Supplier Check · Method and sources
How we check a Chinese supplier
Every finding in a Thornfield report comes from a named source you could check yourself, if you read Chinese. This page lists those sources, what each one proves, what none of them can prove, and how we stay independent of the factories we check.
The sources behind every report
| Source | What we take from it | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (国家企业信用信息公示系统, gsxt.gov.cn) | Legal name, 18-character Unified Social Credit Code, status, date set up, legal representative, registered capital, business scope, shareholders, annual reports, penalties and abnormal-operation listings | Express and Full |
| China Enforcement Information Disclosure (zxgk.court.gov.cn) | Enforcement cases and the dishonest-defaulter list (失信被执行人) | Express and Full |
| China Judgements Online (wenshu.court.gov.cn) | Published court judgments involving the company or its legal representative | Express and Full |
| Certification and Accreditation Administration (cx.cnca.cn) | Whether ISO and other certificates the supplier shows are genuine and current | Full |
| Hong Kong Companies Registry | Whether a Hong Kong company you are asked to pay exists, is live, and when it was set up | Full, where relevant |
| The supplier itself, by phone in Mandarin | Who answers, what they say about production, capacity, lead times, bank details and moulds, and whether it matches the records | Full |
| Your documents | The quote, proforma invoice, contract and bank details, compared with the official records | Express and Full |
| A visit to the addresses | Time-stamped, location-tagged photos of the site, signage and visible activity | Site Verification and Factory Visit |
Each report states the source and the date of every search, so you can see exactly what we relied on. Our free Chinese company code checker shows the first step: whether a credit code is correctly formed.
How a check runs
- Identify the right company. We match the Chinese legal name and credit code on your documents to the official register, character by character. Look-alike names are the most common trap.
- Read the record in Chinese. Status, age, owners, capital, business scope and annual reports, and what they say about factory or trader.
- Search the courts. Enforcement, the defaulter list and published judgments, for the company and its legal representative.
- Compare with your documents. Does the company on the quote, the contract and the bank account match?
- Call the supplier in Mandarin (Full Check). Our questions test what a real factory can answer at once and a middleman has to check.
- Grade each finding red, amber or green, and write a plain-English verdict with the steps to take before paying.
See the result in our sample report.
What no records check can prove
- That a company will behave well in future. Records show the past and the present.
- That the goods will match your sample. That needs a written specification and a pre-shipment inspection.
- Who owns a Hong Kong company, without a paid filing search, or private debts that never reached a court.
- Anything about a site we have not visited. Only Site Verification or a Factory Visit puts someone at the address.
We say plainly in every report what was and was not checked. A report is not legal advice, a credit rating or a guarantee.
Independence
- Paid only by our clients. We take no commissions, rebates or fees from the suppliers we check or recommend, and confirm this in writing in every engagement.
- Referral fees are disclosed. When a referral partner introduces a client, we tell the client and the fee comes from our fee, never from a factory.
- Regulated work stays regulated. Legal, tax and customs advice is given by qualified, regulated firms.
Common questions
Can't I just search gsxt.gov.cn myself?
Yes, it is free. It is in Chinese, often requires a captcha, and the hard part is knowing which entries matter and what they mean for your order. Our business licence guide explains the fields if you want to try.
How is this different from a database credit report?
A database report gives you the raw records. We read them in Chinese, compare them with your documents, call the supplier in Mandarin and give you a verdict and next steps.
Do you keep my documents?
We use them only for the check and keep them as our privacy notice describes. We never send your documents or prices to the supplier.
Check a supplier before you pay
Express Check £175, Full Supplier Check £450. Fixed price confirmed within one working day.
Order a Supplier Check