, identify the exact product and issuing body and obtain independent professional advice about applicability in your market.
Ask for recent, product-specific evidence: a sample, production photos, a specification sheet or a relevant report. Check dates, model identifiers and the company named on each document. A document for another model or another company may still prompt a useful conversation, but it should not be treated as proof for your order.
- Confirm minimum order quantity, sample terms and the specification revision being quoted.
- Identify which claims need direct observation, document review or independent testing.
- Agree how a sample will be compared with later production.
Use a focused conversation and check the answers
Send the same questions to every shortlisted supplier. Ask about production location, lead-time assumptions, subcontracting, inspection access, defect handling and the person who can approve changes. Clear, consistent answers are more useful than an impressive but generic sales presentation. Request a written response to issues that affect the order.
Where the purchase warrants it, consider a local visit or a third-party review with a defined checklist. Ask the visitor to distinguish what they saw from what a representative said. A visit can show a site and a process at a particular time; it cannot establish every historical claim or guarantee future performance.
- Compare answers against the quotation and sample records.
- Ask permission for photos of the relevant site, equipment and product where appropriate.
- Keep a list of unanswered questions and decide which ones must be resolved first.
Make the decision with documented limits
Collect the current specification, quotation, sample record, supplier identity documents, agreed milestones and unresolved issues in one folder. For any transfer or contract, independently verify the receiving party and use your own qualified advisers for legal, financial or compliance questions. No checklist can remove commercial risk, and a supplier's circumstances can change after a check.
If you need help gathering and comparing defined information in China, prepare the supplier's names, links, documents, product brief and the exact questions you want answered. Supplier Verification can be scoped around those questions; Company Verification or a Factory Visit may be relevant when identity or on-site observations matter. Ask for the proposed scope and evidence before deciding.
- Separate confirmed observations, supplier statements and assumptions in your decision note.
- Set a date to recheck key details if the order does not proceed soon.
- Do not treat a positive check as an assurance that an order will succeed.