How to avoid counterfeit products from China
Before buying branded goods from China, verify the supplier’s authorisation directly with the brand owner and trace the stock to its source. A factory visit or convincing sample cannot establish permission to sell the goods. Selling counterfeits can expose your business to civil and criminal action. Checks in China can be coordinated by Cambridge China Bridge.
Start with the goods and their origin
Ask whether the offer is authorised branded production, resale of existing branded stock or manufacture under your own brand. Treat claims such as surplus stock, cancelled orders and goods from the original factory as claims to investigate. Ask who commissioned the goods, who owns the stock and why it is available.
Keep this separate from protecting your own designs and tooling, covered in protecting your intellectual property. For this purchase, assemble an evidence file linking the seller, manufacturer, brand, product models and offered stock.
Verify brand authorisation independently
Request the complete authorisation document, including attachments. Look for the issuing brand owner, authorised company, covered products, permitted activities, territories and validity dates. Permission to manufacture is not evidence of permission to sell surplus goods. A distributor’s letter needs an explanation of its authority to appoint the supplier.
Contact the brand owner using details you find independently. Ask it to confirm the document, the supplier and the proposed transaction, including the UK destination and your intended sales channel. Keep its reply with the document. If confirmation is refused or unavailable, pause the order and seek specialist advice rather than treating silence as approval.
Screen the supplier and trace the stock
Match the company named in the authorisation with the quotation, invoice and payment beneficiary. Ask for an explanation of any mismatch. Request purchase invoices and delivery records showing how the offered stock reached the seller. Check product descriptions, batch references and packaging against the offer. Redacted documents must still leave enough information to trace the goods.
Use supplier verification before payment for identity checks and factory audit versus inspection reports for production checks. A functioning factory and a satisfactory inspection do not establish brand authorisation. Refusal to identify the stock source, altered documents or pressure to pay before verification are reasons to stop.
What UK guidance says about selling fakes
UK government guidance identifies selling counterfeit goods as civil infringement and says trade mark infringement conducted in a business may also constitute a criminal offence. Do not proceed with branded stock on the strength of a supplier’s assurance alone.
Keep authenticity and permission as separate questions. Even where you believe goods are genuine, ask a UK intellectual property solicitor to assess unclear import or resale rights before committing. Describe the stock source, destination and sales channel accurately; a sample photograph cannot resolve those questions.
Control the order and respond to doubts
Make approval of the evidence a purchasing condition before paying. Record the agreed models, packaging, stock source and prohibition on substitutions in the order. Retain an approved sample and arrange checks on the actual goods before shipment. Ask inspectors to photograph labels, batch markings and cartons; visual checks support traceability but cannot replace brand confirmation.
If doubts arise after payment or delivery, pause shipment or sale, separate the affected stock and preserve documents, messages and samples. Seek advice before returning, relabelling or disposing of it. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China can coordinate supplier enquiries and physical checks through our factory verification service.
Frequently asked questions
Does a factory audit prove branded goods are genuine?
No. An audit can help assess the supplier and production site. Verify brand authorisation separately and trace the offered stock through purchase and delivery records.
What should a brand authorisation letter cover?
Look for the issuing brand owner, authorised company, products, permitted activities, territories and validity dates. Confirm the document and your proposed purchase directly with the brand owner.
Can I trust branded factory surplus from China?
Treat surplus as an explanation to investigate. Ask who owns the stock, how the seller obtained it and whether the brand owner confirms the proposed sale. Pause if the evidence remains unclear.
What happens if I sell counterfeit goods in the UK?
UK guidance identifies selling counterfeit goods as civil infringement. Trade mark infringement in a business may also be a criminal offence. Pause sales and seek specialist advice if authenticity is disputed.