Verify a Chinese Buyer: Nigerian Exporter Checklist

Verify a Chinese buyer before committing export stock: match the company, contact, contract and payment arrangements, then record unresolved checks clearly.

Verify a Chinese Buyer: Nigerian Exporter Checklist

Verify a Chinese buyer before reserving a large quantity of produce, paying an unfamiliar intermediary or releasing export documents.

A registered company can be real while the person contacting you is an impersonator. A genuine employee can also propose an order the company has not authorised.

For Nigerian exporters, the practical task is to connect the company, representative, purchase order and payment arrangements. Each needs its own evidence.

This guide provides a buyer-check workflow. It does not report an investigation into a named business or guarantee that a buyer will pay.

What should you request from a new buyer? #

Start with a short company-information request before sharing sensitive commercial documents or committing stock.

Ask for:

• The full registered Chinese company name.
• The Unified Social Credit Code.
• A current copy of the business licence.
• The registered address and operating address.
• The contact’s name, position and company contact details.
• The legal entity that will sign the purchase contract.
• The intended payer, importer and delivery recipient.

These roles may belong to different businesses. That is a reason to investigate and document the arrangement, rather than automatically accepting it or calling it fraud.

An English trading name can help communication, but use the exact registered identity when checking the company.

For finding prospects in the first place, use our Chinese buyer sourcing guide. This checklist begins once a prospect approaches you or responds.

What can the Chinese company registry establish? #

China’s National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System is the official starting point for checking a mainland Chinese company’s registration record.

Compare the licence against the available record. Review the registered identity, status, address and other relevant information. Save the date, source and findings.

Access may involve verification or technical restrictions. If you cannot retrieve a record, mark the check incomplete. Do not turn a failed website connection into a conclusion that the company does not exist.

Ask a competent Chinese reader or professional checker to interpret unfamiliar entries. A translation app can help you navigate, but important discrepancies deserve a proper explanation.

Registration does not prove that the person messaging you works there, that the company has money available or that it can import your particular commodity.

A large registered-capital figure is also not evidence that the buyer has that amount ready to pay your invoice.

How do you check the person contacting you? #

Use contact details found independently of the incoming message where possible. Reach the company through a separately established channel and ask it to confirm the representative’s role and the proposed purchase.

Check the actual email address and domain spelling, not only the displayed sender name. A familiar logo or photograph can be copied.

A video call can clarify names, roles and purchasing requirements. It cannot by itself establish legal authority, ownership of premises or ability to pay.

Ask who is authorised to approve the order and sign for the contracting entity. For a significant transaction, have an adviser assess the authorisation and execution arrangements.

If the only evidence is a licence image forwarded by the same unknown contact, the identity link remains unresolved.

Keep sensitive information proportionate to the stage of the deal. Do not send account passwords, verification codes or unrestricted access to business systems as part of a buyer check.

How should the company, contract and payment details match? #

Prepare a simple record linking the parties:

• Contracting buyer.
• Authorised representative.
• Purchase-order reference.
• Paying entity.
• Importing entity.
• Delivery recipient.
• Any agent or intermediary.

For each difference, ask for a written explanation and supporting documents. Have your bank review payment arrangements that involve a different payer or unfamiliar third party before accepting the structure.

A genuine group company or trade intermediary may have a valid role. The explanation must still fit the contract, banking requirements and shipping documents.

Use our getting paid by a Chinese buyer guide to discuss payment methods with your bank. A buyer check does not replace the protection and conditions of the chosen payment arrangement.

Likewise, a payment screenshot does not establish that funds are available for you to use. Confirm receipt and any relevant conditions through your own bank.

Our Form NXP guide covers the Nigerian export-proceeds process. Confirm current requirements with your authorised dealer bank for the actual transaction.

What should happen when important details change? #

Pause the affected action and verify the change independently.

Changes can include a new payer, replacement bank instructions, a different contracting company, an unexpected inspection provider or a request to release documents to someone else.

Do not rely only on a reply within the email conversation announcing the change. An account or conversation can be compromised.

For example, suppose an established buyer suddenly asks you to pay a “refundable approval charge” to an unfamiliar company. Treat that as a new payment request requiring its own explanation and verification.

Ask what service is being purchased, who provides it, why it is required and whether the requirement can be confirmed with the relevant organisation. A convincing buyer profile does not validate every later fee.

Record who approved the change and the evidence used. If important questions remain unanswered, keep the affected payment, release or commitment on hold while you investigate.

What should you check beyond the buyer’s identity? #

Check whether the proposed trade itself is workable.

Confirm the exact commodity, form, origin, specification, quantity, packaging and intended use. Establish who is responsible for any required product admission, registration, permits and inspection.

A company willing to buy your product is not proof that the product can currently enter China from Nigeria.

Our GACC registration guide is a starting point for relevant registration questions. Registration and commodity market access must be checked separately for the actual goods.

Use the export documents guide to identify the documents your transaction may require. Do not create certificates merely because a buyer sends a template.

For the broader sequence, read our Nigeria-to-China export guide.

To verify a Chinese buyer responsibly, finish with a written decision record:

• Company identity: checked, incomplete or inconsistent.
• Representative and authority: evidence obtained.
• Contract, payer and importer: matched or explained.
• Product admission and documents: confirmed or outstanding.
• Payment protection: discussed with the bank.
• Unresolved issues: owner and next action.
• Decision: proceed within agreed limits, investigate further or decline.

A smaller first transaction can limit exposure, but it does not replace these checks or guarantee the next order.

ChinaBridge Global can help organise buyer information and coordinate agreed checks. Confirm the scope, fees and limitations before the work begins.

What do Nigerian exporters commonly ask? #

Does a business licence prove the enquiry is genuine? #

No. It identifies a claimed company. You still need to connect that company to the person, order and proposed transaction.

Is a Chinese buyer with no English website automatically suspicious? #

No. Investigate the registered identity and operating evidence. The absence of an English website alone does not establish fraud.

Does a company stamp settle every contract question? #

No. A stamp image alone does not establish authenticity or authority. Obtain appropriate advice on the actual contract and how it will be signed.

Should I accept a different company paying the invoice? #

Ask why and obtain documentation. Have your bank review the proposed arrangement before relying on it.

Can a reference from another exporter replace my checks? #

No. A reference may provide useful evidence, but establish its independence and relevance. Your product, payment terms and transaction may differ.

What if the registry cannot be accessed? #

Record the limitation and obtain suitable assistance or alternative supporting evidence. Do not claim the check was completed.

Can any checklist guarantee payment? #

No. Verify a Chinese buyer alongside appropriate contracts, product checks, banking arrangements and controlled release of goods and documents. Record what remains uncertain.

First published 29 Oct 2026. Last checked 29 Oct 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.