Services / 03
Supplier vetting
A supplier’s website, certificates and Alibaba badges are claims. We check licences, capacity and export history at the source — on the factory floor, not over video call.
What’s included
| The claim | How we check it | What it rules out |
|---|---|---|
| “We’re the factory” | Business licence scope, land and equipment on site, workers on the line | A trading company adding margin |
| “We export” | Export licence and customs registration, sighted in original | Goods stuck with no one able to clear them |
| “We can make 20,000 a month” | Line count, shift pattern and current order book, walked through | Silent subcontracting to an unknown workshop |
| “We ship to Australia” | Past bills of lading and AU compliance documents for similar goods | First-time exporters learning on your order |
| “We’re certified” | Certificate numbers verified with the issuing body | Borrowed or expired certificates |
A Verified Supplier or Gold Supplier badge tells you a third party checked the company's registration at some point. It doesn't tell you whether this is the factory, whether it can make your product at your quantity, or whether the bank account on the invoice belongs to it. Send us the listing link or the quote before you pay a deposit. We'll check the licence, confirm who actually makes the goods, and tell you in writing whether we'd pay that deposit.
How it works
Registry, litigation and trade-data checks on a long list.
3–5 daysThe three that survive, with the reasons the others didn’t.
Week 1A day at each factory. Documents sighted in original, floor walked.
Week 2A side-by-side comparison and one written recommendation.
2 days after visitsHow pricing works
Scope and price agreed before we start.
Additional factories quoted individually.
Already have a factory? We’ll vet it the same way.
Sample deliverable
The dossier’s summary sheet. A full visit report for each candidate sits behind it.
Supplier dossier · summary
OPL-SV-0211| Check | A · Foshan | B · Jiangmen | C · Zhongshan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Verified | Verified | Trading co. |
| Export licence | Sighted | Sighted | Sighted |
| Capacity / mo | 8,000 | 22,000 | — |
| Ships to AU | No record | 14 B/Ls | 3 B/Ls |
| Unit price | $4.10 | $4.35 | $3.90 |
Recommend B. Costs 25¢ more than A — and is the only candidate with the capacity and the Australian export record.
Specimen dossier · fictional suppliers, real format
Questions
One gives you no leverage; five dilutes the site visits. Three gives you a real comparison and a fallback if your first choice lets you down later.
Yes — same checks, same visit. It’s often the most useful vetting we do.
The business licence scope, who owns the land and the machines, and whether the people on the floor work for the company on the letterhead.
Yes. You get the summary sheet, a visit report per candidate, and the photographs.
Request a quote
Product, quantity and the landed cost you need to hit. A reply from a person in Melbourne or Guangzhou — not an autoresponder.
Reply in 2 business days