We have checked out dozens of Chinese companies for friends worldwide this year. Some of the companies, even the Gold members of Alibaba turned out to be a business scammer in China. Your business cannot legally protected by Chinese government authorities if you're dealing with illegal Chinese companies. Hence, it's very important to verify your business partner as there are more and more business frauds coming forth in China. Here are my tips for you to verify a Chinese company:

Generally speaking, there are some links online for you to check out companies in China:
www.yp.net.cn
www.chinaeall.com
www.cnaic.org.cn
www.114win.com
etc
However, there is no English version of above services so far in China, you have to know a little Chinese to check it all by yourself. Also some of the companies did not register themselves with above yellow pages. So yellow page is not the key way to judge a business scammer in China! The best way to check out a supplier in China is to visit them in person or check them out with local government authorities in China.

If you don't know Chinese, still you can pre-verify your business partners from following aspects:

1. Contact information
Please note that whether their contact information is right or not, most of the scammers don't offer a right address, tel and fax number online. Some of the tel numbers are empty and some add and tel don't exist at all, they don't offer a company tel number, a private number or mobile phone number instead.

2. Registered corporate number
Every legal company in China has to register itself with Chinese government authortities and obtain an unique company number. If your business partner cannot offer you a unique registered corporate number, definitely he is a scammer, of course, he may submit you a fake number, so you have to check it out with local administrative government organs with the number he offered. There is a Chinese organ called Bureau of Industry & Commerce ( have branches at all levels ), which is the only government organ responsible for the registration of legitimate companies or enterprises in China. For example, for any legitimate companies from Changsha or Hunan province, you can contact the local administrative organ for confirmation: http://www.csaic.gov.cn/ Tel: 86-731-2891606 or http://www.hunancom.gov.cn/ Tel: 86-731-2287058 , the problem is you have to report your case in Chinese sometimes because most of the local officials do not know too much English in China.

3. Incredibly low prices, esp for international brands
Most of Chinese scammers usually entice foreigners with a very low price. If the prices they offered is too low to believe, you may have a further investigation on your partner to know why their prices are so low. Most of the scammers in China profit a lot by selling replicas or fakes of some branded goods to the overseas market, this is very risky because the goods shall be confiscated or detained by Chinese customs houses in case it considered illegal in China. By the way, please remember that the price for authentic /original brands like Sony, Apple, Nokia, Dell etc should be almost the same at anywhere on the globe. You cannot import from the unthorized brands distributors with cheaper price in China. They must be selling relicas, refurbished ones or copies of brands etc ! Please simply forget such suppliers in China !

4. Payment and shipment terms
The scammers never accept L/C as their payment terms, they prefer Western Union, Paypal and T/T etc. Also they never deliver goods through formal channels in China, they prefer to deliver samples by Express like Fedex, TNT, EMS to avoid more examinations from Chinese customs house. Most of the scammers use Private Bank Accounts in China!

5. Warranty and after sale services
Scammers never take some measures to guarantee their quality and after-sale services after your payment, they may promise you a lot before payment. It's lip-services only!!!

Be careful with some of the Chinese suppliers!
By the way, I have to mention that, it does not mean the manufacturer has the right to sell or buy in case he has obtained a legitimate unique company number from local BIC in China. In China, all the enterprises with the right to import and export has to apply and obtain a certificate called Certificate of Import & Export from Ministry of Commerce of PRC and its authorized local organs in China after their registration at local BIC. Also a formal trade company has to register with Chinese Customs House and its branches before his formal business with foreign counterparts in China. Then he has to register himself with local Bureau of Inspection & Quarantine in case his products are in need of quality control. Without the registration from above local government authorities from China, no company can deal with you in formal channels in China. Contact me for details when you need verification and other business services in China.

Replying to [Business in China]:
It's the main problem in China, they sale too much fake!
Even here on alibaba and as you said, some gold members sell fakes.

It was only 4weeks ago i was searching for Microsoft Windows Softwares.
A gold member reply me by mail, send me pictures, but after checking
on Microsoft website i realize that actually he was selling Fake Microsoft Products, they was very nice copies with fake coa, stickers, cd).

Quoting from [Flexpro]:


Replying to [Business in China]:

It's the main problem in China, they sale too much fake!

Even here on alibaba and as you said, some gold members sell fakes.


It was only 4weeks ago i was searching for Microsoft Windows Softwares.

A gold member reply me by mail, send me pictures, but after checking

on Microsoft website i realize that actually he was selling Fake Microsoft Products, they was very nice copies with fake coa, stickers, cd).

Please feel free to contact our service girls for such fake issue. We will try out best to stop these things, but it needs your help actually in deed.

Replying to [Business in China]:Thank for the information,
I have a problem with Chinese company Hongmax.com, they don't want to send a refund nor the right products, only a sample and very few email replies, very bad service indeed.So keep away from them
regards

Replying to [Business in China]:

hello can you verify these3 companys for me please=


1. Kings International Enterprise Limited

Beijing Head office:
Add: No. 1909, Beiyuan Garden,Chaoyang District, Beijing,China
Sales: Mr. George King
Fax: 0086-10-84920910
Email: georgeking@kiel.com.cn
MSN: georgeking0227@hotmail.com
Skype: gerogeking0227



Shenzhen office:
Add: 16H, JufuGe, Caifu Building,Catian South Road, Futian, Shenzhen, China
Fax: 0086-755-8836 3978





2. Gladies Enterprise Co., Ltd.
16/F., Block B, Cheung Lee Industrial Bldg., 9 Cheung Lee Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
Tel: (852)2891 1746
Fax: (852)2557 1187

ShenZhen Gladies Enterprise Co., Ltd.
Rm. 606, 6/F., Block 404 West, Yannan Road, ShenZhen, China
Tel: (86)(755)8323 3175 / 8320 1580
Fax: (86)(755)8332 0395






3. NINGBO BOIGLE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD.

Address: #209 Luan Road. Tianyuan Industrial Zone of Cixi, Zhejiang .China 315325

TEL: 86(0)574-6345-2222 86(0)574-6345-6888

FAX: 86(0)574-6345-1588 86(0)574-6345-9698

WEBSITE: Http://www.boigle.com.cn

E-MAIL: Boigle@boigle.com.cn




thank.s

Replying to [Business in China]:

Would you be willing to verify a Company in China.
There details are

Company Name: Yongkang Haili Industrial Co., Ltd.
Contact Person: Yihong Xu

Address: Lieqiao Industrial Area, Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province. China
Zip: 321300
Telephone: 86-579-7292782
Fax: 86-579-7291058
Mobile No.: 013806770009 ; 013758990706
Website: http://www.hailichina.com

When they sent a proforma invoice for a sample order I was required to send payment to ZHEJIANG YONGKANG FOREIGN ECONOMY AND TRADE CORP which is not a Gold Member.

Does this sound OK?

Replying to [Business in China]:
please can you verify following company i want to deal with.
HONGDA INDustry trade Co.
WWW.NIKEWHOLESALER.US
SECOND WEBSITE : http://photo.163.com/photos/top-shopping/

i am looking to import mobile phones from them, have anybody dealt with these guys ever b4?
pls advise

Replying to [legend]:
Be careful, some business scammers in China are selling products in name of other companies. You'd better have a further investigation on your suppliers in this case.

Replying to [Mobilink Group]:

Keep away with this supplier!!!!
This is one of the typical scammers in China, they're selling fake goods and their contact information cannot be traced in China. Your business will not be protected in China, and actually I've checked out several similar scammers for foreign buyers recently!!

Replying to [2Pac]:
Some of your target companies are reliable and honest, but it seems one of them is a typical scammer.Also we cannot judge a scammer only by reading their contact information, it's useless sometimes. We need their registered company number and other certificates to check them out. Be careful with these electronic and branded shoes suppliers in China, esp those from Fujian province!