Methodology
How the MoneyWave Trust Signal works
The MoneyWave Trust Signal is a 1–5 score summarising how much public, corroborating evidence exists about a seller — not whether they are honest. As of August 2026 it is applied to 322 listed China–Africa sellers and refreshed weekly. It is an observation, never an endorsement, and suppliers cannot pay to be listed or to raise it.
Corpus — Checked today
What goes into the score?
Five public signals, sampled from the seller's own accounts: how much reach the account has, how recently it posted, whether a real contact method is public, whether the same operator can be corroborated on a second platform, and whether buyers report good or bad experiences in the comments.
| We read | We cannot read |
|---|---|
| Public posts and their engagement | Private chats, DMs and WhatsApp groups |
| Buyer comments under those posts | Orders that never produced a public comment |
| Whether a contact method is publicly listed | Whether that contact is ever answered |
| The same operator’s presence on another platform | Offline reputation and trade references |
| How recently the account posted | Deleted comments and hidden replies |
Is a low Trust Signal a scam warning?
No. A low score usually means thin public evidence — a young account, few comments, no corroborating profile elsewhere — rather than proven bad behaviour. Read it as “we could not corroborate much, so do more of your own checking”, never as an accusation.
Does MoneyWave verify suppliers?
No, and we are careful never to claim it. Verification implies we checked documents, premises or trade references; we did not. We read what is public, score it against a fixed rubric, and print the date we did so.
That distinction is the whole product. A directory that says “verified” without verifying anything is worth less than one that says exactly what it looked at.
Can suppliers pay to be listed?
No. Listings are not for sale, placement in the table 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.
How often is it refreshed?
Weekly. An automated job re-reads the stalest listings first, re-samples their posts and comments and re-scores them against the same rubric. Every seller page shows when it was last checked, so you can see how old the evidence behind a score is.
How is the score displayed?
On a 1–5 scale, as a numeral and as a five-segment bar carrying the same value — never colour alone. A seller we have not yet scored shows “not yet scored” rather than a zero, because an unscored seller is not a badly scored one.
Operator types — what each kind of seller actually does
Every listing is classified into exactly one of these 17 operator types. The difference between them is who carries which risk, so it is worth reading the one that applies before you send a deposit.
- Affiliate & Platform Recruiters
- Earns a commission for signing importers up to someone else’s importation platform or course. Recruits buyers rather than sourcing goods.
- Community & Expo Organisers
- Runs importer groups, trade trips or expos. Sells access and introductions rather than product.
- Corridor Educators & Creators
- Publishes how-to content about importing from China. Usually monetises through courses, ads or affiliate links rather than orders.
- Chinese Factories & Manufacturers
- Makes the goods. Typically has a high minimum order quantity and expects a specification rather than a shopping list.
- Freight Forwarders & Logistics
- Moves the goods and handles customs clearance. Does not find or buy from the supplier for you.
- Import/Export Agencies
- A registered agency offering several of sourcing, payment, forwarding and clearing as a package.
- Importation Coaches & Academies
- Teaches importing as a paid course or mentorship. Sells knowledge, not goods.
- Importation Platforms & Apps
- A software product that handles ordering, consolidation or payment for importers, usually with its own fee structure.
- Chinese Warehouses in Africa
- A Chinese-owned warehouse or shop operating inside an African market, selling imported stock locally.
- In-country Importer-Vendors
- An African-based trader who imports and resells locally. You buy from stock they already hold.
- Pre-order & Group-buy Vendors
- Collects orders from many buyers, then places one consolidated order in China. Lower minimums, longer waits, and your money is committed before the goods are bought.
- Procurement Agents
- Buys from a supplier you have already chosen — usually a 1688 or Taobao cart — then receives, consolidates and ships. Does not do the finding.
- China Sourcing Agents
- Finds and qualifies suppliers on your behalf, negotiates in Chinese, samples, and manages quality control. Paid a commission or a finding fee.
- Supplier-List Sellers
- Sells contact lists of suppliers. You get names; the sourcing, negotiation and risk stay with you.
- Chinese Trading Companies & Wholesalers
- Buys from factories and resells, usually at lower minimums than a factory with more flexibility on mixed orders.
- Vendor Curators & Reviewers
- Publicly reviews and recommends other vendors. Often paid or affiliated, so treat recommendations as advertising until corroborated.
- Wholesale Markets & Malls
- An account representing a stall or unit in a physical Chinese wholesale market — Guangzhou and Yiwu are the common ones.
Product lines
The 19 product categories a listing can carry as its main line.
- Any Product
- No fixed product line — sources whatever the buyer specifies.
- Auto Parts & Vehicles
- Vehicle spares, tyres, accessories and occasionally whole vehicles.
- Bags & Luggage
- Handbags, backpacks, suitcases and travel goods.
- Beauty & Cosmetics
- Skincare, make-up, lashes, nails and salon supplies.
- Clothing & Fashion
- Ready-to-wear clothing, including boutique and bale stock.
- Fabrics & Textiles
- Rolls, lace, ankara and other material sold by length or weight.
- Furniture & Decor
- Furniture, lighting and interior decor items.
- General Merchandise
- Mixed household and consumer goods with no single specialism.
- Hair & Wigs
- Bundles, closures, frontals, wigs and hair-care goods.
- Home & Household
- Kitchenware, cleaning goods and everyday household items.
- Jewelry & Accessories
- Fashion jewellery, watches, belts and small accessories.
- Kids & Baby
- Children’s clothing, toys, prams and nursery goods.
- Machinery & Industrial
- Production machinery, tools and industrial equipment.
- N/A (non-sourcing account)
- Not a product seller — an educator, community or service account.
- Perfume & Fragrance
- Perfume oils, designer-inspired fragrances and packaging.
- Phones & Electronics
- Phones, accessories, small electronics and gadgets.
- Services Only (no product line)
- Sells a service — forwarding, clearing, payment or advice — not goods.
- Shoes & Footwear
- Footwear of all kinds, including sportswear and bulk stock.
- Solar & Energy
- Panels, inverters, batteries and other energy equipment.
Reuse and attribution
Public directory fields — display name, handle, platform, category, product line, buyer and base country, and the Trust Signal — may be reused with attribution to MoneyWave and a link to the seller's MoneyWave page. Buyer review quotes, sentiment analysis, score rationales and contact details may not be republished.
- Machine-readable copy of the public tier: /directory.json
- Compact markdown for agents: /llms-full.txt and /llms.txt
- Attribution format: “MoneyWave China–Africa Supplier Directory, moneywave.me”, linking to the specific listing.
Frequently asked questions
How is the MoneyWave Trust Signal calculated?
We sample a seller’s public posts and the buyer comments underneath them, then score reach, how recently they posted, whether a real contact is public, whether the same operator can be corroborated on another platform, and whether buyers report good or bad experiences. The result is displayed on a 1–5 scale.
Does MoneyWave verify suppliers?
No. We score public signals and publish the score with the date we last checked. It is an observation, not vetting, and never an endorsement. Always verify a supplier independently and start with a small order.
Can suppliers pay to be listed or to raise their score?
No. Listings are not for sale, placement is not for sale, and the score cannot be bought or appealed. If that ever changes it will be stated on this page before it takes effect.
How often is the directory updated?
Weekly. An automated job re-reads the stalest listings first, re-samples their posts and comments and re-scores them. Every listing shows the date it was last checked.
Why are some buyer reviews locked?
Harvesting, dating and attributing buyer comments is the expensive part of the work, and the $9/month subscription funds the weekly refresh. The score, the number of quotes behind it and the last-checked date are free at every tier.
How do I report or correct a listing?
Every listing page carries a report link. Corrections are made against public evidence, and a delisted account keeps its page with a visible notice rather than disappearing silently.