Cross-checking a supplier in three steps: filings, footprint, invoices
A practical supplier cross-check compares the legal entity, the real operating footprint and the commercial documents you will actually pay against.
What to check before you decide
- Check the registered company name, address, scope and representative through appropriate official or reliable sources.
- Compare the stated factory with map, visit, export or other verifiable footprint evidence.
- Make quotations, invoices, contracts and payment details identify the same entity or explain the relationship.
Keep the buying decision controlled
Start with one written brief: the product or service required, the buyer's target market, the commercial decision to make and the person who can approve the next step. Compare supplier answers against that same brief, keep versions of specifications and quotations together, and record each open point with an owner and date. This approach makes remote work, a China visit and a later inspection part of one evidence trail rather than separate conversations.
The mistake to avoid
No single database entry proves capability or honesty. A cross-check works by noticing whether independent records tell one coherent story.
Need help turning a sourcing question into a practical China route, supplier brief or comparison process? Ask goChina Events for a focused planning conversation.