Buyer protection · July 2026
How to verify a Chinese motorcycle supplier
Yes — this checklist works on us too. Run it; we’ll pass.
- 1
Business license, matched
Ask for the 营业执照 (business license) and check the company name matches the bank beneficiary exactly. Mismatched names are the #1 fraud tell.
- 2
Factory or trader — just ask
Both can serve you well; lying about it can’t. A trader claiming to be a factory will dodge a live video tour of “their” production line.
- 3
Dated video, not a showreel
Request a video shot today: your model, current date spoken or written on paper, walk from gate sign to assembly line. Five minutes of effort filters out most fakes.
- 4
Cross-check the paper trail
Verified supplier badges and years-on-platform are weak signals alone — combine with license, export records and consistent contact domains.
- 5
Start below your pain threshold
First order sized so total loss is survivable. MOQ-1 sample or small mixed container first; scale on evidence.
- 6
Escrow or staged payment
Trade-assurance escrow, or 30/70 with the balance released against PDI evidence. Anyone demanding 100% upfront on a first order is answering your question for you.
- 7
Beneficiary never changes
A mid-transaction email announcing “new bank account” is a hijacked deal until proven otherwise — confirm by video call on a known number before sending anything.
- 8
PDI in writing
Agree the pre-delivery inspection checklist and evidence format (video per VIN) before deposit, not after a dispute.
- 9
Loading photos, layer by layer
Photos during container stuffing are your evidence for transit-damage claims. No photos, no claim.
- 10
Parts commitment
A supplier who won’t quote a spare-parts kit with the bikes is planning a one-time sale, not a relationship.
- 11
Incoterm clarity
Know exactly what FOB vs CIF covers in your quote, which port, and who books the vessel. Ambiguity here is where surprise costs live.
- 12
Talk to a reference
Ask for one existing customer in your region you can contact. Refusal isn’t automatically disqualifying — but silence plus other flags is.
The pattern behind all twelve points: make dishonesty expensive early. Every check costs an honest supplier minutes and a dishonest one their deal. Suppliers who resist cheap verification are telling you how the expensive parts will go.
Our own standards — the 18-point filmed PDI, document set and payment terms — are published precisely so you can hold us to them.