When sourcing products on Alibaba.com, you probably have seen suppliers with the Verified Suppliers badge–you may have even purchased from them. Have you ever wondered how they’re verified to become accredited suppliers in the first place? This article gives you an insider tour on what it takes for an Alibaba.com supplier to proudly show their Verified badge to you.
To qualify as a Verified Supplier, a supplier needs to have their business–including any factories–inspected. Alibaba.com partner with independent, world-renowned institutions to carry out such inspections. Verification service providers such as SGS, TÜV Rheinland, and Intertek check the supplier’s documentation online and perform on-site inspections to assure that the expertise of our suppliers is accurately reflected.
Online verification
Our verification partners carry out independent research on the identity and the business of the supplier. They may do it through online research, making a phone call, checking the website, or looking at potential databases. This step is to make sure that the claims made by the supplier are true and accurate.
Another step of online checking requires the supplier to upload proof of certificate to a designated site. For example, to show that the supplier has developed a sophisticated quality management procedure, the supplier needs to upload an ISO 9001 certificate. Other types of documents used for verification include product certificates, product inspection report, and trademark and patent documents. Once the upload is complete, the verification service provider will verify the authenticity of the certificates.
On-site inspection
In addition to performing online verification, our verification partners will also visit the site of the supplier’s company or factory to conduct inspection tasks. During the company visit, they will talk to the employees and supervisors as well as inspect the operation details of their finance and marketing departments. During factory site visits, R&D, production lines, workshops, and quality control lines are all thoroughly inspected. The supplier can also commission an on-site video that showcases the environment of the workplace–offering a virtual tour of the business.
Verification with government agencies
Our verification partners are also responsible for verifying the legal validity of the supplier’s business, including business type and ownership status. This is done by setting up an appointment with the local bureau of industry and commerce. The relevant customs agency can verify the list of exporting markets, market distribution, and annual export revenue of the supplier.
Supplier capabilities
The supplier can also have their capabilities verified by our partners. You can find capability tags listed for each supplier under the manufacturer tab of Alibaba.com homepage.
Once the verification process is complete, our partners will upload the records and relevant results to our platform. As a buyer, you will be able to download the inspection report for each Verified Supplier by going to Product details > Company profile > Factory inspection reports.
Be on the lookout for the blue “Verified Supplier” badge whenever you’re on Alibaba.com looking to make your next business purchase.
