Check a UK China sourcing company from abroad
Match the contracting company to its Companies House record, verify contact and payment details independently, and ask the China team to explain relevant report evidence. Speak to past clients with their permission and agree deliverables before paying. Apply these checks to Cambridge China Bridge.
Match the company to your proposed contract
Ask for the contracting company's registered name and company number, then find its Companies House record yourself. You can view company information online without registering. Compare the name, status, registered office and filing history with the proposed contract and invoice. Ask the provider to explain discrepancies in writing. Registration alone does not demonstrate that factory visits, inspections or shipment management will happen.
Cambridge China Bridge is the trading name of Piggy Pineapple Ltd. Ask which entity will invoice you and whether it sells you the goods or acts as your agent. Use who you contract with for the distinction, and buying through a UK company to discuss your proposed arrangement.
Verify contacts and payment instructions separately
Find the provider's website independently rather than following a link in a payment email. Compare its published contact details with previous correspondence, then speak to the named project contact using a separately checked channel. A matching company name does not establish that the person requesting payment represents that company.
Ask for the beneficiary name, bank details, payment currency and explanation of who receives each payment. Resolve any mismatch with the contracting entity before transferring money. If bank details change, pause and confirm through an established contact channel, rather than replying to the change request. Keep the invoice and written confirmation together.
Check who will actually work in China
Ask to meet the person who will handle your supplier by video call. Request their name, location, responsibilities and whether they are the provider's own employee or a subcontractor. Ask who visits the factory, writes the findings and follows up corrective work. Have that person explain a relevant past project, including a problem and how it was resolved.
Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff living in China, but ask who is assigned to your project and which checks they will perform themselves. The UK sourcing provider checklist covers the broader comparison questions. For your shortlist, turn each answer into a named person, agreed task and expected record.
Examine reports and permission-based references
Request a redacted report from comparable work. Look for the visit date, production site, author, scope, photographs, findings and limitations. Ask the author to explain what was observed directly, what the factory merely claimed and what remained unchecked. Use factory claims versus verified findings to assess that distinction, and agree the evidence required for your own factory verification.
Ask for a conversation with a past client who has agreed to be contacted. Confirm how the introduction was authorised and check the client's business contact independently where possible. Ask what work was promised, what evidence arrived and how the provider handled defects or delays. An anonymised case study is useful context, but it does not replace a reference conversation or demonstrate performance on your order.
Make payment conditional on an agreed scope
Before paying, assemble the verified company details, confirmed beneficiary, named project team, report example and written scope. Agree deliverables, payment milestones, inspection criteria, defect handling and who authorises shipment. Record the delivery term and named destination port, included freight services and excluded destination costs. Ask your own customs broker to confirm destination import rules, duties, taxes and required product evidence.
For work with Cambridge China Bridge, request the same written project scope and ask for a past-client call with that client's agreement. If the provider cannot explain an entity mismatch, confirm payment instructions or identify who will do the work, pause payment until it supplies evidence you can check. Where practical, start with a bounded sample or verification assignment and assess the delivered records before committing to production.
Frequently asked questions
Does Companies House registration prove a sourcing company is reliable?
Registration does not demonstrate sourcing performance. Match the record to your contract, then check the team, report evidence, references and agreed deliverables separately.
How do I check payment details from abroad?
Confirm the beneficiary and payment instructions through an independently checked contact channel. Resolve entity mismatches before paying, and recheck changed bank details through an established contact.
How can I verify a sourcing company's own China staff?
Meet the assigned person by video, ask their location and employment relationship, and have them explain relevant report findings and corrective work. Put their responsibilities in the project scope.
Can goods go straight from China to my own port?
Ask for that route in the quote, with the delivery term, named port and cost exclusions. Confirm destination rules and required documents with your own customs broker before approving shipment.