Applying, approval, and what changes afterwards

An account changes what you can see rather than what we sell. Nothing about the factories, the reference bands or the verification standard changes when an application is approved; what changes is that the fields a factory marks as sensitive stop reading "on request".

From application to approved account

The application asks for four things, and all four are things a buyer already has: the company, a verifiable registration, the product families you buy, and roughly what quantities and destinations you buy into. There is no credit check and no fee.

A declined application is answered with the reason rather than a template. The four common reasons are an unverifiable company, a request to resell the records as a competing directory, a request for contact lists with no stated buying requirement, and an application from a personal address with no company behind it. Each of those is fixable, and a reapplication that addresses the stated reason is read as a new application rather than as a repeat.

What an approved account changes, in numbers

Four fields open when an account is approved, and they are the four that decide whether a quote can be acted on. The full reference price range, rather than the "on request" placeholder shown publicly. The MOQ at your order quantity rather than the headline minimum, which is often set for a different size or colourway. The lead time for your specification, stated separately for a repeat order and for a first order on new tooling. And the price basis, FOB port or EXW factory, named explicitly rather than left for the quotation to establish.

Nothing else changes. Factory identity opens with an approved account because it is a commercial fact about a third party, but the verification record behind it — the four gates, the review date, the fields that failed — is public on every profile and does not depend on having an account.

What you can price once you are approved

In practice, an approved account turns a range into a comparison. With the price basis and the quantity stated, two quotes from two clusters become comparable at one Incoterm, which is the point at which a cluster decision can actually be made on numbers rather than on reputation. The reference bands give you the expected range per sub-category; the account gives you the factory's number against your specification.

The pilot terms are the same for both sides: no fee for buyers and no listing fee for factories. We earn when an enquiry becomes an order we place and manage, which is also why an account that never produces a serious enquiry is worth nothing to us. If you arrive with a factory name from a trade show or a previous order, we run the same four verification gates against it and tell you what we find, including when the answer is that we cannot verify it.

What happens next

1. Review (day 1). We check the company, the website and the stated requirement against what we actually cover. If something is missing we say which field.
2. One short call. Ten minutes to confirm who you buy for and how you buy. No sales pitch — if we cannot serve the requirement, we say so on the call.
3. Account activated. You receive the price-range access, the capacity detail and a named contact for your category.
4. First quotation. Usually within two business days of a complete specification — with basis, MOQ, lead time and tooling stated.

What does an account unlock, in numbers?

What happens after you apply?

1. We review the application against the qualification criteria —business type, destination market and expected volume.
2. We reply within 1 business day with either a decision or the specific field that is missing.
3. On approval, factory identity is released for the categories you buy, and quotations can be raised against your specification.
4. Your company details stay in the enquiry store; the privacy notice covers what is held and how to have it deleted.

What does an account change in practice?

• Factory identity: withheld without an account, released with one.
• Quotation turnaround: 1 business day against your specification.
• Application review: 1 business day, with the missing field named if incomplete.
• Categories covered: the 3 clusters and the sub-types you register for.
• Re-check cycle: 90 days either way —an account does not make data fresher.

What can you price once an account is approved?

The bands below are visible either way; an approved account adds the factory behind them and a quotation against your specification.

How big is the Chinese fishing tackle export market?

Rods account for about 34% of the total and hooks about 6%. The largest single destination takes roughly 28% of the 2024 total — which is why the export markets already on a supplier record are worth reading before you ask for a price.

Where this sits in the process

This page is one topic out of the verification standard. The overview is Apply for a trade account.