01
Order under review
| Client | Northwind Home Ltd, Manchester, UK (anonymised) |
|---|---|
| Order reference | NW-2026-114 |
| Proforma invoice no. | PI-2026-0831-A |
| Order value | USD 18,400 (30% deposit = USD 5,520) |
| Payment status at time of check | Not yet paid — this report is valid for the pre-payment window only |
| Product | Recycled PET storage boxes, 4 SKUs |
02
The five names
Each name was taken verbatim from the document in the Source column. Nothing has been corrected, translated or tidied up.
| # | Role on the order | Name as written | Source document | USCC | Same entity as #2? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quoting party | “Amy Chen, Sales Manager” | Email signature + WhatsApp profile | — | ⚠ No company named |
| 2 | Company on the PI | NINGBO HARMONY HOUSEWARE CO., LTD. | Proforma invoice PI-2026-0831-A | 91330206MA2XXXXX7K | baseline |
| 3 | Bank account holder | SHENZHEN YUHANG TRADING CO., LTD. | PI bank details block | — | ✗ No |
| 4 | Customs-registered exporter | NINGBO HARMONY HOUSEWARE CO., LTD. | Customs registration record (报关单位备案) | 91330206MA2XXXXX7K | ✓ Yes |
| 5 | Actual factory | NINGBO HARMONY HOUSEWARE CO., LTD. — Plant 2 | Site visit 15 Oct 2026 + gate plate | 91330206MA2XXXXX7K | ✓ Yes |
In plain English. Three of the five names resolve to one legal entity (#2, #4, #5). Two do not: the bank account (#3) belongs to a different company registered in a different city, and the salesperson (#1) does not state who she works for. The bank account is the gap that matters — if the account holder is not your contracting party, you have no contractual claim on that money.
03
Verdict
C
Two or more names differ, or the bank account holder is not the invoicing company.
Do not send the deposit. Get the names reconciled first — or switch supplier.
| Grade | Definition | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| A | All five names resolve to one legal entity. Differences are punctuation or translation only. | Proceed. Keep this report with the contract. |
| B | Four of five resolve. One name differs but is explained by a document you hold. | Proceed only if the explanation is in writing on the PI or contract — before you pay. |
| C | Two or more differ, or the bank account is not the invoicing company, or the factory cannot be tied to the licence. | Do not send the deposit. Reconcile the names first. |
04
What each gap means
| The gap | What it usually means | What it can cost you |
|---|---|---|
| #2 ≠ #3 | Payment goes to a different legal person. Common with a trader collecting for its factory, a Hong Kong entity, or a personal account. | The highest-risk gap. If the account holder is not your contracting party, you have no contractual claim on the money. |
| #2 ≠ #4 | The invoicing entity may not be on the export record. Goods may leave under another company’s name. | Customs and import documents name a third party — harder to claim, harder to prove origin. |
| #2 ≠ #5 | You are buying from a trading company. Legal, and often sensible for small volumes. | Typically a 10–25% margin, and no direct recourse against the factory if quality fails. |
05
What was checked — and what was not
✓ Checked
- Company exists, legal name and credit code — public registry
- Credit code structurally valid (18-digit check digit) — offline calculation
- Credit-code region against the address on the PI — digits 3–8 decoded
- Industry classification, manufacturing or wholesale — registry sector code
- PI company vs bank account name — character-by-character comparison
- Customs registration in the exporter name — registration record
- Actual factory — site visit, gate plate, address matched to licence
- Shipping activity — US bill-of-lading records, shipper name
✗ Not checked, and why
- Bank account ownership — banks do not disclose account holders. We compared the name on the PI to the name on the licence. We did not contact any bank.
- Product quality — needs sampling and lab testing. A different service.
- Financial standing — needs credit bureau data. A different service.
- Litigation and enforcement history — Chinese court databases are not reachable from outside mainland China.
- Employee headcount — not publicly available outside mainland China.
- Air, courier and LCL shipments — bill-of-lading data covers US ocean freight only.
06
Disclaimer
- This report reflects the findings as of the issue date only, based on documents supplied by the client and publicly available company-registry records. Company status can change after this date.
- This report is a verification of legal identity and document consistency. It is not a guarantee of product quality, conformity, delivery performance, financial standing or solvency, and it is not a credit rating.
- We did not contact any bank, and make no representation about who owns or controls any bank account. The bank-account row is a document comparison only.
- The customs row is based on registration records and public bill-of-lading data for US ocean freight only. Absence of records does not equal absence of shipments.