China Supplier Verification: Check the Company, Product and Payment

This checklist is for a first overseas order. For regulated goods or an order whose failure would seriously affect your business, agree on specialist checks before paying.

1. Put the legal identity on one page

Ask for the supplier’s full registered Chinese name, Unified Social Credit Code, business licence, operating address and the legal entity issuing the quotation. Keep the original Chinese spelling; an English trading name may not match the registered name.

Use the State Administration for Market Regulation’s official service portal to reach the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. Search the exact name or code. Compare the result with the licence and quotation; review available registration status and risk disclosures. Access can require verification or be unavailable from your location. Save the date and result, and record an unresolved check rather than guessing.

Registration establishes identity, not product quality or capacity. A business scope mentioning manufacturing does not prove that the seller made your item. If the payment beneficiary differs from the contracting company, ask for a documented explanation and independently confirm it before transferring funds.

2. Ask who actually makes the product

A factory can suit repeat production and customization. A trading company can suit mixed categories and smaller orders. Choose by responsibility and capability, not by treating “factory” as a quality guarantee.

Ask which steps are done in-house, which are subcontracted, and where final assembly takes place. Request evidence tied to your product: a dated live walkthrough, relevant equipment, an actual sample and an explanation of capacity and lead time. A video supports a discussion; it is not an independent factory audit. For a high-stakes order, agree who will perform an audit, what it covers and what it costs.

Verification gates

Verification gates: Entity / Chinese name/code and dated registry record / Does the quotation match?; Production / Factory/trader statement and relevant line evidence / Who owns subcontracting and remedies?; Payment / Invoice, beneficiary and explained relationship / Independently confirmed?

Field	Evidence	Open question
Entity	Chinese name/code and dated registry record	Does the quotation match?
Production	Factory/trader statement and relevant line evidence	Who owns subcontracting and remedies?
Payment	Invoice, beneficiary and explained relationship	Independently confirmed?

View full diagram

3. Turn the listing into a specification

Copy the product link and selected SKU, then write down material, dimensions, tolerances, colour, quantity, packaging and intended use. “Same as the photo” is too vague. For an unbranded textile pouch, for example, specify the fabric, finished size, closure, seam requirements and whether dimensions refer to the empty or filled item.

A certificate for another model, an expired report or a cropped screenshot is not enough. Confirm applicable destination requirements with the relevant authority or a qualified specialist. Do not assume a domestic Chinese listing is ready for export or resale.

4. Test the supplier’s answers with a small order

Buy an agreed sample or pilot quantity before committing to a larger batch. Compare what arrives with the specification and record defects with photos, measurements and dates. Include shipping and inspection costs in this decision: the lowest sample price is not the only useful measure.

At the JTLGO warehouse, basic QC photos and videos can help you spot visible discrepancies. They do not certify authenticity, conformity, functionality or the absence of hidden defects. A supplier identity check and a product inspection are separate tasks. Request a written inspection scope if you need counting, SKU verification, testing or specialist assessment beyond the basic media; additional charges may apply.

Shortlist decision

Shortlist decision: A: declared factory / Relevant line not shown / Request scoped production evidence; B: declared trader / Responsibility not confirmed / Confirm contract and inspection access; Either / Beneficiary unexplained / Pause payment

Field	Evidence	Open question
A: declared factory	Relevant line not shown	Request scoped production evidence
B: declared trader	Responsibility not confirmed	Confirm contract and inspection access
Either	Beneficiary unexplained	Pause payment

View full diagram

5. Keep the order and payment trail consistent

Before payment, obtain a written quotation covering the chosen SKU, quantities, delivery date, domestic freight, acceptance criteria and the proposed remedy for nonconforming goods. Confirm who is responsible for export documents and destination requirements. If a supplier changes the beneficiary, contact them through an independently verified channel; a message in the same compromised conversation is not independent confirmation.

Stop and resolve the issue when a seller refuses its legal name, cannot explain a payment mismatch, offers unrelated certificates or asks you to ignore specifications. One warning is not proof of fraud, but an unanswered warning is a reason to pause the order.

Inquiry you can send

Please quote the linked item with the attached SKU and specification. Provide your registered Chinese company name and credit code, confirm whether you manufacture or subcontract it, and identify the payment beneficiary. State sample cost, MOQ, production lead time, packing, inspection options and how a specification mismatch would be handled. Please answer each point in writing.

Send your shortlist and specification through JTLGO sourcing. Ask which checks are included, which need a separate quote and what remains unverified. Keep those answers beside the current service scope before approving a purchase.

Build a verification file

Keep one file per candidate: document, check date, issuer/contact, discrepancy and next action. Received does not mean verified. Do not let a trust score offset an unexplained beneficiary with attractive photographs.

Alibaba.com describes third-party reports for Verified Suppliers. Read the full report's entity, address, date and product lines; ask whether the relevant operation was covered. A facilities report does not approve your shipment.

Hypothetical shortlist

Invented example, not a JTLGO case: A has matching registration and calls itself a factory, but shows only a building video. B declares it is a trader, names the producer and supplies a conforming sample. Neither is approved yet. Ask A for relevant line evidence and B for contracting and subcontract responsibility. If B's responsibility, inspection access and payment trail are confirmed, trader status alone does not reject it. Pause either candidate with an unexplained beneficiary.

Copyable request

Candidate: [ ]. Contracting Chinese entity/code: [ ]. Quote issuer: [ ]. Producer/address: [ ]. Subcontracted work: [ ]. Beneficiary/relationship: [ ]. Product/specification: [ ]. Report number/date/scope: [ ]. Inspection access/remedy owner: [ ]. Unresolved points/evidence due: [ ]. Please answer each field and identify unavailable evidence.

Approve only demonstrated scope. Registry, product and payment questions need separate answers.