Sourcing notes
What happens on the factory floor.
Working notes from buying in China: how to check a supplier before money moves, where a quotation actually comes from, and what an inspection report is telling you. Written after the fact, from orders we ran.
Verification
How to check a Chinese supplier before you send a deposit
The deposit is the moment your risk starts. Three public records — the licence, its credit code, and any court judgments — settle most of it in ten minutes; a factory visit is $299 and only worth it after those come back clean.
30 Oct 20266 min readVerificationWhat the Alibaba Gold Supplier badge actually proves
Gold Supplier verifies that a company exists, not that it owns a plant. A trader quote carries 8–20% over the plant, and the badge does not tell you which one you are talking to.
18 Sep 20264 min read