Most supplier selection mistakes are not about picking a bad factory. They are about picking a factory based on incomplete information, because the questions that reveal the real answer never got asked before the deposit was sent.
Factory or trading company?
This is the first question, and it is the one most buyers skip. A trading company can be a legitimate and useful partner, but you need to know you are working with one, since it changes your pricing, your minimum order quantity, and how much direct control you have over quality on the line.
Actual production capacity, not claimed capacity
A factory eager to win your order will often say yes to a volume or timeline it cannot comfortably hit. Confirming real capacity, equipment, workforce size, current order backlog, takes an in-person visit or a proper audit, not a claim on a sales call.
Track record with your specific product
A factory that makes something adjacent to your product is not the same as a factory with real experience making your product. The tolerances, materials, and quality standards can differ enough that “we make something similar” does not guarantee they can make yours right the first time.
Communication and responsiveness before you have leverage
How a factory communicates before you have placed an order, and before they have your money, is usually the best signal for how they will communicate once a problem comes up mid-production. Slow, vague, or evasive answers early on rarely improve later.
How we handle it
We verify each of these in person before you commit: whether you are dealing with a factory or a trading company, whether their stated capacity holds up, and whether they have real experience with your specific product. That is what separates a sourcing decision made on facts from one made on a good pitch.