How we verify partner clothing factories in China.

Q: Do you verify the factory is actually real?

Yes. 1688 and Alibaba contain many reseller and fake listings, so Dawn Sourcing physically visits and verifies a factory is a real manufacturer before any order is placed.

Q: How many times do you visit during an order?

At least three visits on every order: before production, to stand in the building before the deposit moves; during production, because when defects appear a factory quietly moves the order down its own priority list and the delivery date goes with it; and at dispatch, before the goods leave for the Yiwu warehouse, where every piece is checked again.

Q: What do you actually look at when you're there?

Four things that must all be true at once: a real production floor rather than a showroom, raw materials on site rather than just a sample, real workers on the line mid-production, and boxed and loaded output — what actually ships. A catalog of photos proves none of them.

We physically visit and verify a factory is a real manufacturer before any order is placed. Many 1688 and Alibaba listings are trading companies relisting someone else's goods, so we check the production floor in person rather than rely on photos.

Updated September 26, 2026

The listing is not the factory.

Anyone can post a catalog on 1688. Whether a real manufacturer sits behind it is a different question, and only a visit answers it.

Checking a supplier before payment? Use the eight-step manufacturer verification guide to compare the legal entity, bank beneficiary, production floor, capacity and quality plan.

A listing

Dawn Sourcing, in person

A catalog of photos — maybe the factory's, maybe not.

We walk the floor ourselves, before any order is placed.

Anyone can claim to be a manufacturer.

We confirm it's real — not a reseller relisting someone else's goods.

No way to check capacity or process from a photo.

Verified up front, so production control and QC have a real floor to work with.

What we check, in person.

A real apparel production floor in China

FloorA real production floor, not a showroom

Racks of fabric rolls stocked in the factory's material warehouse

MaterialsRaw materials on-site, not just a sample

Workers checking and processing finished units on the production floor

LineReal workers on the floor, mid-production

A shipping container loaded to the top with sealed cartons at the end of a run

OutputBoxed and loaded — what actually ships

One visit, photographed.

Sixteen frames from one day on the ground — material store, spreading table, sewing floor, and the last piece opened up before it is bagged.

Finished goods baled and stacked under a covered yard — Finished goods baled and staged in the covered yard

Watch us inspect — on the factory floor.

A real visit, during production — our founder walking the line, not staged for a camera. Press play (captions on).

On the floor, during production — from the founder's own walk-through

Questions about factory verification.

Do you verify the factory is actually real?

Yes. 1688 and Alibaba are full of reseller and fake listings — we physically visit and verify before any order is placed.

How do I know you're legit — not a reseller or a scam?

Fair question for a cold email. Three checks: we visit the factory ourselves before any order; there is no fee for a quote, and you approve a paid sample before any bulk order; and we work from a real office and inspection warehouse in Yiwu that you are welcome to visit.

How many times do you visit during an order?

At least three, every order. Before production, to stand in the building before your deposit moves. During production — the visit people underrate, because when defects appear a factory quietly moves your order down its own priority list and your delivery date goes with it. And at dispatch, one last look before the goods leave for our warehouse. Then every piece is checked again in Yiwu.

What do you actually look at when you're there?

Four things, and all four have to be true at once: a real production floor rather than a showroom; raw materials on site, not just a sample; real workers on the line mid-production; and boxed, loaded output — what actually ships. A catalog of photos proves none of them.