Corporate identity
- Registered entity, legal representative and shareholders on record
- Registration history, changes of name, scope or capital
- Affiliated companies sharing owners, address or phone numbers
China supplier investigation
When the supplier is real but the story is not.
Independent investigation of a Chinese supplier's identity, ownership, relationships and production reality — carried out from Shenzhen, for the buyer, on the evidence.
What this is
Evidence, sources and dates — not conjecture.
A supplier investigation goes further than a standard verification. It is used when the basic record looks acceptable but the commercial picture does not add up: the entity is real, yet the prices, the capacity claims, the payee or the production story do not fit together.
Our work is documentary and observational. We use Chinese public registries, published court and enforcement records, commercial and industry sources, the material the buyer already holds, and physical checks on the ground. We do not access private, confidential or protected data, and we are not a private detective agency.
Scope
What an investigation covers.
Relationships and structure
- Whether the seller, the producer and the payee are the same party
- Undisclosed intermediaries between buyer and factory
- Group structures used to separate liability from operations
Production reality
- Whether production occurs at the declared site
- Indications of subcontracting to undisclosed workshops
- Capacity claims tested against what is observable
Public legal record
- Litigation, judgment enforcement and business-abnormality listings where published
- Patterns of disputes with other buyers or suppliers
- Regulatory penalties recorded in public sources
Document examination
- Certificates checked against the issuing body's own register
- Consistency between quotations, contracts, invoices and bank details
- Test reports traced back to the laboratory that issued them
On-the-ground checks
- Address verification with photographic evidence
- Local enquiries within lawful and professional limits
- Escalation to a full on-site factory audit where warranted
Process
Desk research first, field verification where it counts.
- Step 01
Scoping
You tell us what you know, what you suspect and what decision depends on the answer. We say what is realistically obtainable — and what is not — before any work starts.
- Step 02
Desk research
Registry, legal, commercial and industry sources are collected and cross-referenced in Mandarin, with each item dated and attributed.
- Step 03
Structural analysis
We map entities, people and relationships, and identify where the buyer's account of the supplier diverges from the record.
- Step 04
Field verification
Where evidence permits and the scope allows, we verify addresses and premises in person and document what is visible.
- Step 05
Investigation report
A written report with findings, supporting evidence, a confidence assessment and an explicit statement of what remains unresolved.
Limits
What we will not claim.
- We report the best-supported conclusion the evidence allows, and label uncertainty as uncertainty.
- We do not access private, confidential or protected data, and we do not obtain information by deception where it would be unlawful.
- Some questions cannot be answered from outside a company. When that is the case, we say so rather than presenting inference as fact.
FAQ
Supplier investigation — common questions.
What is a China supplier investigation?
It is an independent, evidence-based examination of a Chinese supplier's corporate identity, ownership, relationships, legal record and production reality, carried out for the buyer. It goes beyond a standard verification when the basic record looks acceptable but the commercial picture does not.
How is an investigation different from supplier verification?
Verification confirms whether a supplier is the registered entity it claims to be and whether it can plausibly manufacture your product. An investigation is used when something specific needs explaining — a payee mismatch, a suspected intermediary, an implausible price, an undisclosed production site.
What can you actually find out?
Registered corporate data, ownership and legal representatives, affiliated entities, published litigation and enforcement records, commercial and industry traces, document inconsistencies, and what is physically observable at an address. What is available varies by case and we set expectations before starting.
What can you not find out?
Private financial records, confidential contracts, personal data that is not lawfully available, and anything requiring access we do not have. Where a question cannot be answered from lawful sources, the report says so.
Are you a private detective agency?
No. We are an independent supplier verification and supplier risk intelligence company working for overseas buyers. Our methods are documentary research, document examination and professional on-site verification.
How long does an investigation take?
Typically five to ten working days depending on scope, location and how much field verification is involved. Urgent cases where funds are at immediate risk can be prioritised.
Can you help if I have already paid?
Yes, and it is a common reason buyers contact us. We can establish who the payee actually is, whether the entity is still operating and what public record exists — which is usually what a lawyer, bank or insurer needs before anything else can happen. We do not promise recovery.
Do you work for the supplier as well?
No. The investigation is commissioned and paid for by the buyer. We take no supplier commission and do not purchase, resell or hold goods.
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