Last updated: October 2026 · By the PandaRoads team in China.
Why the longlist matters more than the negotiation
Most buyers get one quote, like it, and start negotiating. The better move is to build a list first, then cut it down.
Building a longlist takes a day of Chinese-language search, and it tells you what the market price looks like. A shortlist of one costs you the ability to walk away.
We deliver the comparison in 2 business days: one working day of Chinese-language research, so the list is ready before your next supplier call.
What a useful longlist contains
Five things per candidate: the registered name, the product line, the city, the price at your quantity, and the MOQ for that price. Registration age comes from the registry, not from the seller.
If a candidate cannot give you all five, that is already a finding. A seller who will not name the company is not a candidate, whatever the photos look like.
How we pick the candidates
Three rules decide who enters the list. Apply them in this order.
The product line matches the specification.
The company has been registered long enough to have a history.
Someone answers in Chinese on a channel you can check, such as a landline answered in the company's name.
We do not rank by price first. If the specification differs in a way the quote does not show, the lower price is for a different product.
The three filters, in order
The first filter is the cheapest: paste the license number into GSXT and read the status and the registration date. It is free, and the basic name and code search works without an account; parts of GSXT now ask for a real-name login.
The second filter is scope: a trading company selling you a manufactured item is not automatically a problem, but the plant belongs to someone else. Ask whose line it is before you negotiate the price, and keep the answer in writing.
The third filter is the address: put the registered address next to the one on the quote. A mismatch is a question, not a verdict. Ask which one it is, in writing.
When the whole longlist looks the same
If every price lands within a few percent, you are probably looking at traders quoting the same factory. If every company sits in the same trading district and none owns a line, the list is a list of intermediaries.
That still tells you something: the factory is one step further back, and the on-site day should go to the address behind the trader.
What the comparison looks like
One row per candidate: the five facts above, plus registration age from the registry.
Under the table, a short list of what did not fit. The seller who would not name the company. The one whose listed scope did not mention the product. The one whose price moved between two messages.
When two candidates are close
Stop comparing the price. Compare what the table cannot show.
Who answers questions in writing. Who can put the license on the wall during a video call. Who has shipped this specification before, at this quantity.
If it is still tied, pick the one you would rather have a problem with, and spend the on-site day on that one. If a dispute starts, you want the supplier you can still talk to.
How many should survive
Three suppliers are usually enough to compare. Five give you a spare if one drops out during sampling.
More than five candidates at the sampling stage is a scheduling problem, not a better decision. You will be chasing parcels from several cities and comparing them weeks apart.
What to ask each survivor
Ask every survivor for the same answers, in the same format: a price at your quantity, the MOQ for that price, the lead time after deposit, and the packaging dimensions.
Identical questions make the answers comparable. Different questions make a spreadsheet that looks full and decides nothing.
Before you email anyone
Sort the longlist by registration age, oldest first, then by city. Group the ones in the same industrial cluster, because a single trip can cover several visits when the addresses are close.
Then send the same request to all 3-5 candidates: your specification, the quantity, the destination port, and the date you need the goods. The replies tell you more than the table.
A candidate who answers a different question than the one you asked is telling you how the order will go.
Ways to get the list
| Route | What you get | What it costs | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | A list you build and check in Chinese | Your time | You read Chinese and have weeks |
| Remote request | Five candidates screened, five seller facts plus registry age, three filters, English report | $129 per request, 2 business days | You need the list before your next supplier call |
| On-site day | A person at the address | $239 per on-site day | The deposit is large and the paper looks fine |
The desk work narrows the list. The visit confirms the factory exists at that address, which is a different finding from a clean registry.
What we don't do
We don't sign contracts for you, pay your supplier, or guarantee a price. We take no kickbacks from factories and no percentage of your order. You pay us, and only us.
Price card
| Task | What it covers | Price (USD) | Billed | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote research (supplier shortlist) | Chinese-language search, five candidates screened, registration age, English report | $129 | per request | 2 business days |
| On-site factory verification | A person at the address, license on the wall, production floor, photos and written report | $239 | per on-site day, starting at departure | report the same day |
| 1688 price check | One product priced across 3-5 sellers, MOQ and packaging notes | $129 | per request | 2 business days |
Questions buyers ask
How many Chinese suppliers should I contact?
Three to five is enough to compare and still keep a spare. More than that makes sampling and scheduling harder, not the decision better.
Can you find suppliers for a product I have not sourced before?
Yes. We run the search in Chinese; whether a candidate fits is what the report says, not what we promise.
How do you check whether a supplier is real?
The license number against GSXT, the registration date, the business scope and the registered address. The address check is where the paper and the quote most often disagree.
Do I need to visit China to screen suppliers?
No. The shortlist work is done remotely and delivered in 2 business days. If the order is large, an on-site day at $239 confirms the factory before the deposit moves.
What if the cheapest supplier has no business registration?
Then it is not on the list. A low price from a company that does not exist on the registry is a price you cannot use.
The short version
Bottom line: build the longlist before you negotiate. Three to five candidates, five seller facts plus registry age, then three filters: registry, scope, address.
As of 2026 PandaRoads delivers that comparison for $129 in 2 business days, and adds an on-site day at $239 only for the shortlist that survives.