Your eyes on the ground in Zhejiang, Jiangsu & Shanghai
Before you send a deposit, I check a fixed list of items on your supplier: official registry records, and on a visit, what is actually at the registered address. You get an itemized checklist with screenshots, photos and video within 24–48 hours, and you make the call. I'm one local person based in Haining. Factories within a same-day round trip are covered.
What I check
Every job is a fixed checklist. For each item I record what I checked, where the information came from, what I found, and the evidence (screenshot, photo or video). I don't add opinions or ratings. You read the facts and make the decision.
Company registry check
All I need is the supplier's company name (it's on their Alibaba store, quote or invoice). I pull their public records from China's official business registry and professional databases such as Qichacha: registered name, credit code, legal representative, capital, founding date, address, business scope and status. Each item comes with a screenshot. If you send me a license photo, I also record whether it matches the official record.
Owners, risks & address
Shareholders and related companies; abnormal-operation listings and administrative penalties; court cases, enforcement and dishonest-debtor records; and the registered address on a map and satellite view. Everything is recorded as Found / Not found, with a screenshot.
Registered-address visit
I go to the registered address and photograph the gate, signage and company name on the building. The report records whether the name on site matches the registry, and what is at the address (production floor, office, showroom) as I saw it.
Photo & video walk-through
40+ timestamped photos and a short video of the production area, warehouse and sample room. If the factory doesn't let me see an area, the report records that as a finding.
Machines, lines & workers counted
I count the machines, active lines and workers I could see during the visit and write down the numbers and the time. These are observed counts from one visit. I don't estimate capacity.
Your questions, asked in Chinese
On a visit I ask your questions in person and write down the answers. You can also join a live video call (up to 30 min); I translate both ways and point the camera wherever you ask.
Coverage: same-day round trip from Haining
Haining sits between Hangzhou and Shanghai on the high-speed rail line, so I can reach most of the Yangtze River Delta's export clusters and be home the same night. Travel times below are typical door-to-door estimates.
| Zone | Cities / districts | Typical industries there | One-way travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Haining, Jiaxing, Tongxiang (incl. Puyuan), Haiyan, Pinghu, Jiashan | Leather & leather garments, warp-knit fabrics, home textiles, sofa fabric, sweaters/knitwear, luggage | < 1 h |
| B | Hangzhou (incl. Xiaoshan, Yuhang), Shaoxing (incl. Keqiao), Huzhou (incl. Zhili), Shanghai, Suzhou-Wujiang | Apparel, fabrics & textile market, children's wear, silk, general manufacturing | 1–1.5 h |
| C | Ningbo (incl. Cixi, Yuyao), Yiwu, Zhuji, Suzhou city, Wuxi, Anji | Small appliances, molds & plastics, small commodities, socks, furniture, electronics | 1.5–2.5 h |
Not on the list? Ask anyway. If I can't get there and back in one day, I'll tell you up front and won't take the job.
Pricing (USD)
Pick a base package, then add items from the add-on lists. Fixed prices, travel included. You pay by PayPal once we agree on the items. If something isn't on these lists, I don't offer it.
Desk Check
- Registry record: registered name, credit code, legal representative, registered capital (and paid-in, if shown), founding date, address, business scope (incl. whether "manufacturing / 生产" appears), status
- Shareholders & related companies
- Abnormal-operation list / administrative penalties
- Court cases, enforcement & dishonest-debtor records
- Registered address on map + satellite screenshot
- Screenshot evidence for every item
- Delivered in 1–2 working days
Haining / Jiaxing visit
- All Desk Check items
- Photos of gate, signage and company name at the registered address
- 40+ timestamped photos + short video: production area, warehouse, sample room
- Count of visible machines, lines and workers at the time of the visit
- Your questions asked in person
- Optional live video call (up to 30 min)
- Report within 24–48h of the visit
Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Huzhou, Shanghai
- Same items as Zone A visit
- Train / taxi included
- Report within 24–48h
Ningbo, Yiwu, Suzhou, Wuxi
- Same items as Zone A visit
- Full-day trip, travel included
- Report within 24–48h
Desk add-ons
| Add-on | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Phone / WeChat call in Chinese | +$15 | I call the supplier and ask up to 5 questions you provide. Answers recorded and summarized in English |
| Payment-detail match | +$10 | Registered name vs. invoice / PI header vs. bank beneficiary vs. store entity, using documents you send. Each recorded as Matches / Does not match |
| Certificate lookup | +$10 / certificate | Looked up on the issuer's database, where one exists. Holder, number, status and dates recorded with a screenshot |
| Customs / trademark / patent lookup | +$10 | Customs registration, registered trademarks and patents under the company name, with screenshots |
| Extra supplier desk check | +$20 | Base Desk Check items for each additional supplier, ordered together |
On-site add-ons
| Add-on | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Sample / QC visual spot check | +$40 | Up to 50 units checked against your spec sheet. Measurements and defects counted, with defect photos |
| Safety & social-compliance observation checklist | +$40 | Fire exits & extinguishers, machine guarding, PPE, chemical storage, electrical hazards, signs of underage labor, posted working hours, dormitory if shown. Observations with photos; not a certified audit (see FAQ) |
| Second factory, same city, same day | +$50 | Same visit items for the second factory, with its own checklist |
| Rush visit (within 2 working days) | +$30 | Subject to availability |
Not offered
✕Conclusions, ratings or buy / don't-buy recommendations
✕Legal opinions
✕Certified AQL inspections, lab tests, BSCI / SMETA / ISO audits
✕Product certification (CE, FDA, etc.)
✕Holding or forwarding payments
✕Customs clearance or freight
✕Debt collection
If it's not on the lists above, I don't offer it.
What the report is: a record of what I checked and observed on the stated dates, with evidence. It is not an opinion on the supplier, and it is not purchasing, legal or financial advice. All decisions are yours.
For comparison: large inspection firms typically charge around $270–$400 per inspector-day in China and use certified AQL sampling. If your order or your customer requires that, book one of those firms directly.
What you get: the report
An itemized checklist with evidence. Delivering it completes the order.
- Order summary: the items you ordered
- One row per item: what was checked · source · finding · evidence #
- Findings in plain terms: Found / Not found / Matches / Does not match / Could not verify
- Evidence appendix: numbered screenshots, timestamped photos, video link
- Items I could not verify, and why
- No verdicts, scores or recommendations; you decide
| Item | Finding | Ev. |
|---|---|---|
| Business scope includes "manufacturing / 生产" | Found | E03 |
| Name on building gate vs. registry | Matches | P01 |
| Bank beneficiary vs. registered name | Does not match (beneficiary: a Hong Kong company) | E12 |
| Printing equipment on site | Not found | P05–P07 |
| Sewing machines visible, 10:40 | 28 (22 operators present) | P03, V1 |
Fictional example, for illustration only.
How it works
From first message to report in about a week, faster when the factory schedules quickly.
Brief
Send the supplier's company name or link, the product, the city and your deadline.
Pick items
Choose a base package and any add-ons. I confirm the item list and fixed price, usually within 12 hours.
PayPal payment
Desk checks are paid upfront. Visits: 50% deposit to book, balance before the full report is released.
Check / visit
I run the desk items, arrange the time with the factory and go. Optional live call while I'm there.
Checklist + evidence
You get the itemized report and evidence files. That completes the order. Questions about how an item was checked are answered for 7 days; new items are a new order.
About me
Hi, I'm Talley. I live in Haining, Zhejiang, between Hangzhou and Shanghai, and Chinese is my native language.
Why I do this. One evening, scrolling through Reddit, I kept reading the same story: a small business owner overseas wires a deposit to a "factory" they found online, and it turns out to be a trading desk, a fake address, or nothing at all. Flying to China to check a supplier in person costs more than many small orders are worth, so they take the risk and sometimes lose money they can't afford to lose. It also hurts the many honest factories here, whose reputation gets dragged down with the scammers. That didn't sit right with me. I live a short train ride from thousands of real factories, so I decided to become the pair of eyes these buyers can't send themselves.
My background. From 2024 to mid-2025 I spent about a year and a half at a power transmission belt factory in Jiangsu as the production safety manager, and I also worked hands-on on the production line. I know what a real, well-run floor looks like from the inside, and what it looks like when corners are being cut. Before that I worked at a real estate company in Shanghai, running projects and dealing with government departments, so Chinese paperwork and official processes are familiar ground. I studied pharmacy in Hangzhou, which taught me to work from a checklist and write down only what I actually see.
I know a number of factory owners around Haining, where many factories make leather goods, textiles and knitwear, and I'm comfortable around industrial parts such as belts, rubber products and machinery components. If your product is outside what I know well, I'll tell you up front.
How I work. I do the right thing and give you the true result, even when it's not what you hoped to hear. I work for you, the buyer. I never take money from factories. I'm an independent individual, not an inspection company, and I don't hold audit certifications. What I offer is simple: I go, I look carefully, and I write down what I find, with evidence, in plain English.
Off the clock you'll find me hiking somewhere on my own, reading, or playing a round of Hearthstone on my PC.
What I do
✓Fixed checklist items: registry, records, address
✓On-site photos, video, counts, live calls, translation
✓Add-ons from the price list only
✓Evidence for every finding
✓A clear list of what I could not verify
What I don't do
✕Conclusions, ratings or buy / don't-buy advice
✕Legal opinions
✕Certified AQL / lab tests / BSCI / SMETA / ISO audits
✕Product certification (CE, FDA, etc.)
✕Holding or forwarding payments
✕Customs, freight or debt collection
FAQ
Will you tell me whether to work with this supplier?
No. I give you the facts and the evidence; you decide. My reports don't contain verdicts, ratings, risk scores or buy / don't-buy recommendations, only itemized findings with screenshots, photos and video.
Can you do something that isn't on your lists?
No. I only offer the base packages and the add-ons listed in Pricing. If an item isn't there, I don't offer it, and I'll say so rather than improvise.
Are you a certified inspection company?
No. I'm one person working independently, with no certifications. If you need a certified AQL inspection, a social-compliance audit or lab testing (often required by retailers or for regulated products), use a firm like QIMA, V-Trust or SGS. What I offer is a local person who checks a fixed list of items and documents them, which suits small orders where a $300+ inspection doesn't make sense.
How is your safety & social-compliance checklist different from a BSCI, SMETA or ISO audit?
Mine is an observational checklist from one pre-arranged visit, based on my experience as a production safety manager. I record what I can see (fire exits, extinguishers, machine guards, PPE use, chemical storage, wiring, anyone who appears underage, whether working hours are posted, the dormitory if I'm shown it) and photograph it where allowed. I don't interview workers in private, review payroll or time records, or issue a certificate or score. Retailers that require BSCI, SMETA or ISO will not accept my report as a substitute; for that, use an accredited audit firm.
Does the factory know you're coming?
Yes. I contact them in advance, as your representative or simply as a buyer visiting. I don't do covert or undercover visits. If a supplier won't let a buyer's representative in, the report records the refusal as a finding.
What if the factory refuses or cancels?
If they refuse before I travel, you get your deposit back minus $10 for my time. If I arrive and get turned away at the gate, I photograph the site and surroundings, record what I could check, and charge 50% of the visit price.
How do I pay?
PayPal, in USD. Desk checks are paid upfront. Visits: 50% deposit to book, balance before I release the full report. I never handle money meant for your supplier.
How fast can you go?
Desk checks: 1–2 working days. Visits: usually within 3–5 working days of your deposit, depending on when the factory is free. Rush visits within 2 working days cost +$30, if I'm available.
Will you recommend suppliers to me?
No. Sourcing and supplier recommendations aren't on my service list. I don't take money or commissions from any factory.
Is my information kept confidential?
Yes. Your company name, product details and report are shared with nobody else. I only tell the factory what's needed to arrange the visit.
Can you check a factory outside your coverage area?
Only if I can get there and back in a day. For farther cities (Guangdong, Fujian, etc.), I'll say no rather than charge you extra for a trip I'm not set up to do well.
Get a quote
Send me: (1) the supplier name or link, (2) the product, (3) the city if you know it, (4) desk check or visit, plus any add-ons, (5) your deadline. I reply within 12 hours (China time, UTC+8).
- Email: [email protected]
- WhatsApp: Chat with me on WhatsApp