The 12-point supplier vetting checklist

A good quote from a bad supplier is the most expensive thing you can buy. Run these twelve checks before any first order — most take minutes, and together they filter out the vendors that would have cost you a season.

Identity & track record

• Business registration — verify the legal entity, address and registration number in official registries.
• Years in business — startups can be fine, but a 2-month-old “factory” quoting everything is a flag.
• References — ask for two customers in your region or industry, and actually call them.
• Online footprint — a real site, real employees on LinkedIn, consistent branding across channels.

Capability

• Certifications — ISO 9001 as a baseline; FDA, UL, CE, FSC or industry-specific where relevant. Ask for the certificate PDF and check validity.
• Production capacity — can they hold your volume at your deadline alongside their existing book?
• Quality process — who inspects, at what points, against which standard? Vague answers here predict vague product.
• Samples — judge a production-line sample, not a hand-finished showpiece.

Commercial red flags

• Payment terms — 100% upfront to a new counterparty is a no. Start with a deposit structure or escrow.
• Price far below the field — when one quote is 40% under everyone else, the difference usually comes out of your product.
• Evasive on the factory — traders posing as manufacturers add margin forever. Ask for the production address; consider a third-party audit for large orders.
• Trial order — whatever the vetting says, start smaller than they want and scale with performance.

Make vetting cheap by multiplying candidates

Vetting feels expensive when you only have two candidates — every rejection restarts the search. When an AI sourcing agent brings you fifteen comparable quotes, you can afford to be ruthless: discard on the first red flag and still have a strong shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

What's the single most predictive check?

References plus a production-line sample. Paper credentials can be arranged; a happy long-term customer and a representative sample are hard to fake.

Should I audit every supplier?

No — scale the vetting to the stakes. A $3,000 trial order needs registry + references + sample. A $300,000 annual program justifies a third-party audit and a site visit.

Does HireDov vet suppliers for me?

Dov logs each supplier's verifiable details and flags inconsistencies, so your shortlist arrives pre-screened. Final qualification — references, samples, audits — stays in your hands.