A 7-point checklist for wholesalers, importers and marketplace sellers. Counterfeit branded toys aren't just a legal problem — they get listings suspended, accounts banned and customers burned. Here's how serious buyers verify a supplier before the first wire transfer.
When you compare two quotes for the same branded line and one is dramatically cheaper, the difference is rarely negotiation skill. In branded toys, an abnormally low price almost always means one of three things: counterfeit goods, opened-box or refurbished stock repackaged as new, or a "supplier" who disappears after the deposit. Every one of those outcomes costs you far more than the money you saved per unit.
The good news: verifying a genuine supplier is not hard. It's a fixed sequence of questions and documents — and a supplier who is real will answer every one of them without drama.
A real trader answers this instantly: which trade channels, which market, and what they can and cannot provide. Be suspicious of vague answers like "factory direct" for brands that sell through controlled distribution — and equally suspicious of anyone claiming to be something they're not. An honest independent trading company that says "we source genuine merchandise through trade channels in China, invoices provided" is giving you verifiable statements. A fake one hides behind buzzwords.
Every genuine supplier can issue a commercial invoice and packing list showing product names, model numbers, quantities and batch numbers. Ask for a sample invoice from a past shipment (with sensitive details redacted) before your first order. If the answer is "invoice no, better price without invoice" — walk away. That discount is the counterfeit margin.
Branded toys carry UPC/EAN barcodes that map to the brand owner's product catalog. Ask which market version the goods are: a US-market line carries US UPC barcodes and English packaging; other versions may differ in language and compliance markings. For marketplace sellers this is critical — version mismatches create listing and compliance problems later. A genuine supplier knows the version of every line they sell. See an example of how we state version status per line →
Genuine merchandise moves through tracked production lots. Your shipping documents should record batch numbers so every carton can be traced back to its production run. This is what protects you if a quality issue ever surfaces — and it's something counterfeit operations structurally cannot provide.
One to five cases across two lines tells you everything: packaging quality, paperwork quality, communication speed, and how the goods actually arrive. Any supplier who pushes you toward a large first order before you've tested them is telling you something. Most serious traders welcome small first orders — our minimums start at a single case.
Compliance requirements differ by market and by product — and since July 2026, US imports of children's products face mandatory CPSC eFiling of compliance data, so documentation quality is now an operational requirement, not a nice-to-have. Ask the supplier to confirm, per SKU and per destination market, which documentation they can provide — before you commit. Honest suppliers confirm per-SKU; dishonest ones say "yes yes all have certificate" to everything.
Standard trade practice for a first order: proforma invoice (PI), then 30% deposit, 70% balance before shipment, paid by T/T to a company account that matches the invoice header. Stock is allocated on payment. If a "supplier" demands 100% upfront to a personal account, that's not a sourcing decision — that's a donation.
| Red flag | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| "Better price without invoice" | The discount is the counterfeit margin |
| Photos only, no model numbers or case packs | No real stock behind the listing |
| Price dramatically below every other quote | Fake, refurbished or bait pricing |
| Can't state packaging version or barcode market | Doesn't actually handle the goods |
| 100% upfront to a personal account | Classic pre-shipment scam structure |
| "Certificates? All have!" — no per-SKU answers | Compliance problems waiting to happen |
Commercial invoice and packing list on every shipment, batch numbers recorded, model numbers that match the goods. Not because you argued for it — because it's how they operate. That's the standard we hold ourselves to →
Clear statements about what they are (an independent trading company), where goods come from, and which documentation applies per SKU. Comfortable saying "this line, no" as often as "this line, yes".
Case-level minimums and mixed test orders offered without hesitation. Confidence in repeat business is the mark of a real operation.
Send an RFQ and judge our answers point by point — invoices, versions, batches, per-SKU documentation.