Service
Verify your supplier before you pay the deposit
Before you send money to a factory you have never seen, we check its export history in customs data: how much it really exports, who it supplies and at what prices. You receive the findings within 48 hours.
The problem
Three ways importers lose money before the first shipment
A scenario we see regularly: an importer finds a supplier on a B2B platform or at a trade fair, communication is smooth, the sample arrives, the price is excellent. Then comes the proforma invoice and a request for a 30 percent deposit. The money goes to China, and the excuses begin: a production delay, a problem with the vessel, a sudden extra cost. In the worst case, the contact simply goes silent. Recovering the money from Serbia is then practically impossible.
The second, more common and quieter problem is intermediaries posing as factories. The goods do arrive in the end, but you have paid 15–30 percent more than the same factory charges its direct buyers, and every claim goes through someone with no control over production at all. A website with photos of a production hall and certificates proves nothing: images and documents alike are easily copied.
What cannot be copied is export history. Every shipment that crosses a border leaves a trace in customs data: who the actual exporter is, what was delivered, to whom, in what quantity and at what value. A supplier who claims to be a factory with 20 years of experience but has not a single shipment on record has just told you everything you need to know.
How we work
How the check works, step by step
You send the supplier's details
The company name in English or Chinese is enough; the address and the proforma invoice also help. We check free of charge whether we have coverage for that country and product and reply within one business day.
We search the customs records
We pull the supplier's complete export history: shipments, destination countries, existing buyers, quantities and unit values. We work with records of actual transactions, not estimates.
You receive the findings within 48 hours
A structured document with the export history, a factory-or-intermediary check, price references and a clear recommendation: pay, ask for additional security or walk away.
You decide on data, not on trust
If the findings are bad, you are not left without options: in the packages from €390 and from €890 we build a shortlist of verified alternative suppliers with a comparison of export volumes and prices.
What you get
What the express check report contains
- Export history: the supplier's shipments over the last 12–36 months, with dates, destinations and quantities
- Factory-or-intermediary test: whether the goods really leave the company on your proforma invoice or the actual exporter is a third party
- Map of existing buyers: which countries the supplier already ships to and whether its buyers include companies from the EU and the region
- Price references: the unit values at which it supplies other buyers, compared with the price quoted to you
- Risk signals: a sharp drop in exports, a short or interrupted history, no shipments in your product category
- A clear, reasoned recommendation: pay the deposit, ask for additional security or walk away
- Optionally, in the packages from €390 and from €890: a shortlist of 3–10 alternative suppliers with a comparison table of volumes, buyers and prices
Common questions
Questions about this service
How do I verify a Chinese supplier before paying a deposit?
The only source a supplier cannot dress up is the customs record of actual shipments. You send us the company name, and within 48 hours we pull its export history: whether it really exports, at what volume, to whom and at what prices. The express check costs from €99 and ends with a clear recommendation on whether to pay.
How do I know whether I am negotiating with a factory or an intermediary?
Customs records show who the actual exporter of the goods is. If the company on your proforma invoice has no shipments of its own, while the product from its offer is exported under a different name, you are negotiating with an intermediary. The factory-or-intermediary test is a standard part of every report, together with an estimate of what that difference costs you.
What does it mean if a supplier has no export history at all?
It does not automatically mean fraud, but it is the most serious risk signal: the company is brand new, exports only through third parties, or does not exist as a manufacturer. In that case we recommend not paying the deposit until you have an alternative; we build shortlists of verified suppliers with comparative data in the packages from €390.
Does the check work only for suppliers from China?
No. We work with direct customs data for more than 90 countries, including China, India, Turkey and Vietnam. Before every order we check free of charge whether we have coverage for the specific country and product and reply within one business day, so you never pay blind.
Related services: Finding buyers Competitor analysis Market report
Next step
Verify before you pay
Send us the supplier's name and the offer you received. We check free of charge whether we have coverage for that country and product and get back to you within one business day; the report arrives 48 hours after confirmation.