Factory Audit and Supplier Verification in China
Reviewed by Hasan Olwan · Last updated: September 24, 2026
Before you send a deposit to a Chinese supplier, OLWAN Sourcing checks that the company is real and can make your product. A legal check of the business license and company registration costs $150. An on-site factory audit, where our team visits the address and confirms the factory makes your product, costs $250. You get a written report either way.
- Trading since 2007
- 4,000+ containers shipped
- 2 containers to Canada every month
- Small orders welcome
Two levels of verification
| Legal check · $150 | On-site factory audit · $250 | |
|---|---|---|
| Business license and registration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unified Social Credit Code checked (the company’s 18-character registration number) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Registered capital, date founded, legal representative | ✓ | ✓ |
| Business scope: is it allowed to make or export your product? | ✓ | ✓ |
| Court cases and legal disputes on record | ✓ | ✓ |
| Visit to the address | ✓ | |
| Factory or trading company? Confirmed in person | ✓ | |
| Production lines, workers and equipment | ✓ | |
| Photos and video of the site | ✓ |
How to check if a company in China is real
The short answer: check the business license against the official government registry, then confirm the address in person. A legal check tells you the company exists. Only a visit tells you it’s a real factory that can make your product.
For the full step-by-step method you can run yourself, read How to Verify a Chinese Supplier Before Paying.
Factory or trading company: how to tell?
| Sign | Factory | Trading company |
|---|---|---|
| Business scope on the license | Includes “production” or “manufacturing” | “Trade”, “import and export”, “sales” |
| Product range | Narrow, one category | Very wide, many categories |
| Address | Industrial area | Office building |
| Visit | Machines and workers on site | Showroom only |
A trading company isn’t always bad. Many good ones work with reliable factories. You need to know which one you’re dealing with, because it changes the price and who controls quality.
How it works
- Send the supplier’s details: company name (Chinese if you have it), address and any documents they sent you.
- We run the checks in Chinese, on official records.
- For an on-site audit, our team visits the address. How long the report takes depends on where the factory is. We tell you the timing when you book.
- You get the report with our findings and a clear recommendation.
What we can't guarantee
- A clean record doesn’t guarantee good quality. Verification tells you who the supplier is. Quality inspection tells you what they made.
- A factory can change. An audit reflects the day we visited.
FAQ
Can you verify a supplier I found on Alibaba?
Yes. Send us the store link and company name, and we check the company behind it.
Do I need to use your sourcing service to order a verification?
No. You can book a verification on its own.
What if the supplier fails the check?
We tell you why. If you want, we can find you alternative suppliers as part of our sourcing service.
Verify your supplier
Send us the supplier’s name and address. We’ll confirm the price and when you’ll get the report.
Related: Quality inspection · China sourcing agent · Pricing