Verify the supplier before you wire a deposit
Inspection protects the goods. Verification protects the money. We physically visit the supplier, confirm whether they're a real manufacturer or a trader, check every export document, and report before you send a single dollar.
Three moments verification saves the deposit
The typical first-order deposit to an Indian supplier is 30–50% of order value. This service exists so that money only ever reaches a real factory.
You found them on IndiaMART or Alibaba
Profiles, photos and even video calls are borrowable. Traders routinely tour someone else's factory. Only an unannounced visit settles it.
The deposit request just arrived
Before 30–50% of your order value crosses a border, verify the bank account belongs to the company, and the company owns a factory.
Prices look too good
A quote 25% under market usually means a trader planning to subcontract to the cheapest workshop — or worse. Verification finds out which.
Six red flags we see every month
Send us a supplier name or listing and we'll run a free 5-point desk check within 24 hours — before you go any further. Request it here.
Deposit to a personal account
Payment requested to an individual's name or a different company than the one quoting. Walk away or verify first.
Factory tour, but never unannounced
Every visit needs "preparation time". Real manufacturers let you in; borrowed factories need scheduling.
GST/IEC address ≠ factory address
Documents registered to a city office while the "factory" is somewhere else entirely. Sometimes legitimate — always worth checking.
Catalogue covers everything
Sheesham beds, metal chairs, rattan sofas, marble tops — no single factory makes all of it. That's a trader's catalogue.
No verifiable export history
Claims of "clients in USA and Europe" but no shipment records, no references, no consistency in container volumes.
Pressure to skip inspection
"Inspection will delay the vessel." A factory confident in its goods never fears an inspector. This flag alone justifies verification.
What supplier verification actually checks
Three layers: paper, premises, and history. All three on-site — desk research alone catches almost nothing in this market.
Supplier verification is an on-site check of who you are actually buying from, made before a deposit moves. An inspector visits the premises unannounced, checks registration and export documents against what is physically there, and returns a verdict on whether the business is a manufacturer or a trading office.
| Ref | Check | Method |
|---|---|---|
| V-01 | Legal identity | Company registration, proprietorship/LLP/Pvt Ltd status, registered directors |
| V-02 | Export licence (IEC) | Importer-Exporter Code validity and name match |
| V-03 | GST registration | Active status, address match to premises, filing consistency |
| V-04 | Premises visit | Unannounced physical visit: factory vs trading office, photographed |
| V-05 | Manufacturer vs trader | Machinery consistent with product, raw material stock, work in progress |
| V-06 | Real capacity | Workforce present, shift pattern, output vs claimed monthly capacity |
| V-07 | Subcontracting exposure | Which processes leave the building — carving, finishing, upholstery |
| V-08 | Export history | Past shipments, destination markets, container volumes, references |
| V-09 | Bank account match | Account name vs legal entity vs quote — the wire-fraud check |
| V-10 | Working conditions snapshot | Basic safety and workforce observations, photographed |
You get a verdict, not a data dump
Every verification report ends with one of three classifications and a plain-English recommendation.
Proceed
Real manufacturer, documents consistent, capacity credible. Recommended payment terms and inspection points included.
Proceed with controls
Genuine but with exposures — heavy subcontracting, capacity stretch, document gaps. We specify the exact controls: milestones, DUPRO, holdbacks.
Do not pay
Trader posing as manufacturer, premises mismatch, or account red flags. We say it plainly and show the evidence.
Booking to verdict in four steps
Send the supplier
Name, website or marketplace listing, and any quote or proforma you've received.
Desk check · 24h
Documents, registrations and digital footprint cross-checked before anyone travels.
Unannounced visit
Premises, machinery, workforce and capacity — photographed as evidence, V-01→V-10.
Verdict · day 3
Verified / Conditional / Not Verified, with recommended payment terms and next steps.
What verification actually finds
Caught before the wire: the manufacturer that was a shutter
An Australian importer was two days from wiring a 30% deposit for a container of "own-factory" dining sets. The GST address led to a locked 200-square-foot trading office; the machinery photos in the supplier's profile traced to another unit entirely; the quoted bank account was in a third name.
Verdict: Not Verified. The deposit was never sent, and the buyer placed the order with a verified Boranada factory the same month.
OUTCOME: AU$27,000 NOT LOST · ORDER REDIRECTED
Verification pricing, published
A fraction of the deposit it protects.
Red-Flag Check
- Desk-only, 5-point check
- Documents & digital footprint
- Returned within 24 hours
- No visit, no verdict — a first filter
Full Verification
- Complete V-01→V-10 scope
- Unannounced premises visit
- Photographed evidence file
- Verified / Conditional / Not Verified verdict
- Report in 3 working days
Verification + Audit
- Everything in Full Verification
- + Full factory audit: process, QC system, compliance
- For programme suppliers & retail vendors
- Report in 5 working days
Supplier verification FAQ
How do I verify a furniture supplier in India before paying a deposit?
Three layers: documents (IEC, GST, incorporation), premises (an unannounced physical visit — the only reliable test), and history (shipments, references, bank account name match). We do all three and report in 3 working days.
Can't I just do a video call tour?
Traders borrow factories for tours, scheduled visits get staged, and video hides addresses. An unannounced visit by someone local who knows what a real production floor looks like is the difference between a check and a performance.
How can you tell a manufacturer from a trader?
Machinery consistent with the product, raw material stock, work in progress matching claimed capacity, workers on shift, and documents whose addresses match the building we're standing in. Traders fail at least two of those every time.
Is verification worth it for a small first order?
The deposit on even a small container order is usually 30–50% of order value — many times the cost of verification. Inspection protects the goods; verification is the only thing that protects the money.
Do you also help find suppliers?
Yes — as a firewalled, fixed-fee Supplier Shortlisting service paid by you, with zero factory commission, under Clause 05 of our Independence Charter. A different inspector signs any later inspection of a factory we shortlisted.
First order from India? Bundle the whole shield.
First Order Shield combines Supplier Verification, a During-Production Inspection and a Pre-Shipment Inspection at a package price — deposit, production and payment all covered.
Related on this site
Establishing who you are buying from, and what comes after.
Verify before you wire
Send the supplier's name or listing. Free Red-Flag desk check in 24 hours; full on-site verification reported in 3 working days.
DESK CHECK 24H · FULL VERDICT 3 DAYS · PAID BY BUYERS ONLY