Buyer-side guidance for working with Chinese suppliers: how to check who you are really dealing with, and how to protect quality from first article to final shipment. Written from the buyer's seat — we never recommend specific factories.
A verification-first guide: the data package to prepare, the channel types and the signals each gives you, how to tell a trading company from a real factory, the official records you can query yourself, import compliance checks, and a first-order checklist.
Read the guide →What to verify on-site: real ownership, equipment, process controls, certification claims, and who actually runs production — plus how to audit when you cannot travel.
Read the guide →Pre-production, during-production, and pre-shipment checks you can request, how sampling works, and what to do when a batch fails.
Read the guide →The first-order process from the importer's seat: who the importer of record is, HTS classification, how the entry is filed, the ocean security declaration, non-tariff controls, examinations, and the official tools to check duties yourself.
Read the guide →Why these guides exist. A surprising share of "factory" claims in China are trading companies presenting other people's production as their own. Our guides focus on the evidence trail: licences, equipment, payroll, documentation, and physical verification. No factory names, no referrals, no commissions. Every guide is dated and cites the source behind each figure.
Scope note. Checklists and templates in these guides are starting points for your own due diligence. Every contract, payment structure, and inspection plan should be reviewed with professionals who know your product category and target market.
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