What a verified supplier means
A supplier is verified when the company, the address, the production and the bank account are confirmed with evidence. From Skopje or Belgrade, a website, an Alibaba profile or a chat on WhatsApp is only a starting point. Platform badges show that the company has paid for membership or passed the platform's own check. They do not confirm that the production run will match the sample, or that the quantity will be correct.
Since 2006 we have seen the same problems recur: a sample better than the production run, a quantity smaller than the one paid for, a material replaced with a cheaper one. All of them can be found before loading, if someone checks the goods on the spot. Our agents do that, in our warehouses in Yiwu and Ningbo and at factories anywhere in China.
Factory, trading company or intermediary
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| Type | How it is recognised | When it is a good choice | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factory | Production at the address, machines and workers, manufacturing in the business scope of the licence | Larger quantities, your own design, regular orders | A high minimum order quantity (MOQ), weaker communication in English |
| Trading company | An office or a showroom, many different products | Many items in small quantities, mixed orders | An unknown factory, a margin in the price |
| Intermediary | No company or licence of its own, only a contact and offers | Rarely | You do not know whom you are paying or who is responsible |
At the Yiwu market a shop is most often a showroom, with a factory or a trading company behind it. The shop by itself says nothing about production.
Warning signs
Our agents watch for these signs before the order and before every payment:
- A change of bank account at the last moment, especially by email. It is the most common sign of fraud.
- A personal account instead of a company account.
- The account of another company, often in another country, "for tax reasons".
- Pressure to pay quickly: "the price is valid only today".
- A price far below every other offer for the same product.
- Full payment in advance requested for a first order.
- A trading company presenting itself as a factory.
- A company name on the licence that differs from the invoice or the website.
- No live video from production. A real factory sends one the same day.
- No written confirmation of the specification.
- Conformity documents for a similar product rather than for your model.
The method of payment is agreed for each order.
Common frauds and failures
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| What happens | What it looks like | How we detect it |
|---|---|---|
| Changed bank details | New account details arrive by email, from a hacked mailbox or a lookalike address | Confirmation through another channel; payment only to the company's own account |
| Fake or borrowed factory | A trading company shows photos of a factory it does not own, or uses the name of a real one | Licence check and a visit to the address |
| Bait sample | The sample is excellent; the production run is a cheaper version, in different plastic, thinner fabric or another metal | The goods are measured and compared with the retained sample and the specification before loading |
| Short or swapped cartons | For example, 500 cartons on the invoice and 460 loaded, or correct cartons on top and other goods below | Cartons are counted and opened from different parts of the pallet, with a photo and video report |
| Wrong packaging | No label in the local language, or no age warning on a toy | Packaging is checked before loading |
| Documents that do not match | Test reports for another model | Documents are checked against the goods before loading |
| The supplier disappears | No reply after the deposit is paid | Licence and address are checked before the order |
How our agents verify a supplier
Four agents employed by Transcont work in China, in English and Chinese, and read licences and contracts in the original. Our strongest operational presence is in Yiwu, and an agent can travel anywhere in China to visit the factory.
- Before the order. They review the business licence and check the company's registration number in the Chinese state register. They visit the address, talk to the supplier in Chinese and establish whether the goods are really made there.
- Samples. They collect samples from several suppliers in one place and send them to you with photos. The measurements, the material, the packaging and the labels are entered in the order.
- During production. They follow the order and, where needed, visit the factory.
- Conformity documents. They establish whether the reports come from a laboratory and refer to your model. For toys these are EN 71 test reports and a declaration of conformity; for lighting and electrical goods, LVD, EMC and RoHS documents. Confirm the requirements for your product before you order.
- Before loading. Consolidated shipments and goods from Yiwu are checked in our warehouse, full containers at the factory. The agents count the goods, open cartons and compare them with the sample and the order. You receive a photo and video report and decide whether the goods are loaded.
A factory check significantly reduces the risk of fraud, unsuitable goods and deviations from the agreed specifications. We do not work to a formal inspection standard such as AQL, and we do not promise that the supplier will make no mistakes. We check the goods while they are in China, when problems can still be resolved.
A toys wholesaler with more than 10 imports a year works with us in this way. The whole process, from the orders in the market shops to the check in the warehouse, runs through our team in Yiwu. With toys we also check the markings, the instructions and the conformity documents.
Sourcing with our agent
Remote sourcing is for goods with little variety and clear specifications, and the offers are collected by our agent in China. For a wide assortment of small items we go with you on a buying trip to Yiwu or to any other market in China. The check before loading is described on the page quality control in China, and the whole import in the guide how to import from China. The guide sourcing agent or freight forwarder compares the two roles.
Send us the supplier's details
Send us the supplier's name or a link to its page and tell us what you are ordering and in what quantity. We will tell you what can be checked before the order and what we need for it.
