How to verify an Alibaba supplier before you pay.

They are more documented than unverified listings, but a verification badge is a point-in-time platform check, not a guarantee. Buyers have lost deposits to badged suppliers, usually through payee mismatches, undisclosed trading intermediaries or subcontracted production — none of which a badge addresses.

Gold Supplier is a paid membership tier that affects visibility and platform services. Verified Supplier means a third party engaged by the platform checked specified company details, with a scope that varies by assessment type. Neither is an independent, buyer-commissioned investigation.

Ask for the business licence, then compare the registered business scope and VAT invoicing scope with the product offered, and check whether the registered address is an office or a production site. Combine the three; any single indicator can mislead.

Partly. You can request the licence, compare the payee name with the entity name and search for the company. What is harder from outside China is reading Chinese registry and court records accurately, spotting affiliated entities, and physically checking an address.

It happens — for example when an export agent invoices — but it materially increases risk and it is the most common structure in deposit fraud. Do not pay until you can document why the payee differs and confirm both entities are real and related.

It is quoted per scope, and it is small relative to a typical first-order deposit. We are paid by the buyer only and take no commission from any supplier, which is the reason the finding can be reported as we find it.

About 72 hours for a standard verification once we have the company name, the contact details and the listing or quotation. A physical visit outside Guangdong can add time; we confirm before starting.

Treat it as a stop signal. A legitimate Chinese exporter shares the licence routinely — it is the same document used for every export contract and bank transfer.