How can a manufacturer be checked before sending money?
Check the business records, factory, sample and payment details together, with separate decisions before paying for a sample and before ordering the clothes.
Market-specific guidance. Sources and review information are included below.
Quick answers from this guide
How can a manufacturer be checked before sending money?
Check that the maker's business records, proposed factory, product evidence and payment details connect to the same order. Registration establishes that a business exists; it does not establish whether the factory can make the clothes. Review a sample made to your instructions before committing to the full order, and resolve conflicting documents before payment.
What should be checked before paying for a sample?
Before paying for a sample, match the maker's registered name and address to the quote, invoice and bank account details. Ask where the clothes will be made and request evidence of comparable work. Give the maker written instructions covering the clothes and measurements, then agree what the sample payment covers and how payment will be made.
What does a first clothing sample prove?
A first clothing sample shows how a maker follows written instructions, handles measurements and chooses the requested materials. The questions raised during the work also help assess communication. Keep dated comments and record changes between samples. An attractive sample alone does not establish that the full order will match, or verify the maker's business and payment details.
How can a factory certificate or inspection report be checked?
Ask for the complete document and match the business name, factory address, dates and work covered to the proposed order. Check certificate authenticity with the issuing organisation where needed. For a report about working conditions, read the problems found and the evidence of corrections. A plan to fix a problem does not establish that the work was completed.
When should payment to a clothing maker be paused?
Pause payment when business records and bank details conflict, the maker will not identify the factory, or changed payment instructions remain unverified. Pressure to skip sampling before the full order also needs resolution. Request explanations and supporting records, and independently verify bank changes through a known contact before releasing money.
On this page 5 sections
Check a manufacturer before sending money by matching its business records to the factory, testing its ability to make your clothes, and verifying who will receive the payment. A registered business can exist without the proposed factory being suitable for the order.
Separate the decision to pay for a sample from the decision to order all the clothes. The early checks establish who is being paid and what they propose to make. Sampling then gives evidence to review before the larger commitment.
01The business name must connect to the payment details
Ask for the maker's registered business name and address. Compare them across the quote, registration records and invoice, then check the name of the bank account receiving payment.
Different names can have an ordinary explanation. The business selling the clothes may be separate from the factory making them. Ask the maker to explain that relationship in writing and provide documents supporting it. Leave payment on hold while the connection remains unclear.
The official records to check depend on where the business is registered. For a maker in India, request its GST registration number and check it through the official GST portal. Its taxpayer search can show the registered name, status and address details. Compare those with the quote and payment instructions. The government's GST welcome kit describes the search facility.
Those records establish business details. They do not show which factory will make the clothes or how well it will follow the agreed instructions.
02The factory must show relevant work at a named address
Start with a written description of the clothes. Include the fabric and measurements, how the clothes should be made, and the quantity for each design and colour. State the delivery window.
Ask for examples of comparable clothes and an explanation of how yours would be made. General catalogue photographs offer little evidence about a particular construction. Questions about the fabric, printing or measurements help reveal whether the maker is working through the details behind the quote.
Get the address of the proposed factory and ask which work happens elsewhere. Printing or washing may take place at another site. Record who is responsible for that work and its approval, and request evidence for those locations where relevant.
A live video walk-through should follow the work your clothes require. Ask to see the relevant machines and clothes being made, then how materials are checked and finished clothes inspected. A showroom tour leaves those questions unanswered. A visit adds evidence, while samples and document checks still have their own jobs to do.
03A sample tests how the maker follows your instructions
Before commissioning a sample, agree what it should demonstrate. The document that tells the maker what to make should contain the measurements and material details, including buttons, zips or other parts where used. Record the payment terms alongside it.
Look beyond appearance. Check the measurements and construction against the instructions, and record any material changes. Notice whether the maker raised questions before filling gaps with assumptions.
After each review, send one dated set of comments identifying the sample version. Keep the measurements and requested changes in that record. Instructions scattered across messages, calls and photographs can allow an old decision to return in the next sample.
Discuss the minimum a maker will run early, including any separate fabric minimum. Fabric production and clothing assembly can have different requirements. Resolve colour and material choices before fabric is committed for the full order: a later change may affect cost and delivery. Keep the approved sample as the reference that production is checked against.
04Certificates and reports must cover the factory doing the work
Request complete, current certificates. Match the business name and physical address, then read which products and activities the certificate covers and when it is valid. A certificate for another location does not automatically apply to the factory proposed for your clothes. Check authenticity with the issuing organisation where needed.
For a report about working conditions, read beyond the cover page. Establish which site was visited, when the visit happened and what was examined. Read the problems found and the proposed corrections. Work carried out elsewhere needs a separate check if the report does not cover it.
A written plan to correct a problem is a plan. Ask for evidence that the correction happened and check whether it was independently verified where needed. Keep earlier reports with the latest one so repeated problems remain visible. These documents describe the work assessed at a particular place and time; product quality still needs its own checks.
05Release payment only when the records agree
Before the full order, ask for references relevant to the clothes being discussed. Speak to them through contact details you can independently confirm. Ask whether the finished clothes matched the approved sample and how delays or quality problems were handled.
Check that the quote describes the approved clothes. Fabric choices, finishing and packing can change what is included, so compare offers against the same written instructions. Read the payment terms and required documents alongside the production schedule and approval dates.
Verify changed bank instructions independently through a known contact before releasing money. Pause if the maker refuses to name the factory, pressures you to skip sampling, or leaves conflicting records unresolved. Request the missing explanation and supporting evidence. The basis for proceeding is a connected record of the business, the clothes, the factory and the agreed payment.
Sources
Official sources and further reading are linked below. Regulations change; confirm current requirements for your product and market.
GST welcome kit for new taxpayers →