Inspection – 80/20 Sourcing

Quality problems with your Chinese supplier? How to arrange a pre-shipment inspection to improve quality, reduce customer returns, and avoid getting suspended by Amazon

Recently I listened to an interesting podcast from Scott Voelker aka “The Amazon Seller”. He shared a story about a quality problem with one of his Amazon products which led to a SUSPENSION. The problem was with with his bundled product. Apparently “some of his products were missing pieces and the customers were returning them”. Well Amazon noticed the unusually high return rate so they SUSPENDED his listing! This meant ALL HIS SALES STOPPED on this listing. Scott was smart to take action and file for a removal order to take back the defective inventory to fix it. Obviously he wasn’t going to ship them back to China (too expensive and time consuming) so he decided to fix them himself. Meanwhile he switched the listing from FBA to merchant fulfilled (different selling option) to start selling the product again.

But in the process HE LOST A TON OF SALES from the time the listing was down to when he fixed the problem and shipped them back to Amazon. And he had to spend his own time and hard-earned money to fix the problem. This took away time he could have spent growing his business or being with his family. Furthermore it’s important to note that merchant-fulfilled listings generate much lower sales than FBA. Many Amazon Prime members only buy Prime fulfilled listings so he lost out on these sales opportunities.

Now I don’t mean to bash Scott and he’s quite an expert on selling on Amazon FBA and he’s a great teacher who’s given a lot to the Amazon seller community. But like the rest of us, nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. So the important thing to ask is: “What can we learn from this? What could Scott have done to prevent this nightmare?”

What if he could have detected these problems early-on before the order left the factory? If so, he could have asked his supplier to fix problems BEFORE THEY SHIPPED. And at AT THEIR COST. This would have meant:

No customer complaints and returns leading to a suspension
Not having to ship products from Amazon back to his house and then back to Amazon FBA
Not having to spend time (and money) to fix the problem himself
No lost sales

I think Scott would be a happy camper!

How do we do this? Rather than flying blind and taking a risk on every shipment, experienced sellers and importers inspect their products BEFORE they leave the factory. It’s called a pre-shipment inspection. And it’s a small price to pay for the amount of time, money and headaches it can prevent. Benjamin Franklin once said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” So I’d like to share with you how I arrange pre-shipment inspections to reduce quality problems, lower the risk getting suspended by Amazon, and save you time and money so you can focus on growing your business.

First off, here are some of the main BENEFITS of arranging a pre-shipment inspection:

Catch quality problems early on so you don’t have to deal with defects after products land in the US
By catching problems before they leave the factory, you can have the factory FIX THEM at their expense! Sure it may take a little longer to ship but you will be getting peace-of-mind and better quality product. On the other hand, if you waited until the products landed in the US (e.g. ship it to your house) then my question is, how will you fix any problems that arise?I recently met an Amazon seller from Romania who sold on Amazon’s US platform. He told me about a problem he had with a shipment from China. Since he didn’t live in the US he has his supplier ship the products to his a friend in the US who would inspect it before shipping to Amazon’s warehouses. Well after the product arrived in the US they discovered problems. After emailing back and forth with Chinese factory, they was cooperative and agreed to replace these defective products and ship them to the US. But the seller lost significant time going back and forth with the supplier to solve this problem not to mention the opportunity cost – lost sales. I estimate this process would take at least two to three months for communication, production, and re-shipment resulting in at least tens of thousands of dollars in lost sales!If on the other hand, he hired a 3rd party inspection agency to check the order and fix the problem before it left the factory, he probably could have avoided the problem and have less headaches and more sales.
Lower your return rates and risk of Amazon suspension
If you ship direct to Amazon WITHOUT an inspection and discover problems later (like Scott did), then you will definitely get negative customer feedback, deal with many returns, and possibly face an account suspension. You can significantly lower your risk by a arranging a simple pre-shipment inspection.
Keeps the supplier on their toes – get better quality product
Many times, simply letting the factory know that you plan to arrange an inspection before shipment will keep them on their toes. This means they will pay more attention to your order production because they know you are serious about quality. Some experienced importers tell factories they will inspect even if they don’t follow through to arrange an inspection! While I don’t necessarily agree with this, it does work from time to time.
Allows you to ship product from the factory straight to Amazon (and not to your house) to start selling sooner and reduce shipping costs
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that shipping from point A (China factory) to point B (Amazon FBA warehouse) is faster and cheaper than point A (China factory) to point B (Your house in the US) and then to point C (Amazon FBA warehouse). Also I would much rather have the factory handle problems in China (lower cost of labor, no additional shipping times) than handling this in the US (high cost of labor, emails back and forth with factory to resolve the problem, shipping times of replacements from China to US, etc).

By now you’re probably asking WHEN should I arrange an inspection? Is a pre-shipment inspection necessary for every order?

As a general rule of the thumb the more complex the item, the newer the item (i.e. first production run), and the newer the supplier the greater the risk of problems. Thus the greater the need for inspection to lower your risks. Another key reason to inspect is if you are aware of a common defect with your product. For example if one of your products scratches easily and you are aware of this problem based on past order history then it makes sense to arrange a pre-shipment inspection because “history repeats itself.”

I like to think of a pre-shipment inspection as a safety net to lower your risk. This will help you identify these problems before shipment while they can be more easily and cheaply fixed.

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Here’s an overview as to when to arrange a pre-shipment inspection:

Expensive products or high order values: In these cases it makes sense because the cost of inspection is lower on a order value basis. For example for a $30,000 shipment a $300 inspection amounts to only a 1% cost while for a $3,000 shipment this amounts to 10%! It makes more sense to inspect when you have shipments with larger order values.
Highly complex items: I’m more likely to inspect items that are more complex with more moving parts such as electronics. In other words products where things are more likely to go wrong.
Fragile items: Anything easily breakable or scratched such as glass. I make sure to have them inspect not only product but also PACKAGING. Chinese suppliers often times package their product improperly which causes damage DURING SHIPMENT. So make sure there’s enough protection around the product to reduce risk of damage during transit. This is especially true for sea shipments because imagine your product being on a ship for a month. Boxes move around and product gets damaged if not packaged properly.
New items: If the factory is making this for the first time, then expect mistakes. This is an especially important time to arrange inspections to catch these problems early.
New Suppliers: Just as in a first date when you are getting to know each other, if this is your first time working with a supplier there will be some bumps in the road. You’re more likely to have miscommunication, and misaligned quality expectations when first working together. Over time, as the relationship develops and as you learn each others’ preferences, likes, and dislikes, these “bumps in the road” will smooth themselves out.
Common defects you are aware of: If in a prior shipment you had problems then you should instruct the inspector to pay special attention to these problem areas. For example with one of our products, the first batch of product had loose screws. So in the next batch we made sure to have the screws inspected. So it makes sense to not only inform the supplier to make a corrective action plan but also for you to take the initiative to inspect for this problem in the next order.

EXCEPTIONS: When can you choose NOT to inspect? Do I need to inspect 100% of orders?
In a perfect world, inspecting 100% of all orders would be the ideal way to eliminate risk but this is not feasible. We are in the real world we all have budget constraints and limited cash flow. And we are running against the clock and want to get the product for sale to our customers. So here are some of my insights. Do take this with a grain of salt as these are general rules and your mileage may vary depending on your product, tolerance for risk, and your aggressiveness.

Simple products: One instance where we did not arrange pre-shipment inspections is if the product is very simple with a low likelihood of any critical problems. If it’s a simple metal and rubber auto part there’s a lower chance of things going wrong than if it was a tablet computer
Wide range of quality tolerance that is difficult to define: Another instance is if you’re more tolerant to what is defined as acceptable product. For example one of our clients who sourced auto parts from China did not want to arrange pre-shipment inspections because they felt it’s likely that all of the orders would be “FAILED” according to the inspection agencies standards. It was a low cost metal and rubber auto part. So the client is willing to tolerate a certain degree of difference that is difficult to define on paper to an inspector. In this case they decided that an inspection would not be worthwhile. Over the years of importing numbers containers of product per month, were instances of defective product (which the supplier replaced at their cost) but over the long haul this strategy saved him money.
Small orders: If you’re making a small order then the cost of an inspection may not be worthwhile. For an order of $1,000 you probably wouldn’t want to spend the $300 to hire an inspection agency. This would be 30% of the order value. What would I do instead? I would ask the factory to make a self-inspection and send me the report. Or I would ask them to ship me pre-production samples

HOW to arrange a third party pre-shipment inspection?

I’ve outlined the three main parts to a pre-shipment inspection. These include the supplier’s factory information, expected inspection date, your product name and specifications, and inspection details. Here is a sample pre-shipment inspection checklist using solar vacuum tubes as a reference.

Supplier’s factory information:
1. Factory address: both English and Chinese
2. Contact person’s name, telephone, and email
3. Date of your scheduled inspection
4. Date of shipment
Product Name and Specifications: Be as specific as possible. Put yourself in the shoes of the inspector. The more reputable inspection agencies will have internal checklists based on product categories that you can use if you’re not sure what to inspect.
1. Color, Material, Finish: List your product specifications which include pictures, measurements, material, packaging requirements, your logo, UPC barcodes and any other details that you want to check.
2. Dimensions and weight: Note the accepted tolerance levels that you can accept. For example if the tube is 1.80m long and you can accept a length between 1.79m to 1.91m or “+/- 10mm.” (see picture below). You might ask why should I accept any tolerance, I want the product to be EXACT. Well in the real world, nobody is perfect especially factories so you should decide upon an accepted tolerance limit and note this in your purchase order (before production begins).
3. Logo and labels: Important for private labelers.
4. Additional comments
5. Reference sample: Optional but you can provide a sample to the inspector as a reference.
Inspection details: Make sure to list the most common expected problems with your product.
1. Test instructions: If you have any specific instructions, note them here. If not, the inspection agency will have a pre-determined checklist based on your product category and you can use that. This depends on your exact product so consult your inspection agency.
2. Expected results: What you expect for the product to pass inspection.
3. Sample size to test: I recommend you follow the inspection agency’s suggestion.
4. Expected defect description: Describe your expected defect. For example: “Glass tube damage”.
5. Defect is considered: Three main types of defects: Critical, Major, and Minor. I recommend you follow the inspection agencies standards if you are new to this.
6. Accepted Quality Level (AQL): Think of this as the upper limits of defects that are allowed. If they find a larger proportion of defective items, then the inspection will result in a “FAIL”. A common AQL is Minor: 4%, Major: 2.5%, Critical: Not allowed (See picture below). Your inspection agency will have these options for you to choose from.

HIRE an inspection agency
I normally budget around $300 per day for inspection. If cost is a concern and you have a larger number of units in your order you can reduce the sample size to one man-day. Of course a smaller sample size may miss some problems. But that is the tradeoff.

In terms of inspection agency recommendations: I’ve used Asia Inspection over the years with good results. The major players in the inspection agency game include multinationals SGS and Bureau Veritas though they may be more expensive.

WAIT for the results
Normally I expect to receive results within 24 hours of inspection. Based on this you will either (a) approve the lot for shipment or (b) reject and/or work with the supplier to fix the problems.

IF PASSED then I review the report details and note any minor defects and then green-light the shipment.

If they “FAIL” the inspection then it’s purely the buyer’s (YOU) decision whether to accept the shipment because they have been forewarned.

Common reasons inspections FAIL:
Besides quality problems, another reason an inspection may be wrongfully “FAIL” an inspection is due to miscommunications in the Quality Control criteria. So make sure to double check all the measurements, pictures, packaging, and any other common problems in production.

In my years of sourcing from China, I’ve noticed a common trend. When in doubt, the inspection agency would rather FAIL the inspection to protect themselves than approve it. In other words, if they “PASS” a shipment that has problems discovered later then the inspection agency can be held responsible. If they FAIL a shipment and the buyer agrees to ship it, then it’s purely the buyer’s responsibility in making this decision.

What to do if your pre-shipment inspection fails?

Look carefully at the details of the inspection report. Are the reasons it failed enough to refuse shipment? Sometimes if it’s a “minor” defect you should ask yourself if this is acceptable to your customers. Steve Jobs was famous for saying “real artists ship” which means that it’s more important to actually deliver than delaying a launch trying to make the “perfect product”.
Show the report to the factory and ask them for a corrective action plan to fix critical problems.
Then depending on the outcome and who’s at fault, arrange a re-inspection. I recommend hiring at least a different inspector (or agency) to prevent any “buddy-buddy” relationships from forming. (See “BEWARE FRAUD” below)
Decide whether or not to accept shipment.
If or when placing a re-order later, emphasize the problems and the corrective action plan in the purchase order.
BEST PRACTICE: If the first inspection fails and the factory was at fault, you should negotiate to have the supplier pay for re-inspection. This will save you $300.

Poor man’s pre-shipment inspection: If you want save money and are willing to take a risk
If you choose not to hire a third party inspection agency, the least you can do is to ask the supplier to self-inspect the order and send you an inspection report. Clearly this will option is not as comprehensive as a third party inspection nor will it come from an unbiased source, but it’s better than nothing. Remember pictures are worth a thousand words and you may be able to spot some problems. This is how I would do it:

Ask the supplier to take pictures of the product, the instruction manual and any inserts, and packaging. For product and packaging, ask for pictures from different angles.
Ask them to take measurements and weights (if applicable)
Ask them to test it based on common problems that occur
Optional: If you have a sourcing agent or trusted person in China, ask your supplier to send a few units of actual product to them for inspection.

BEWARE FRAUD
Sourcing in China is a dirty business. Sure there are honest guys out there but there are so many moving parts that can go wrong that it’s hard to keep track of them all. Kickbacks and bribes are not uncommon. Third party inspection agencies (both big multinationals and smaller agencies) are not immune to this.

So I’m not surprised when newbies report that their factories tell them that the third party inspection agents asked for a “tip” or else face a failed inspection report. It happens everyday in China. So what can you do? At the end of the day, I take the inspection agency’s recommendation with a grain of salt. Their decision is one factor but I always look at the DETAILS of the inspection report. Ask yourself WHY was it failed and do these problems matter to me and my customers? Ultimately you are the CEO and it’s YOUR DECISION whether or not to accept the shipment.

In summary, pre-shipment inspections are an excellent way to reduce your risk of quality problems which can lead to high customer returns and even an Amazon account suspension. Regardless whether you hire a third party to inspect or have the factory self inspect, the important thing is to try to catch problems BEFORE the product leaves the factory floor. This way they can fix it at their expense and this will save you a lot of time and headaches down the line.

If you’d like to get a pre-shipment inspection worksheet which you can use before your next shipment, please signup for my free newsletter.

How to source from Chinese suppliers and not get scammed – Best practices, Dirty Tricks, and Advice from an American Sourcing Professional in China

My name is Gary and I’m an American based in Shanghai and have been sourcing from China since 2008. I’ve sourced a variety of products for clients ranging from industrial products, solar energy products, exercise equipment, auto parts, and more. I’ve worked with and visited hundreds of suppliers across China, big and small, and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I’m offering general advice to help you not get scammed when sourcing from Chinese suppliers on Alibaba. I assume you know the basics of using Alibaba so I’ve focused on the strategy encompassing the process from initial request for quotation to negotiating prices and terms, to requesting samples and evaluating the factory, to placing the initial order and arranging a production inspection. Also included are some best practices to follow and dirty tricks to be aware of to help you save time and headaches later.

1) Product

Your goal is to make sure the supplier understands your product specifications and the level of quality.

Define the product that you’re looking for. To save time from going back and forth with the supplier as well as to organise your thoughts, spend 15 minutes to put together a Request for Quotation (RFQ) that you will send to the prospective suppliers. Here’s a template you can use:

Product Name – WIDGET ABC

Detailed Description

– Exact Product Name

– Size/Dimension

– Material and Grade/Quality Standard (for example 316L Stainless Steel)

– Application

– Packaging/Packing

– Any other special factors you care about

Quantity Required

Annual Purchase Volume (estimate is OK)

Target Unit price

Shipping Terms: FOB port (for sea freight) or EXW Factory (normally for air freight)

Destination Port

2) Evaluation

As you send the RFQ to suppliers and get their replies, you will evaluate them not just on price but also responsiveness and service. Think of it as a dating game – e.g. looks will be the first impression but are they down to earth, or flaky, or materialistic, etc? Some factors to consider include:

-Are they responsive?

-Do they answer your specific questions or do they give a generic auto response?

-Do they provide actual product photos or are they copied from somewhere else?

Best practice: Call them over Skype to follow up. Find out more about their company background, factory and production information, their main products, and export markets. Some questions to ask include:

-Do they manufacture these products themselves or are they a trading company?

Trading companies are middlemen. In the best case scenario they have better english skills and can make it easier to communication if you don’t speak Chinese. Also they may (or may not) have access to better suppliers which you may not easily find on your own. Also they may be able to negotiate lower minimum order quantities from the supplier because they have bulk purchasing power.

However there are some downsides which include higher prices due to their margins, lack of transparency as they may not reveal the actual factory, and the risk of getting scammed since they can disappear overnight. There are instances of unscrupulous suppliers shipping out a container of dirt.

Be aware that the supply chain varies by industry. For example industrial product manufacturers typically purchase components and in fact only assemble them. Unless you are dealing with a huge player, it’s rare to find a fully vertically integrated factory. For instance, even Apple’s contract manufacturer Foxconn does not manufacturer all parts themselves. They purchase from component suppliers – for instance displays from Japan Display Inc, chips from Broadcom and Qualcomm, batteries from LG, etc.

Also it’s common practice for factories to establish their own trading companies in order to export. Do you homework and find out.

-Which countries do they export to?

This is very important because you want gauge the quality of their product to fit your customer’s’ needs. For example Yiwu has a famous export mart. The suppliers here offer mainly mediocre to low quality product. They are usually the domestic market and will quote in RMB. They may not have export licenses so you will need to either have to export yourself (documentation, arrange freight forwarder, customs clearance, etc) or go through a trading company. If these suppliers do export, they mainly export to African and Middle Eastern countries who’s markets prioritize lower prices and LOWER QUALITY than factories that export primarily to North America and Europe. If you are going to sell this product in the US or Western Europe this may not a good idea. Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. You will bound to have struggles trying to sell product from a lower quality factory to a higher end market unless you are selling them to the 99cent only store.

3) Negotations

There a saying in Chinese: “一分钱一分货” “Yi fen qian Yi fen huo” – You get what you pay for

In China you get what you pay for. The cheapest product will be low quality. This carries the most risk of suppliers cutting corners and using inferior product (or substitutes). As you compare suppliers and quotations you will get a feel for the market price as well as the professionalism, responsiveness, production, and export capabilities of each supplier. You should make a decision based on these variables as well as the X-factor which is your level of comfort and trust with the supplier. Successful importers build long term relationships with their suppliers. Think of it as a marriage where both parties are invested in each other.

货比三家 “Huo bi san jia” – Compare at least 3 suppliers

Depending on your time, budget, manpower, and requirements never just talk to one supplier. Request quotations from at least 5-10 suppliers to get an idea about the pricing, compare specifications, factory sizes, and also get an idea of where the product production is clustered. Large corporations have entire sourcing and procurement teams that audit hundreds of suppliers. If you are serious about sourcing you must do your due diligence. Front-load your work to reduce risks and headaches later.

Best practice: Have at least one backup supplier in case you run into problems with your primary supplier. For example there will be delays. This is virtually guaranteed to happen and you don’t want to lose business especially during your peak sales period.

Volumes

Ask for quotation based on various levels. For example you can request based on the following three quantities: Minimum order quantity (MOQ), your expected first order size, and the best case scenario if your sales are explode.

For example 50pcs, 500pcs, 5000pcs. This way you can plan for an initial trial order and at the same time gauge the price spread as well as milestones to aim for to get better pricing. This also shows the supplier that you are serious about doing business.

4) Due Diligence – Online research

When reviewing pay attention to the supplier’s Product mix. This will be a clue whether this product is their strength, an ancillary product, or even if they are a trading company.

Is the product you’re looking for the primary product they offer? If you are looking for speakers and you see them listing of 60 variations of an unrelated product iPhone cases then most likely they are a trading company getting it from somewhere else.

Factory information – Keep in mind that this is normally self-reported so take it with a grain of salt

Factory photos – Good for a general idea but don’t trust it 100%. Copying and Photoshopping is all fair game here.

Contact information – Do they reply to emails? Do their telephone numbers work?

Company registration/Business license, registered capital – this is nice to know but not a deal breaker in my opinion.

Certification: It’s common knowledge that in China many types of quality management certifications for example ISO-9001, is easily bought. Despite Xi Jinping’s best efforts, corruption is still here. So take these certificates with a grain of sale. There’s a saying 天高皇帝远 tiān gāo huáng dì yuǎn which means the Sky is high and the emperor is far away. This means that there are limits to the reach of the government.

Gold supplier certification – This is purchased by the supplier and one of Alibaba’s revenue streams. To be fair, Alibaba does attempt to verify the factory’s information but I wouldn’t rely on just that.

Website – Don’t judge a book by its cover. Even a college student can put together a good-looking website. Trading companies are great at this. On the other hand, many legitimate factories don’t even have a website nor are they found on Alibaba.. They may not even have a person that speaks English! Take the website with a grain of salt and do your homework.

5) Samples

After you have a good feel for the supplier and have decided on an agreeable product specification and initial pricing now it’s time to request a sample. Some people take a leap of faith and don’t request a sample before placing an order so it depends on your risk tolerance, time constraints, and budget.

If you do decide to request a sample, you will need to workout the payment and shipping method. Normally for a small and lightweight widget you can ask the supplier to ship it by Fedex or DHL for most countries. For low value items, the supplier may even waive this cost and only charge you shipping.

6) Receive sample, evaluate and modifications if needed. If OK then proceed.

7) Purchase Order

Place a purchase order to the seller to clarify the product specifications, quantities, price, and terms.

8) Payments

Payment terms:

When placing orders with a new supplier, never pay 100% upfront. The only exception would be for small samples orders where the amount is not significant.

There is no industry standard but 30% advance payment and 70% due upon shipment after inspection is usually fair. Some suppliers request 50% advance and 50% before shipment for initial orders. You should negotiate better terms as you strengthen your relationship.

Payment method:

Bank transfer is typical for large orders. Paypal is also common especially for small orders and this would work for credit card holders. In all my years I’ve never used Western Union.

Dirty trick: Make sure that the beneficiary’s name matches the registered company name. If it does not that’s a definite red flag and many have been scammed this way where the money ends up in a 3rd party’s account.

9) Shipment

Quality Inspection – The factory informs you that your order is ready for delivery. Do you trust them to ship? This depends on your appetite for risk, the complexity of the product, and your relationship with the supplier.

For low value total orders, you can ask the supplier to send a self-inspection report with photos. Of course you would indicate the inspection criteria and be as detailed as possible with measurements, pictures, and accepted quality levels (AQLs).

For medium to larger-sized orders, I suggest hiring a 3rd party inspection agency. Asia inspection is affordable and sufficient for most simple product inspections. They start at $309 per man-day. For inspections that require a higher degree of technical expertise you can consider larger inspection agencies such as Bureau Vertitas and SGS at a higher cost. After the inspection and if the products pass inspection then you will pay the remaining balance and have them ship the product.

Dirty trick: Corruption is very rampant in the quality inspection realm. Kickbacks to inspection agents from suppliers are very common. There’s a saying that many multinational firms have become too “localised”.

BONUS: Advanced tactics to test whether a supplier is an A-player, mediocre, or a scam:

Request a sample – and evaluate the quality. While you are doing this you will be benchmarking their responsiveness, attitude, and service. Think of it as a first date. How do they look? How do they behave? Are their values similar to yours? If you’re serious about sourcing, look to build long term relationships. This is win-win as forward thinking suppliers would rather invest in a reliable long term partner rather than have to constantly go fishing for new leads. After reviewing the sample, give the supplier your feedback and corrective action plans and see how do they react?
Factory Visit – If you are serious about doing business with this supplier I strongly recommend visiting the factory yourself or hiring someone to do so. This is a chance to see how things work and how things are made, meet with management and begin to build a relationship, as well as see if things add up.This also shows that you are putting some skin in the game and are serious about doing business. If you put yourself in the factory owner’s shoes, making the effort to visit the factory separates you from your competitors in that you are serious about doing business and not just window shopping for RFQs on Alibaba. After the meeting if you can have lunch with the supplier definitely do so. This is a chance to build “guan xi” e.g. building relationships and even friendship with the factory staff. The Chinese are normally very friendly and will be curious to learn about you and your country. But watch out for drinking and toasting though. But that is beyond the scope of this article.

Red flags

Factory does not manufacture the product you are looking for. Sounds obvious but you hear excuses such as we had a large order of widget B so we don’t have any widget A on the assembly line. But I can show you widget A in our showroom. This doesn’t mean anything. Dishonest suppliers will event take products from competitors, other client samples, or even buy them elsewhere and put them in their showroom claiming they made it. If you visit the factory and don’t see the raw materials, equipment, and production to product widget A then don’t believe it.
Is the factory busy, slow, or empty? Unless you are in immediately before or after a major Chinese holiday (insert Chinese holiday calendar) an empty factory is not a good sign. They may be in dire straits and have laid off their workers. Or they may be new. Or they may be shutting down. Don’t expect them to seamlessly onramp after you place an order. Also don’t bear the risk for their learning curve if they’ve never produced this product before. Good factories have busy workers and a palpable buzz in the air.

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