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How to verify a Chinese supplier: 6 steps to judge whether a factory is real and reliable
Verify a Chinese supplier through the business licence, unified social credit code, business scope, receiving account, and an on-site or video factory audit.
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The 6 most reliable steps to verify a Chinese supplier: look up the business licence on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, check the business scope and founding date, confirm the receiving account name matches the company, see the factory by video or in person, ask for past export records or test reports, and start with a small trial order.
Information updated: 2026-10-03
6 verification steps
- Ask for the business licence and look up its unified social credit code on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System to confirm the company exists and is in good standing.
- Check the business scope and founding date: does the scope include the product you're buying? Be more cautious if the company is very new.
- Check the receiving account: the account name must match the contracting party. Never pay into a personal account.
- See the factory: in person or by video, look at the production line, warehouse and sample room to judge whether it's a factory or a trading company.
- Ask for documents: test reports, certificates, export records and references from other customers.
- Start with a small trial order to test quality, lead time and communication.
Telling a factory from a trading company
- A business scope containing "production" or "manufacturing" is more likely a factory.
- Factories can usually explain the production process, capacity and raw material sources clearly.
- A trading company isn't necessarily bad: it carries many categories, accepts small orders and can combine several sources for you. The price just includes a margin.