Important: a cooperative supplier and a professional-looking website are not verification. Ask questions that produce order-specific answers and evidence you can compare. This guide is commercial sourcing information, not legal, accounting, or regulatory advice.
A useful supplier reply is specific
Before a deposit, the buyer needs to connect the sales conversation to a real operating entity and a defined order. General assurances such as “we are a factory,” “quality is guaranteed,” or “this is our company account” are not enough. A credible reply should use consistent names, addresses, responsibilities, and payment details.
Start with the supplier name or link, product, order value, requested quantity, production address, and the specific issue that concerns you. That information helps separate a routine supply question from a decision that needs independent checking.
10 questions to ask before the deposit
- What is the exact Chinese legal company name and unified social credit code? Record the legal entity, not only the brand, English name, shop name, or salesperson’s name.
- Are you the manufacturer, a trading company, or a mixed model? Ask which processes your supplier performs and which are subcontracted. A trader can be legitimate; a misleading factory claim is the concern.
- At which full address will our order be produced? Ask for the production site, contact person, and evidence connecting that location to the company handling the contract.
- Who will receive payment, and what is the relationship to the seller? The contract, invoice, trading entity, and bank beneficiary should be explainable in writing.
- Which specification and assumptions are included in the quotation? Confirm materials, dimensions, tolerances, finish, packaging, MOQ, tooling, and excluded costs.
- What is the quality plan for this order? Ask who checks incoming materials, first output, production, final goods, and nonconforming products.
- Which approved sample or written standard controls acceptance? A sample should be identifiable and retained, with meaningful dimensions, functions, appearance, and packaging requirements.
- When will production start and finish, and on what dependencies? Clarify tooling, materials, customer approvals, holidays, subcontracting, and what happens if the schedule changes.
- Who owns tooling, artwork, files, and approved samples? Record the agreed position before paying for custom development or production.
- What evidence will be available before final payment or shipment? Agree whether you need measurements, photos, video, an inspection, third-party testing, or another documented check.
Use the full verification checklist.
Copy-ready supplier email
Adapt the bracketed details. Keep the request concise and ask for written answers so that names, terms, and evidence can be compared.
Subject: Order and compliance details before deposit — [Product / Order Reference]
Hello [Name],
Before we arrange the deposit for [product and quantity], please confirm the following:
- The exact Chinese legal company name and unified social credit code.
- Whether you are the manufacturer, a trading company, or a mixed model, and which production processes are subcontracted.
- The full production address for this order and the evidence connecting it to the contracting company.
- The contract seller, invoice issuer, and bank beneficiary, including why any names differ.
- The final specification, included packaging, MOQ, tooling, lead time, payment schedule, and excluded costs.
- The person responsible for first-output approval, final inspection, and corrective action.
Please also attach the current quotation, draft invoice, and proposed contract. If any bank details change later, we will verify the change through a separately known channel before paying.
Regards,
[Your name and company]
How to read the answers
| Reply pattern | What it can suggest | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Specific and consistent | Names, address, product, and commercial terms point to the same entity. | Complete the remaining verification and document the decision. |
| General or incomplete | The supplier may not have understood the request, may lack evidence, or may be avoiding a central issue. | Ask targeted follow-up questions before increasing the payment. |
| Contradictory documents | The salesperson, licence, factory address, invoice, or account may not belong to the same entity. | Pause and resolve the discrepancy in writing. |
| Pressure to act | Urgency is being used instead of evidence, scope, and clear commercial terms. | Keep the offer in writing and verify through independent channels. |
Payment red flags that justify a pause
- A request to pay an unrelated personal account without a clear documented explanation
- Bank details changed by email or chat without independent confirmation
- The contract, invoice, seller name, and beneficiary cannot be reconciled
- Your supplier refuses to state the production address or who performs key processes
- The price, specification, or schedule changes whenever you ask for clarification
- A claim of urgency that disappears when you ask for written terms and evidence
Stop or seek appropriate professional advice when a material identity, authority, beneficiary, or capability concern remains unexplained. Verification can reduce avoidable uncertainty, but it cannot guarantee that a supplier is safe or that every future unit will meet specification.
When an independent check adds value
Supplier questions are most useful when they are followed by evidence. An independent China-side review can help compare the legal entity, sales claims, production location, capability, and payment information when the order value, customisation, or first-payment risk is meaningful.
A remote first review can start with documents and supplier communication. A site visit can be considered when equipment, production lines, capacity, subcontracting, or the identity of the production location remains central to your decision.
Questions buyers usually ask
Should I pay a deposit to a personal account?
Treat an unrelated personal account as a reason to pause. Ask the supplier to explain in writing how the contract, invoice, trading entity, and bank beneficiary are connected. Independently confirm any changed bank details through a channel you already trust.
Is a business licence enough?
No. It can help establish identity, but it does not by itself prove the salesperson’s authority, the factory claim, product capability, the production address, or the correct bank beneficiary.
Can an independent check guarantee that a supplier is safe?
No. It can gather better evidence and expose unanswered questions, but it cannot eliminate every commercial risk or replace legal, laboratory, certification, or regulatory advice.
What should I send for a supplier verification quote?
Send the supplier name or website, product, order value or quantity, production location if known, order stage, and the claim that concerns you most. A short brief is enough for the first reply.