Verify a Chinese factory before you order
As your China sourcing agent, Cambridge China Bridge verifies a Chinese manufacturer you have found yourself, on Alibaba, at a trade fair or by name: our own staff in China check who it is and whether it makes your product, before you pay a deposit.
What's included
- Check the identity and ownership of the supplier you found.
- Check production capability, capacity and subcontracting against your product.
- Identify whether it is a factory or trading company; agree any factory visit before starting.
Price
Supplier checks and factory audits are usually included in the quote for a goods order. Standalone verification is quoted to the scope you need.
What you receive
Findings on identity, ownership, capability and whether the company is a factory or trader, with evidence and open questions. Any visit follows the scope agreed first.
These labelled sample reports show the format of separately agreed audits and inspections; this service does not automatically include both checks.
See what our reports look like: sample factory audit · sample inspection report
A company record alone does not verify a bargain or a batch. A quote and payment-terms review checks the offer, a factory audit examines production capability, and a pre-shipment inspection checks the actual goods against the agreed specification.
We reply the same working day to confirm receipt and arrange next steps.
What you get
- Identity and ownership checked, so you know who you would be paying.
- Production capability and capacity checked for your specific product, including any processes the factory subcontracts.
- Factory or trading company: the report says which it is.
- A visit by our own staff in China when the project needs one, with the scope agreed first.
- Verification comes with a goods order; verification on its own is quoted to the scope you need.
- Third-party audits (for example social or ISO-based) can be arranged when a project needs them.
How it works
- Send the supplier's name, link or business licence and the product you want from it.
- We check the company's identity, ownership and what it actually makes.
- Where needed, our staff visit the factory to the agreed scope.
- You receive what we found, including whether it is a factory or a trading company.
- If you go ahead, samples, inspection and delivery follow with the same team.
Supplier check from £195, report in 3 working days: see what it covers and a sample report →
Paying a Chinese supplier? Free same-day check of the PI and bank details before you pay →
Which checks are included?
| Check | Scope |
|---|---|
| Receipt count and visible condition | Not done by us (we can arrange a third party) No warehouse receipt under this service; receiving needs a separate arrangement. Factory quantity and readiness checks, where agreed, are recorded in the report. |
| Photos | Paid add-on (agreed in advance) Site photos form part of a separately agreed factory visit. |
| Detailed measurement / function test | Paid add-on (agreed in advance) Methods, measurements, units and test coverage agreed before work starts. |
| AQL pre-shipment inspection | Paid add-on (agreed in advance) Agreed ISO 2859-1 sampling and acceptance criteria for the specified lot; not a check of every unit. |
| Factory audit | Paid add-on (agreed in advance) Supplier checks and audits are usually included with a goods order; standalone verification and visits are quoted for the agreed scope. |
| Lab testing / certification | Not done by us (we can arrange a third party) Third-party scope and costs agreed separately; receipt checks and photos do not certify compliance. |
What is included is confirmed on every quote.
- Level 1 · Desk check: From £195 per supplier, plus VAT, paid before the check starts
- Level 2 · Factory audit: From £395 a visit (one day on site), plus VAT; the final price depends on location and scope and is confirmed before we start
- Level 3 · Pre-shipment inspection: From £275 per inspector-day (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu), plus VAT; the final price depends on location, product and scope and is confirmed before we start
How we check factories and goods, and the proof
Every check follows our published CCB Verification Standard v2.0. Factory visits are made by our own staff in the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas; if an inspection company is appointed for you, the report names it.
- Factory audit: From £395 a visit (one day on site), plus VAT; the final price depends on location and scope and is confirmed before we start. Written report usually within 48 hours of the visit. Sample factory audit report
- Pre-shipment inspection: From £275 per inspector-day (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu), plus VAT; the final price depends on location, product and scope and is confirmed before we start. Photo report usually within 24 hours of the inspection. Sample pre-shipment inspection report
Default inspection sampling: zero critical defects, AQL 2.5 major and AQL 4.0 minor (ISO 2859-1, general level II), inspected once at least 80% of the goods are packed.
Real project: for a UK electric-vehicle charging operator we ran inspection and factory communication. A Jiangsu candidate did not meet the requirements; after reviewing a third-party check we chose a Zhejiang factory, which now ships about three pallets a month. Read the case
We are not an accredited inspection body and issue no certificates; laboratory tests and social audits go to accredited firms, and you receive their reports.
Cambridge China Bridge in brief
- Buying from Chinese factories since 2021 (the company was incorporated in September 2022), for our own businesses and for clients on the same terms.
- Our own staff are based in China, at two bases: the Pearl River Delta (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan) and the Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu). They visit factories themselves.
- Quotes to suit how you buy: one delivered price, or an itemised quote with the factory cost, freight, duty and our service fee shown separately. Open-book detail is available on request.
- Audits and inspections are usually included in the quote for an order placed with us; complex checks that need a third party are charged extra, agreed first.
- Orders run from a first trial to scheduled full containers; the factory’s own minimum is stated in the quote.
- In one project, a UK EV charging operator cut unit cost by 70% and scaled 3× faster. In another, a multi-site Cambridge café chain saved 50% on packaging.
- A UK company in Cambridge and London: Cambridge China Bridge is the trading name of Piggy Pineapple Ltd, company number 14385590.
- Send 1–3 products you buy now and what you pay. We compare the same specification, quantity, inspection and delivery scope to establish a cost benchmark.
- A reference call with a past client can be arranged, with that client’s agreement.
How we charge
Quotes to suit how you buy: one delivered price, or an itemised quote with the factory cost, freight, duty and our service fee shown separately. Open-book detail is available on request.
Our service fee is 10% of the goods plus the freight we arrange, included in one delivered price or shown separately in an itemised quote, and agreed before you order. Bulk we buy for you starts at about £1,000 of goods. We take no kickbacks or commission from factories.
Questions buyers ask
Can you check a supplier I found on Alibaba?
Yes. Send the listing or the company name and the product. We check who the company is, whether it makes that product and whether it is a factory or a trading company.
What does verification cost?
With a goods order, supplier checks and factory audits are usually included in the quote. Verification on its own is quoted to the scope you need.
Have you verified a named factory for a buyer before?
Yes. In September 2026 a UK founder brand asked us to verify a named Shanghai manufacturer of private-label coated bags; our China team is verifying it and making contact.