What a trading company pretending to be a factory looks like
They show you a factory they do not own. They use stolen line photos, or now an AI video. Then they quote like a factory. The real factory price sits 15 to 25 percent higher. You think you found a deal. You found a middleman, or a shell with no plant at all. Ask for a live walk-through of your goods on their line before you pay any deposit.
The price gap is the first tell
A real factory has rent, wages, and machines. It cannot beat another factory by 15 to 25 percent on the same goods. It still has to make those goods. If one quote is far under the others, treat it as a trading company or a ghost. Do not treat it as a win. Ask them to explain the gap in writing before you send money.
How to check the photos and the video
Reverse-search every factory photo they send. If the same line shows up on another site under another name, stop. You are not looking at their floor. New scams use AI video of a plant that does not exist. Ask for a live call. Have them show your product on the line while you watch. Ask for a newspaper or today's date on a phone in the shot.
Questions that a real factory can answer
Ask for the factory address you can drop a pin on. Ask for the Chinese business licence number. Ask who owns the export company on the invoice. Ask whether they will do a live video of your goods on the line. A real plant answers these in a day. A pose stalls, sends a brochure, or changes the subject to price.
- What is the full factory address? Can I share it with my freight agent?
- What is your business licence number? I will look it up.
- Is the company on the invoice the same company that makes the goods?
- Can we do a 10-minute live video of my product on your line this week?
- Who is the export agent if you are not the exporter?
- What deposit do you ask for, and when is the balance due?
What our numbers show, and what they do not
As of 15 September 2026 we list 1,220 sellers. 514 are trading companies. 485 are factories. 86 factories sit at 4 or 5. 73 trading companies do too. A 4 or 5 means we found more public buyer comments. It is not a stamp. We do not check suppliers. We are not an escrow. We report what buyers said in public.
| Operator type | Sellers listed | At 4 or 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Trading company / wholesaler | 514 | 73 |
| Factory / manufacturer | 485 | 86 |
| In-country importer-vendor | 133 | 29 |
| All listed sellers | 1,220 | 219 |
Checklist before you send a deposit
Do not pay until you have done these six things. Reverse-search the photos. Do a live video of your goods. Get the licence number. Get a pin on the factory. Get the deposit in writing. Keep every receipt. If they rush you past this list, walk away. A real plant will still be there tomorrow.
- Reverse-search every factory photo and pause any AI-looking video.
- Do a live call. Your product, on their line, with today's date in frame.
- Write down the factory address and drop a pin. Ask your freight agent if they know it.
- Ask for the business licence number and the name on the invoice.
- Agree the deposit in writing. 30 percent is common. 100 percent today is not.
- Keep the chat, the invoice, the live recording, and the payment receipt in one folder.
If you already paid and they went quiet
Call your bank or payment provider the same day. Ask if they can freeze or recall the transfer. That window is often 24 to 48 hours. File a report with your local consumer body. If you are in Nigeria, that is the FCCPC. Do not pay anyone who messages you offering to recover the money. Recovery fraud is the second hit.