Is Your Supplier Actually Legitimate? We’ll Find Out Before You Pay Them.

Why Supplier Verification Is the Most Important Step You're Probably Skipping

The most common way NZ importers lose money isn't bad quality or late shipments. It's sending a deposit to a supplier who turns out to be a trader, a ghost factory, or in the worst cases, a fraud.

Supplier verification is the step that prevents this. Before you send a dollar — before you even negotiate a price — you should know exactly who you're dealing with.

Epic Sourcing's supplier verification service gives you a documented report on your supplier's legitimacy, capability, and history. Done by our Mandarin-speaking team using Chinese and Vietnamese government databases, trade records, and direct factory assessment.

What Supplier Verification Covers

Business registration and legal status

We verify the supplier is a legitimately registered business in China or Vietnam. This includes confirming the legal business name, registration number, registered address, business scope, and current trading status using official government company registries. A supplier who can't be verified in the registry doesn't legally exist as a business.

Factory vs trading company identification

One of the most common sourcing problems: you think you're dealing with a manufacturer but you're actually dealing with a trading company. Traders add margin, have no production control, and can't customise products. We confirm whether your supplier actually manufactures the product or sources it from elsewhere.

Production capability assessment

We verify the factory has the equipment, workforce, and materials to produce your specific product. A garment factory can't make electronics. A furniture factory can't make food products. Scope misrepresentation is common — we confirm the factory's actual production capability against your brief.

Export history review

We check the factory's history of exporting to similar markets. Factories with a strong record of exporting to Australia, the UK, or the US operate at a compliance and quality standard that's relevant for NZ importers. Factories with no export history or a history of complaints are flagged.

Certification verification

We verify that certifications the factory claims to hold are genuine. ISO 9001, BSCI, OEKO-TEX, CE, and other certificates can be forged or expired. We confirm authenticity directly with the issuing body where possible, or through accredited verification channels.

Physical address and premises verification

We confirm the factory address is real and the premises match the claimed production capability. Ghost factory addresses — where a residential or commercial office address is presented as a manufacturing facility — are a known fraud pattern.

When Should You Get Supplier Verification?

• When you've found a new supplier on Alibaba, Made-in-China, or any other B2B platform
• Before sending a deposit to any new factory
• When a supplier quotes unusually low prices
• When you can't visit the factory yourself
• When a supplier can't provide references from existing customers
• When you're about to place your first significant order with an unproven supplier
• When a supplier's claimed certifications can't be independently confirmed

What You Get

Epic Sourcing delivers a written verification report covering all checked elements, with a clear recommendation — proceed with confidence, proceed with caution, or do not proceed. The report is delivered within 5–10 business days depending on the complexity of the verification.

Who Needs Supplier Verification

• First-time importers dealing with their first Chinese or Vietnamese supplier
• Experienced importers adding a new supplier to their network
• Businesses that have been burned by a bad supplier before
• eCommerce sellers scaling up with a new manufacturing partner
• Any NZ importer who wants documented proof their supplier is legitimate before committing

Don't Send a Deposit Without Knowing Who's on the Other Side.

Book a free discovery call. Tell us your supplier's name and location and we'll tell you what a verification report covers for that factory and what it costs. Flat project rate. No commission.