Sourcing Basics

A practical buyer guide to assessing whether a manufacturer can handle your product and order without treating output claims as delivery guarantees.

A practical, staged Chinese supplier due-diligence checklist for buyers who need to match legal identity, product evidence, audits and payment controls.

A practical first-contact framework for Chinese manufacturers that makes supplier replies more comparable, specific and usable.

A practical workflow for turning a product idea into a sourceable brief, sample plan and screened China manufacturer shortlist.

Understand what Alibaba Verified Supplier status can show, what it cannot prove, and how to turn a marketplace signal into a safer buyer-side verification sequence.

A practical Chinese business license check for buyers: identify the legal entity, compare public records, and match it to the order and payment path.

A practical, product specific China factory audit checklist that helps buyers verify a supplier’s identity, capability, controls, and subcontracting before committing to an order. Includes scope guidance, decision table, and a field ready checklist.

A practical guide to decide between a Chinese factory or trading company for your product. Learn how to verify the legal entity, production control and contract roles, with checklists, a comparison table and FAQs.

A practical payment-gate workflow to verify a Chinese supplier before you send a deposit. Match the legal entity, documents, and payment beneficiary, then stage audits and inspections. Verification reduces uncertainty but cannot guarantee performance.

A practical, staged workflow for finding and screening Chinese manufacturers before you commit to samples, tooling, a deposit, or production. Learn what to ask for, how to verify a legal entity, how to judge capability fit, and when to use samples, audits and test orders.