We visit the factory so you don't have to.
For buyers who cannot fly to Shenzhen for a first meeting, or who have already been burned once. We check who you are actually dealing with, whether they can legally export, and whether the sample you approved is the product you will receive.
What we check
Who they actually are
Registered scope, company age, plant address versus registered address, and whether the entity on the invoice is the entity you are talking to.
Whether they can legally export
Production licence and export filing for vaping hardware in China — the step most buyers skip, and the one that can void an order mid-production.
Whether it is a factory
A live walkthrough of the line, the QC station and the warehouse. Not a promo video shot once and reused for three years.
What the paperwork really says
Test reports checked against the model you are buying, not just against the logo on the first page. Material declarations. Destination certification plan.
Whether the sample is the product
Sealed golden sample, pilot-run advice, and the gap between what a factory makes for a demo and what it ships at volume.
Where the money goes
Payment terms, account-name matching, and tooling ownership written into the contract rather than promised in a chat.
Packages
Remote verification
from US$250
Best for: First contact with a new supplier
- Company and licence checks (business licence, production licence, export filing)
- 60-minute recorded video walkthrough of the line
- Document review: test reports, model matching, destination certification plan
- Written red-flag report with a pass / conditions / fail verdict
On-site audit
from US$600 + travel
Best for: Before a deposit on a first order
- Everything in Remote verification
- Physical visit to the plant: production line, QC station, warehouse, packaging
- Capacity and staffing estimate, checked against their claim
- Sample collection and forward to your freight agent
- Photo set with timestamps and the 12-question interview in writing
Pre-shipment check
from US$350
Best for: Before releasing the balance payment
- On-site inspection to an agreed AQL
- Count, packaging, labelling and barcode check
- Photos at three checkpoints: after assembly, after packing, before loading
- Report issued against your purchase order, not theirs
How it runs
- You tell us the supplier and the order. Name, product, value, and what you are worried about. If it is a first order under a few thousand dollars, we will tell you which package is worth the money — sometimes the honest answer is "none of them".
- We confirm it is a job we can do. We decline work where we would be verifying a factory we already work with for someone else.
- Remote checks first. Licences, registration, documents. Roughly half of the suppliers we look at do not survive this stage, which saves the travel cost.
- On-site visit. Typically one day, with photos, a recorded walkthrough, and the supplier's answers in writing.
- Report within 5 working days. A verdict of pass, pass with conditions, or fail — with the evidence attached and the conditions spelled out.
What you get
A written report is the deliverable, not a phone call. It contains the documents we saw, the photos we took with timestamps, the answers the supplier gave, and a clear statement of what we did not check. Verdicts are pass, pass with conditions, or fail.
We will tell you when the factory looks fine and the order is still a bad idea — for example when the product cannot legally be sold in your market.
What this is not
- It is not a certification, and it is not a social compliance audit (BSCI, Sedex and similar).
- It is not a guarantee of product quality. It is a verified set of facts about a supplier on a given day.
- It is not legal advice on whether a product can be sold in your country.
- It does not include freight, duties, or product testing in a laboratory.
We are paid by buyers. We do not take a commission from factories, and a factory cannot pay us to be described favourably in a report or on this site.
FAQ
How much does a visit cost in total?
The audit fee covers our time and the report. Travel inside the Pearl River Delta (Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou) is usually modest; other provinces are quoted separately. We will give you one number before you commit.
Can you visit on short notice?
Usually within 5–7 days. If a deposit is due sooner than that, say so in the first email and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible.
Will the factory know they are being audited?
Yes. Covert visits are not something we do — they damage the relationship you need to keep after the order.
Do you work with buyers outside the vape industry?
Occasionally, for hardware that uses similar processes. The verification method transfers; the regulatory knowledge does not, and we say so when it applies.
What if the report says fail?
You get the evidence and the specific reasons. If a different supplier is needed, that is your decision, not ours — we do not sell introductions.
Start
Email [email protected] with: the supplier's company name, the product, the order value, your destination market, and the date you plan to pay the deposit. You will get a yes, a no, or a clarifying question within two working days.