Why a checklist beats a factory visit you cannot make
Most first orders go wrong before the deposit, in the gap between what a supplier says and what a buyer can check. A factory visit closes that gap, but few first-time buyers can make one — and a visit answers “does this plant exist”, not “will this order ship to the specification”. This checklist is the substitute: twelve checks, each with the question to ask, the answer that holds up, the answer that does not, and where you can verify it independently. It takes about twenty minutes per supplier and it produces a written record you can hold them to later.
Unitex is one of the suppliers this checklist is designed to test. We are a sourcing and supply-chain management company, not a factory: production runs at partner factories in Fujian that hold amfori BSCI social audits, with OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification available for the fabrics used. Run the twelve checks on us the same way you run them on anyone else — the page is written so you can.
The twelve checks
| # | Check | The question to ask | The answer that holds up | The answer that should worry you | Where to verify independently |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legal identity | What is your exact registered company name, and the registration number? | A full legal name that matches the bank account and the invoice, plus a business licence you can check against the national credit system | A trading name only, a name that differs from the one on the quotation, or reluctance to share the licence | China’s National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT), searchable by the Chinese company name |
| 2 | Who actually produces | Do you own the production facility, and which site will make my order? | A straight answer — either “we own it, here is the address” or “we are a sourcing company, the site is X”. Both are legitimate; ambiguity is not | “We have our own factory” with no address, or a site that changes between calls | Ask the same question twice, weeks apart; a real answer stays the same |
| 3 | Social audit | Which site holds the amfori BSCI audit, and may I see the report? | A report that names the site producing your order, with an audit date inside its validity window and a rating you can read | A logo on a page with no report, or a report for a different site than the one producing your order | The audit company’s own records (for BSCI, the amfori platform the report number lives on) |
| 4 | Material certification | What OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate covers the fabric I am ordering, and which product class? | Certificate number, issuing institute, product class, the articles covered, expiry date — matched to the composition and weight on your order sheet | “We are OEKO-TEX certified” as a sentence, with no number, no class and no expiry | The issuing institute’s certificate lookup, using the certificate number |
| 5 | Test reports | Which laboratory tested the finished garment, and what parameters? | A report naming the tested article and the parameters — pH, formaldehyde, azo dyes, colour fastness — dated for the material you are buying | An undated report, or one describing a different article | Call the laboratory and quote the report number |
| 6 | MOQ structure | Is the minimum per style, per colour, or per order — and does it apply to a trial? | A written breakdown: minimum per style and colour, what a trial costs, whether trial pieces count toward the bulk | A single number with no definition, or “it depends” without a range | Compare two quotations for the same spec; an unclear MOQ shows up as a price that moves |
| 7 | Sampling terms | What does a sample cost, how long does it take, and is the sample fee credited against the bulk order? | A stated fee, a stated lead time (stock fabric versus custom), and a stated credit rule in writing | Free samples with no timeline, or a fee policy that changes after you pay | The quotation and the sample invoice — they should agree |
| 8 | Fabric specification | What is the composition and the weight in g/m², and who supplies the fabric? | Composition, weight, and a named mill or a clear statement that the fabric is bought to specification | “Cotton” as the whole answer; no weight, no yarn type | Ask for the fabric certificate and match the article to your order |
| 9 | Inspection standard | What AQL will you apply, who inspects, and do I get the report? | A stated AQL level (2.5 is common for apparel), a named inspector, and the report sent to you before shipment | “We check everything” with no standard and no report | Commission your own third-party inspection for the first order; compare their findings with the supplier’s |
| 10 | Lead time, broken down | How many days for sampling, for bulk, and what starts the clock? | Separate figures for sampling, bulk production and transit, plus the trigger (sample approval and deposit, not the order date) | One total number, with no statement of what starts it | Ask for the last three shipment dates on a comparable order |
| 11 | Payment terms | What is the deposit, the balance trigger, and which account receives it? | Terms in writing, and a bank account whose name matches the legal entity in check 1 | A balance due before inspection, or payment to a personal or third-party account | The bank’s own confirmation of the account name — this single check prevents most losses |
| 12 | Defect remedy | What happens if the goods fail inspection or arrive short? | A stated remedy — rework, replacement, credit — with a time limit | “We never have problems”, or a remedy that depends on goodwill | Nothing verifies this in advance; it is the reason checks 9 and 11 matter |
How to run it in twenty minutes
- Send the twelve questions as one written list before any call. Written answers are comparable across suppliers; verbal answers are not.
- Mark each answer as “document attached”, “stated but undocumented”, or “not answered”. A supplier who documents eight of twelve is a different proposition from one who documents two.
- Verify checks 1, 3, 4 and 11 independently — legal entity, audit, material certificate, bank account name. These four are cheap to check and expensive to get wrong.
- Keep the answers. They become the reference you point at when the second order drifts from the first.
The pattern to look for is not a missing document — documents go missing for mundane reasons. It is an answer that changes when you ask again. Consistency under repetition is the cheapest test of a supplier you have.
What this checklist cannot do
It cannot tell you whether the factory will hold the tolerance on a bonded seam, or whether the fabric will behave on the tenth wash. Those are answered by a pre-production sample and a wash test, not by paperwork. It also cannot substitute for an inspection on the first order: the checklist tells you whether to place the order; the inspection tells you whether to pay the balance.
Is Unitex a manufacturer? No. Unitex is a sourcing and supply-chain management company. Orders are produced by partner factories in Fujian that hold amfori BSCI social audits, with OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification available for the fabrics used — and the audit report or material certificate always names the site producing your order, which is check 3 and check 4 answered the way this page asks for.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.