China factory audit checklist: what we check before you pay.

Group 1 — Legal identity (half an hour, free)

• Business license. Ask for a photo of the original. Every registered Chinese company has an 18-digit unified social credit code on it.
• Registry cross-check. Look the code up on the national public credit registry: registered name, legal representative, scope of business, and registration date should all match what the supplier told you.
• Scope fit. A company registered as a trading firm claiming "our own production lines" needs explaining. Sometimes there's a group structure — get it in writing.
• Bank account name. The account that receives your deposit must be in the same name as the license. No personal accounts, no "my brother's company."

Group 2 — Real capacity (an hour, remote)

• Live video walk-through. Unscripted, on your schedule, walking toward specific machines. A rehearsed loop of the same showroom corner is not a tour.
• Lines and staffing. How many lines run your product type? How many workers per shift? Cross-check against the quantity and deadline they're promising you.
• Current orders. Ask what's on the floor this week. A workshop running your order alongside much larger ones is where delays are born.

Group 3 — Track record (before you commit)

• Two references. Buyers in your product category, not just their best review screenshot. Ask the references one question: "what went wrong, and how did they handle it?"
• Export history. Have they shipped to your country before? Do they know your market's labeling and documentation requirements, or will you discover them at customs?
• Sample vs bulk honesty. A perfect sample from the show room and a bulk run from a different line are different products. Ask, in writing, that bulk production matches the approved sample.

Group 4 — Instant walk-away signals

• License code that doesn't resolve in the public registry.
• Payment account name doesn't match the license — any excuse.
• Video tour refused, repeatedly rescheduled, or suspiciously fixed-angle.
• Price far below every other quote with no explanation of the difference.
• 100% payment before production starts, non-negotiable.

One signal is a question. Two is a pattern. Three is your answer.

Remote or on-site?

For a first order with a small supplier, the remote checklist above catches the majority of problems at zero travel cost. For larger orders, a repeat supplier, or anything where a camera can be angled away from the truth — staffing levels, working conditions, whether the "lines" exist — an on-site visit by someone on the ground is worth it. This is a core part of our sourcing service, and every finding comes back to you as a written report with dated photos.

If you haven't yet, read how to import from China step by step — the audit slots in at step 3, before the money moves. The Trust & Safety framework explains how payment staging keeps the leverage on your side while the audit findings come back.

Common questions