The short answer: this is a free, printable checklist of 46 checks, in six stages, to run before you pay a deposit to a supplier in China. It is for anyone about to send money to a supplier they have not met: first-time importers, small businesses and buyers who found a supplier on Alibaba.com. Each item says what to check and how, and has a tick box, so you can print one copy per supplier.
China Supplier Verification Checklist (PDF)
PDF · 3 pages · A4 · 131 KB · English. 46 checks in six stages, each with a tick box. No email needed.
Also in Spanish: Lista de verificación de proveedores chinos (PDF, 133 KB)
If you are about to send a first deposit, it is normal to feel unsure about what you should have checked by now. Most buyers are never taught this, and a supplier who is pleasant to deal with can make asking for proof feel rude. It isn't: a supplier with nothing to hide expects these questions. You do not need all 46 checks on every order, so start with the stages that match the size of your order and stop when the answers stop adding up.
How Is the Checklist Organized, and How Should You Use It?
The six stages follow the order in which a deposit decision actually happens, from "who is this company?" to "does what ships match what I approved?". Tick a box only when you have seen the evidence yourself or through an independent third party, and write a note next to anything you could not confirm. No single check is proof of anything, so look at how several of them line up.
| Stage | Checks | Where the checks happen |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Company identity | 7 | At your desk: the license copy and a registry lookup |
| 2. Factory or trading company | 8 | At your desk: name, catalog, map and quotes. On a live video: the production line |
| 3. Production capability | 8 | On a live video call or a visit: the floor, the machine, the workers |
| 4. Samples and specifications | 7 | At your desk: the specification and the certificates. In your hands: the sample |
| 5. Contract and payment | 8 | At your desk: every item is a document or a message |
| 6. Before shipment | 8 | On site with an independent inspector. At your desk: the documents |
Stage 1: Company Identity
Why check it: a deposit goes to a legal entity, not to a sales account on a platform. If the names on the license, the invoice and the bank account are not the same company, you cannot be sure who you are contracting with.
The most common oversight: treating a badge or an online profile as the check. Alibaba says its Verified Supplier audits are done by third-party inspectors and that it does not guarantee the accuracy of what they report, and in one check our team ran, four Verified Supplier storefronts that presented themselves as manufacturers were registered as trading or import-export entities. The license and the registry record are where that shows up.
The registry lookup in practice: China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn) is in Chinese only, asks you to log in with a mobile phone number (real-name verification) and uses an image-rotation captcha, so buyers outside mainland China may not be able to use it directly. Ask the supplier for the full Chinese company name exactly as printed on the license, and if you cannot log in, ask a Chinese-speaking colleague, an agent or an inspection company to run the lookup. The documents themselves are covered in 8 Documents You Should Always Request From a Chinese Manufacturer.
What Does a Company Record Look Like? An Example With BYD
Here is how the business-registration part of a company record looks, with the fields the checklist asks you to read numbered. The numbers are explained below the picture; the Chinese field names are the ones to look for. Tap or click the picture to open it full size.
- 统一社会信用代码 · Unified Social Credit Code. 18 characters. It is the code you can search by, and it must match the code on the license copy the supplier sent you.
- 经营状态 · Operating status. This record says 开业 (open, operating). A status such as 注销 (deregistered) or 吊销 (license revoked) means the company is not operating.
- 成立日期 · Date of establishment. Compare it with the number of years in business the supplier claims.
- 注册资本 · Registered capital (and 实缴资本 · paid-in capital on the right). Registered capital is the amount subscribed, and the part actually paid in can be lower, as here. Treat it as one signal, not as proof.
- 曾用名 · Former name. Names the company was registered under before. A recent change of name deserves a question; it is not a red flag by itself.
- 注册地址 · Registered address. Look it up on a map (stage 2) and compare it with the address the supplier gives you.
- 经营范围 · Business scope. Look for 生产 (production; it is boxed in the first line) for your product category, and not only 销售 (sales), 贸易 (trade) or 进出口 (import-export). Here the scope lists the production and sale of batteries, chargers and other products.
Stage 2: Factory or Trading Company
Why check it: a factory, a trading company and a reseller can quote different prices, control different parts of production and answer for quality in different ways. A trading company can be a fine partner. The problem starts when you think you are buying from a factory and you are not.
The most common oversight: asking "are you a factory?" and accepting "yes". The answer proves nothing, so the checklist asks for things that are harder to fake: which factory makes your product and where, a specific technical answer, a live look at the line, and a registered address that fits a factory. The signs are covered in Is My Chinese Supplier a Real Factory or a Trading Company? and 6 Signs Your "Factory" Is Actually a Trading Company in Disguise, and why the difference matters in Trading Company vs Factory: Why It Matters More Than You Think.
Stage 3: Production Capability
Why check it: a real factory can still be too small, too busy or too different from its photos to make your order on time and to specification. Capacity and subcontracting are where that shows up.
The most common oversight: accepting photos, a recorded tour or a visit that was arranged for you. A live video call on a day you choose, with a handwritten note held up on camera, shows what a prepared presentation does not. What a call can and cannot reveal is covered in 5 Things a Live Video Call Can Reveal That Factory Photos Can't, and how factories handle visiting buyers in Inside a Chinese Factory's Visitor Playbook — And the Line That Gives Away a Trading Company.
Stage 4: Samples and Specifications
Why check it: a sample proves that the factory can make your product once, by hand, when it knows you are watching. It says very little about what 1,000 units off the line will look like.
The most common oversight: approving a sample without a written specification and a sealed reference sample, so nothing exists to hold the bulk order against. Write the specification into the order confirmation, ask for a production sample from the real run, and agree in writing what happens if the bulk shipment does not match. The full method is in Sample Looks Great, Bulk Order Is Garbage — How to Prevent It.
Stage 5: Contract and Payment
Why check it: this is where the money leaves your account, and what you have agreed in writing is what you can point to later.
The most common oversight: paying into an account whose name does not match the company, or relying on chat messages instead of a formal order. If you buy through Alibaba.com, Alibaba says Trade Assurance applies when you pay through its secure payment platform, so a request to pay outside the platform (straight into a bank account, by Western Union or in cryptocurrency) takes you outside that protection. The warning signs are in 9 Alibaba Supplier Red Flags That Should Make You Walk Away, the ten checks before a deposit are in 10 Things to Check Before Paying a Chinese Supplier Deposit, and what Trade Assurance does and does not cover is in Is Alibaba Trustworthy? An Honest Answer for First-Time Buyers.
Stage 6: Before Shipment
Why check it: before shipment you still hold the balance. Once the goods have left, your options shrink.
The most common oversight: paying the balance before anyone independent has looked at the goods, or letting the factory's own quality-control team be the only inspector. Agree the inspection standard in writing before production starts. The inspection types and what each covers are in What Does Factory Inspection in China Cost? (And Is It Worth It), and a worked example of an AQL sampling check is in 6 Quality Checks Every Auto Parts Buyer Should Run Before Shipping.
What Can't a Checklist Tell You?
A checklist tells you what to ask for, not whether the answer is true. A license can be a copy of another company's, a video can show another factory's floor, and a certificate can cover a different model. That is why the checklist keeps asking for evidence you can cross-check: the same company name on the license, the invoice and the bank account, and the same address in the registry, on the map and on the video call. When an order is large, or the product has to meet a tight specification, the checks that count most are the ones where an independent person looks with their own eyes, which is what our due diligence checklist and our supplier verification guide explain.
What Should You Do Next?
- Download the checklist and print one copy per supplier you are comparing, so the answers sit side by side.
- Start with stages 1 and 2. They cost only time and often remove a supplier before any money is at stake.
- Book the live video call (stage 3) only with the suppliers that pass, on a day you choose.
- Put the specification, the sample conditions and the payment terms in writing (stages 4 and 5) before you pay anything.
- Plan the inspection (stage 6) before production starts, and keep the balance until you have accepted the report.
If you would rather have someone on the ground run these checks, that is what SourciaVera does. I provide supplier verification services, so you should treat my recommendation accordingly. The Remote Check covers the basics — company registration, manufacturer vs. trader, address, and whether the payment account matches the company name — before you place an order.
If you cannot run the checks that need someone on site, the realistic risk is a deposit paid on paperwork alone, to a supplier whose factory nobody has seen. A $49 remote check runs the company-level checks for you, and a factory visit by our team covers the production and the goods themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check before paying a deposit to a Chinese supplier?
Check six things in order: who the company legally is, whether it makes the product or resells it, whether it can produce your order, whether the sample and the specification are written down, whether the contract and the payment account match the company, and how the goods will be inspected before you pay the balance. The free checklist on this page turns those into 46 items with tick boxes.
How do I verify a Chinese supplier?
Start with the business license and look the company up in China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. Then confirm on a live video call, on a day you choose, that the factory exists and makes your product, and have an independent inspector check the goods before you pay the balance. No single check is proof, so look at how several of them line up.
How do I check a Chinese business license?
Ask the supplier for a clear copy of the license, which carries the full Chinese company name and an 18-character Unified Social Credit Code. Search the name or the code in the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn) and compare the record with the copy: name, address, registered capital, date of establishment and business scope. The registry is in Chinese only and asks you to log in with a mobile phone number (real-name verification), so buyers outside mainland China may need a Chinese-speaking colleague, an agent or an inspection company to run the lookup.
How do I verify a supplier on Alibaba?
Treat the badge as a starting point, not as the check. Alibaba says its Verified Supplier audits are done by third-party inspectors and that it does not guarantee the accuracy of what they report. Run the same checks as for any supplier, and if you pay, pay through Alibaba.com's secure payment platform so that Trade Assurance can apply.
Can I run these checks without visiting China?
Many of them, yes. The license, the map check, the written specification, the payment terms and the documents can all be done from your desk, and so can the registry lookup if you can log in to the system or have someone run it for you. A live video call covers part of the production checks. The checks that need someone physically present are the factory visit and the inspection of the goods, which an independent inspector or a local representative can do for you.
Is the checklist free to print and share?
Yes. It is free to print, share and link to, with attribution: credit SourciaVera and link to this page. There is no sign-up and no email is needed to download it. A Spanish version is also available.
How to Cite or Share This Checklist
This checklist is free to print, share and link to, with attribution. If you mention it in an article, a forum post, a newsletter or a training document, please credit SourciaVera and link to this page. Click a box to select all of its text, then copy it.
Citation text
SourciaVera. (2026, October 8). China Supplier Verification Checklist: What to Check Before You Pay a Deposit [PDF checklist]. https://sourciavera.com/blog/china-supplier-verification-checklist
HTML link code
<a href="https://sourciavera.com/blog/china-supplier-verification-checklist">China Supplier Verification Checklist</a> by <a href="https://sourciavera.com">SourciaVera</a> <a href="https://sourciavera.com/downloads/china-supplier-verification-checklist.pdf">China Supplier Verification Checklist (PDF)</a>
Markdown link
[China Supplier Verification Checklist](https://sourciavera.com/blog/china-supplier-verification-checklist) by [SourciaVera](https://sourciavera.com)
Plain text for a post or an email
China Supplier Verification Checklist (free printable PDF) by SourciaVera: https://sourciavera.com/blog/china-supplier-verification-checklist
The same checklist is available in Spanish: Lista de verificación de proveedores chinos.