FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions African importers ask most, answered directly. MoneyWave publishes a weekly-refreshed directory of China–Africa suppliers scored from public buyer comments, and settles supplier invoices in local currency. We do not vet suppliers, and suppliers cannot pay to be listed.
Do you find suppliers for me?
No. You pick the seller yourself from the directory and message them directly — that is what the free account opens. Once you have an invoice we can take over the money and the movement: we pay your seller in their own currency, take the goods in at our China warehouse and ship them to Nigeria or South Africa.
How does MoneyWave verify suppliers?
We do not verify them, and we do not claim to. We score public signals — posts, buyer comments, cross-platform footprint, activity and whether a real contact is public — and publish the score with the date we last checked. It is an observation, not vetting, and never an endorsement.
What does the trust signal mean?
It is a 1–5 score summarising how much public, corroborating evidence exists about a seller. A 5 means we found a lot of it: an active account, a corroborating profile elsewhere, a public contact and buyers talking about real orders. It is not a measure of honesty.
Is a low trust signal a scam warning?
No. A low score usually means thin evidence — a young account, few comments, no second platform — not proven bad behaviour. It means do more of your own checking before you commit money, not that the seller is dishonest.
How do I pay a Chinese supplier in CNY?
Enter the invoice amount, add the supplier’s payout details — a mainland Chinese bank account, Alipay or WeChat Pay — and pay in with a local bank transfer, mobile money, Apple Pay or Google Pay depending on your country. MoneyWave converts and pays the supplier in yuan. No Alibaba account is needed.
How long does CNY settlement take?
Usually about ten minutes once your payment has cleared. The variable part is your own pay-in: a card or mobile-money payment clears in seconds, while a bank transfer on your side may take longer.
Which African countries can pay in?
Local currency rails — bank transfer and mobile money — are live for Nigeria and Kenya. Buyers in every other market pay in US dollars from a card held in Apple Pay or Google Pay. The supplier is paid in Chinese yuan either way.
How do I contact a supplier I find here?
Most listings carry a WhatsApp button that opens your own WhatsApp with a first message already written, which you can edit or delete before sending. MoneyWave never sends it and is not part of the conversation — we only compose the link. Phone, email and website are shown too where the seller has made them public.
Do I need an account?
Not to search, sort or read a trust signal — the table is open to everyone, and so is the payment form. An account is free and takes one tap with Google, or a six-digit code sent to your email. It unlocks the seller’s contact details. Paying a supplier never requires an account.
Can I save suppliers to compare later?
Yes. Star any seller and it goes to your saved list, which survives between visits. Sourcing is a comparison exercise — shortlist a few, message them, decide over days — so the shortlist needs somewhere to live. A free account is enough.
Can I leave a review of a seller I have used?
Yes, with a free account: a thumbs up or down and up to 150 characters, one per person per seller. Member reviews are kept separate from the trust signal, which is scored from public comments and never from votes. Reviewers show as a per-listing pseudonym, so your name is not attached and your reviews cannot be linked across the directory.
Why are some reviews locked?
Harvesting, dating and attributing buyer comments is the expensive part of building this directory, and the $9/month subscription funds the weekly refresh. The trust signal, the number of quotes behind it and the last-checked date are free at every tier.
How often is the directory updated?
Weekly. An automated job re-reads the stalest listings first and re-scores them across the more than a thousand listed sellers. Every listing page shows the date it was last checked.
How do I report a listing?
Every listing page carries a report link in the footer. Tell us what is wrong and what the public evidence is; corrections are made against evidence, not on request alone.
Can suppliers pay to be listed?
No — never. Listings are not for sale, placement is not for sale, and no commercial relationship with MoneyWave can raise a score, remove a concern quote or change the sort order. There is no sponsored placement anywhere in the directory.