The four checks, and what each one proves
Direct answer
Each check answers one question, and each document is evidence of one thing. This page states where the evidence stops, which is the part buyers most often overestimate.
Key facts
- Four checks answer four different questions, and each produces evidence of one thing.
- Each check has a condition that ends it, and knowing them in advance saves a round trip.
- The entity check ends when the name does not map to a registered entity, or maps to one that is deregistered, revoked or flagged as operating abnormally.
- The export check ends when there is no shipment history under the entity, or when declared markets contradict the shipping record.
- The interview ends when capacity, MOQ or lead time cannot be stated as numbers, when a price basis will not be put in writing, or when the interview is refused.
Four checks answer four different questions, and each produces evidence of one thing. The value of running them separately is that a failure tells you which question failed — a registered company that is not a maker fails a different check from a maker that has never exported, and the two problems have different remedies.
What each check proves, and where it stops
| Check | Evidence | Where the evidence stops |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Registration record: legal name, credit code, operating status, insured headcount | It says the company exists, not that it makes anything |
| Main business | Registered scope, own product pages, catalogue, certifications | It says tackle is the business, not that capacity is what is stated |
| Export evidence | Customs records: destination markets and shipment frequency | It says goods shipped, not that they were made well |
| Interview and sample | Stated capacity, MOQ, lead time and price basis, plus a physical sample | It says what the factory claims and what one unit looks like |
Read the third row carefully. Customs records are the strongest documentary evidence in the list because they are generated by a process the factory does not control — but they record that a shipment left, not what was in it or how it performed. A factory with a long export history has proved it can ship; it has not proved it can make your product.
What ends the process at each step
Each check has a condition that ends it, and knowing them in advance saves a round trip.
The entity check ends when the name does not map to a registered entity, or maps to one that is deregistered, revoked or flagged as operating abnormally. A near-match is not a match: if the invoice would be issued by a different company from the one on the licence, the entity you are checking is not the entity you would be buying from.
The main-business check ends when the registered scope does not cover fishing tackle, when tackle appears on the factory's own pages as a side category among unrelated goods, or when the certifications name a different legal entity. None of these means the company is dishonest — a broad trading scope is a legitimate way to operate — but it changes who carries the quality risk on your order.
The export check ends when there is no shipment history under the entity, or when declared markets contradict the shipping record. No export history is not automatically disqualifying: it may be a capable maker that has only sold domestically. But it means the first order carries risks a shipping history would already have retired.
The interview ends when capacity, MOQ or lead time cannot be stated as numbers, when a price basis will not be put in writing, or when the interview is refused. A factory that cannot state its own capacity does not have a capacity you can plan a launch around.
What each document proves, and what it does not
| Document | It is evidence of | It is not evidence of |
|---|---|---|
| Business licence | The legal entity, its scope and its operating status | That it manufactures what it sells |
| Management system certificate | A documented quality system, audited by the issuing body | Anything about a specific product or shipment |
| Product test report | A stated method applied to stated samples, with a result | That a production run behaves the same way |
| Customs export record | That goods shipped under that entity, to those markets | What was in the shipment, or its quality |
| Platform store record | That a company is registered and trades under that name | Capacity, consistency, or that a quoted MOQ is achievable |
The pattern is that every document answers a narrower question than it appears to. A management system certificate is the one most often over-read: it says the factory has a documented process, which is genuinely useful and says nothing at all about the unit you receive. And a test report is only as good as its sample selection — a report on a unit the factory chose is weaker evidence than one on units drawn from a production lot.
What a record worth trusting looks like
Six properties, and a record missing any of them is worth less than it appears.
It names the check rather than summarising a verdict: "registration matched on 12 March" rather than "verified". It carries a date for each check, because a verification is a snapshot rather than a permanent grade. It states what failed where something did — a record that only ever records passes is not recording anything. It says what is unknown rather than filling the field, because an estimate is indistinguishable from a measurement once it is written down. It separates a claim from a measurement: capacity is what the factory states, customs history is what the record shows. And it can be re-run by a reader who does not trust the publisher, which is the property that makes the other five worth anything.
Two questions a buyer can ask to test any directory against those properties. Which check produced this field, and when was it last run? A directory that cannot answer both is asking to be believed rather than checked.
The four checks and what each one proves
| Check | What it proves | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity match | The company exists and trades under the name in the quote | That it makes your product |
| Main business evidence | Its registered scope covers what you are buying | Capacity or colour consistency |
| Customs export records | It has shipped, and to which markets | That it shipped for a buyer like you |
| Direct interview plus a production-line sample | Capacity, MOQ, lead time and the price basis, confirmed by the factory | That the next order will match this one |
What ends the process at each step?
- Step 1 ends it if the legal name matches no registration record.
- Step 2 ends it if the registered scope does not cover fishing tackle.
- Step 3 ends it if there is no customs export history, or the markets contradict the claim.
- Step 4 ends it if capacity, MOQ or lead time cannot be stated as numbers.
- After step 4 the factory can be quoted against; before it, a price is only an opinion.
What does each document prove, and what does it not?
- A registration record proves the entity exists; it says nothing about 2 shifts or 1.
- A scope listing proves the business line; it does not prove 90% of revenue comes from it.
- Customs records prove shipments happened; they do not prove the 4 verification gates were re-run this year.
- A certificate proves a test was passed on a date; it does not prove the next 5,000 pcs will match.
What does a record worth trusting look like?
- It carries a reviewed date inside the last 90 days.
- It states MOQ in pcs and price per unit, never a bare number.
- It names the price basis: FOB with a port, or EXW factory.
- It links at least 1 piece of evidence you can open yourself.
- It states 3 fields or more for capacity, not the word "large".
Where this sits in the process
This page is one topic out of the verification standard. The overview is How to verify a Chinese supplier before you pay a deposit, and the other topics on this page are listed there.
Sources
- Method follows our published four-gate verification standard (see /verification/)