Scope VerifyIndependent supplier verification
For overseas buyers sourcing from China

Verify your Chinese supplier before you pay the deposit.

Independent supplier verification. Entity checks, factory-vs-trader determination, and certificate scope review — including the one check most services skip.

See a sample report → Get the free 20-point checklist →
Independent — no commission from suppliers Not a certification body Written report in English China-based, work delivered remotely
The blind spot

A certificate can be genuine, unexpired, and issued to the right company — and still not cover your product.

This is the most expensive gap in sourcing from China, and almost nobody checks it.

A pattern I see regularly

A buyer confirms the supplier is a legitimate factory. The ISO 9001 certificate is real. The price is good. The deposit goes out. Months later, the buyer discovers the certificate never covered the item being produced — and when quality problems appear, there is no system behind the product and no certification claim to fall back on.

Checking a certificate takes minutes. Discovering the scope gap after production takes months. The same logic applies to the entity receiving your money: a valid certificate held by a sister trading company gives you nothing if a different entity signs the contract and issues the invoice.

So I check three things on every engagement: is it real, does the scope match what you are buying, and is the holder the same entity that gets your payment.

Three services

Pick the depth you need

Every engagement produces a written report in English with a clear verdict, the evidence behind each finding, and the exact questions to ask your supplier next.

Supplier Identity Check

Factory or trading company? Entity, registered scope, address consistency and public records — with a clear verdict, not a data dump.

  • Business licence & registration check
  • Factory vs. trading company verdict
  • Address consistency
$25 from · 2 days

Certificate & Compliance Verification

Validity, holder identity, and whether the certified scope actually covers your product. The scope test is the part most services skip.

  • Validity & issuing-body database check
  • Certified scope vs. your product
  • Certificate holder vs. paying entity
$45 from · 3 days

Full Due Diligence Report

Six-dimension assessment with a scored verdict, live video walkthrough, structured supplier interview and evidence annex.

  • Six weighted dimensions, 12–15 page report
  • Live unedited walkthrough of your production line
  • Pass / Conditional pass / Reject verdict
$120 from · 5 days

Not sure which one fits? Send me the supplier's Chinese legal name and whatever documents you have. I will tell you what can and cannot be verified before you commit to a scope and a price. Full service details →

Method

Five independent sources, cross-checked

A single document proves very little. Findings that survive a cross-check are worth paying for.

  1. Public registry records Enterprise credit system, customs registration, court and enforcement records, IP records — used for entity legitimacy and legal signals.
  2. Live, unedited video walkthrough Route not pre-agreed, time-stamped, walking from the gate through the production floor to the loading area.
  3. Documents supplied by the supplier Business licence, certificates, inspection templates, quotation — verified against the issuing body where one exists.
  4. Your own materials Quotation, chat history and sample order — cross-checked against what the supplier says.
  5. Structured supplier interview Capacity, QC process, non-conformance handling and lead time, with answers checked against what was observed.

Every report states plainly what could be verified, what could not, and what remains uncertain. An item that cannot be evidenced is recorded as "not evidenced" — treated as a risk, not an accusation.

This is for you if

  • You are about to wire a deposit to a supplier you have never visited
  • You have received a certificate and want to know whether it actually covers your product
  • You are not sure whether you are dealing with a factory or a trading intermediary
  • You are comparing two or three candidate suppliers and need a defensible basis to choose

This is not for you if

  • You want a certificate issued — certification is issued only by accredited certification bodies
  • You want ISO management-system consulting or training
  • You want a guarantee that a supplier will perform. You will get an accurate answer, not a reassuring one
  • You need a social-compliance (BSCI / Sedex) or financial audit

A REJECT verdict is a legitimate outcome and it is included in the price.

Start with the free checklist

The 20-point supplier audit checklist — the same checks I run before a remote engagement, written so you can use it yourself on your next supplier. No email required to read it.

If you would rather have someone else do the work, send me the supplier's Chinese legal name and I will tell you what is verifiable.

Get the free 20-point checklist → Contact me →