1. Confirm the legal entity exists
Ask for the business licence (营业执照) and check the unified social credit code. The registered name on the licence must match the name on the proforma invoice and on the bank account. If the bank account is in a different name — including a personal account or a Hong Kong entity you were not told about — stop and ask why in writing.
- Registered name = invoice name = bank account name
- Registered capital and business scope should cover manufacturing, not only 'trade'
- Check the export licence separately — many factories export through an agent
2. Separate factory from trading company
A trading company is not automatically bad; it is only bad when it is hidden. Ask directly which workshop produces your item, in which city, and ask for a live video walk of that line while you name a detail on the spot (today's date on a whiteboard, a specific machine). Photos and video files can be recycled from other suppliers; a live walk cannot.
3. Match capacity to your order
Ask how many units of your exact specification the line produced last month, how many workers are on it, and what else is in the schedule for your production window. A factory that says yes to every quantity and every deadline is telling you what you want to hear, not what its schedule says.
4. Inspect before the balance payment
The only leverage you have is the balance. Book an in-line inspection when roughly 20–40% of the order is finished, and a pre-shipment inspection before the container is sealed. Report first, payment second — never the other way around.
5. Keep the paper trail in one place
Specification sheet, approved sample photos, packing standard, inspection reports, and the shipping documents belong in one file both sides can see. When a dispute happens, the buyer with documentation wins; the buyer with WeChat messages loses.
Questions buyers ask
Is a Gold Supplier badge on a marketplace proof of anything?
It proves a subscription was paid and basic documents were submitted. It is not an inspection of the production line, and it says nothing about the quality of your specific order.
Can I verify a Chinese supplier without travelling?
Yes. A local inspector visits the site, photographs the production line and machinery, checks documents against the registry and tests output against your specification. You receive the report before you pay the balance.
What does a factory audit in China cost?
An independent on-site audit is typically a few hundred euros — far less than one wrong container. Amanect quotes per site before the visit and includes the report and photographic evidence.