Guides

Supplier Verification Guides

Practical guides for checking Chinese suppliers before payment, including business licenses, payment accounts, company identity, platform profiles, quotes, and common red flags.

Featured Guide

How to Verify a Chinese Supplier Before You Pay

Start here. This guide explains the full pre-payment supplier verification process, including company name checks, business licenses, payment accounts, quotes, product evidence, and red flags.

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Upcoming Supplier Risk Guides

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Company Identity

Check the company behind the supplier

Learn how to check whether the supplier's company information is consistent, traceable, and reasonable before payment.

How to Read a Chinese Business License Without Knowing Chinese Coming soon
Unified Social Credit Code: How to Verify a Chinese Company Is Real Coming soon
Factory or Trading Company? How to Tell the Difference Coming soon

Platform & Payment Risks

Review platform signals and payment details

Understand what platform signals and payment details can reveal about supplier risk.

Alibaba Trade Assurance: What It Actually Covers
Why You Should Never Pay a Chinese Supplier's Personal Account Coming soon
Using 1688 to Cross-Check an Alibaba Supplier's Real Identity Coming soon

Documents & Red Flags

Check documents before money moves

Review quotes, proforma invoices, supplier claims, and warning signs before sending money.

Reading a Proforma Invoice: Risk Signals Small Importers Miss Coming soon
Fake Factory Warning Signs on Alibaba Coming soon
Supplier Red Flags: A Pre-Payment Risk Checklist Walkthrough Coming soon

Supplier risk review

Need help checking a supplier?

Use the free Supplier Verification Checklist first. If the supplier name, payment account, quote, or documents do not clearly match, request a document-based Supplier Risk Review before you pay.

Download the Checklist Request a Supplier Risk Review