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Supplier Due-Diligence Checklist before you wire payment

Use a free six-question self-assessment to record evidence you have collected about a Chinese supplier. The checklist uses only the answers you select; it does not query registries, trade records, certification databases, or the Forthsource production scoring pipeline.

TL;DR

This supplier checklist converts six buyer-selected answers into a simple gap indicator. It is a manual self-assessment, not a Forthsource trust score, registry lookup, factory audit, certification check, or guarantee that a supplier is safe. Use it to identify missing evidence, then make your own commercial and legal checks.

Answer the questions below using evidence you collected independently from the supplier, its platform listing, samples, references, and communications. The browser calculates a checklist result from your selections; Forthsource does not retrieve or verify that evidence.

Checklist points summarize these self-reported answers; they are not measured probabilities. Review every unresolved item individually, whatever the total.

1. Legal-entity evidence

2. Independent operating evidence

3. Independent facility or quality evidence

4. Communication pattern

5. Payment terms requested

6. Counterfeit / IP risk

The six checks, in plain text

Each check names the evidence that answers it and what a gap means. The checklist only records what you found; it does not query registries or trade records.

  1. Legal-entity evidence. Evidence: the business licence and a registry record showing the same legal name and identifier. Gap: you cannot tie the company you are paying to a real registered entity.
  2. Independent operating evidence. Evidence: references or completed orders you confirmed yourself. Gap: you have only the supplier's word that it has shipped before.
  3. Facility or quality evidence. Evidence: a sample you tested, or a current third-party audit or inspection you commissioned. Gap: you have not seen what the factory actually produces.
  4. Communication pattern. Evidence: a contact whose identity and authority you confirmed, giving consistent instructions. Gap: an unexplained contact swap or pressure to skip checks is a common fraud signal.
  5. Payment terms. Evidence: a written contract with agreed terms, a bank account name that matches the legal entity, and a payment method you understand. Gap: a changed or mismatched payment recipient should stop the payment until resolved.
  6. Counterfeit and IP risk. Evidence: the rights or permissions behind any brand, design or logo on the goods. Gap: goods that copy protected branding can be detained or seized at customs.

How to use the checklist result

  • 85–100 — fewer checklist gaps are recorded, but independent due diligence is still required.
  • 65–84 — several answers warrant confirmation before money moves.
  • 40–64 — pause and resolve material evidence gaps before placing an order.
  • Below 40 — the answers record substantial unresolved gaps; do not treat the checklist as approval to proceed.

This public checklist is separate from Forthsource search and the separately ordered manual China dossier. It uses no live external data and does not reproduce the application's score design. See how the manual dossier works.

After the checklist: keep a supplier record

The checklist covers the decision before a first payment. Once orders start, keep a short record for each supplier so you can see when performance drifts:

  • Quoted and actual lead time for every order
  • Minimum order quantity and payment terms
  • Late shipments, defects and how each was resolved
  • How quickly and clearly the supplier answers questions

Rough notes count. A lead time that creeps up over several orders, or answers that become vague, can be an early warning of a larger failure. If one supplier makes most of a product line, consider vetting a second supplier and giving it small, regular orders so it is ready if the first one runs into trouble.

Order a manual China supplier dossier.

Search has a five-search monthly free allowance. A dossier is a separate one-time purchase: $39, or $69 with dated factory photos. A contractor reviews a Qichacha source document and defined company and risk fields; the stated delivery target is 24 to 48 hours.

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