Chinese Business license - is it real, how to verify and avoid scams

[imron]

Sorry for seeming rude, however this thread is now 100 posts long, and every other week there is someone new asking the exact same question that would have been answered if the poster had read the first post, read the link and educated themselves about this type of scam. Read this whole thread and you'll see my responses gradually get more and more short and now I'm typically only curt when someone could have solved the problem themselves - and yes I do always check using the exact same methods mentioned in the first post and that link before making a blunt response.

@adrianlondon, I've thought about it but people don't want to pay (see previous posts about donations that no-one ever came good on - even the ones that promised they would), plus I don't want to open myself up for liability when someone orders from someone that is legitimate but gets scammed anyway, plus why should anyway trust some random guy on the Internet (me).

[adrianlondon]

plus why should anyway trust some random guy on the Internet (me).

My business idea is to charge people to tell them how trustworthy you are.

[roddy]

I suspect anyone smart enough to pay for the advice would be smart enough to not need it. This is a perfect example - the site couldn't possibly be more dubious, and reading the first post (not even the article linked to) should make that clear to any but the most optimistic. And yet someone's somehow concluded that it's 'ok' and when told it's not thinks a second opinion will make a difference. Greed is trumping sense.

I'm increasingly intrigued by the possibility of running one of those sites though. And telling people it's legit when they post on here . . .

[SuperJ]

Hi,

Sorry to make my first post this question, but I saw the excellent advice that has been given on this thread, particularly by imron.

I am looking to do business with a company and they have given me their import license scan and told me their co reg number is: 110108010586189 (I dont know where to check this?)

Huatec Group Coperation

B-706 Chenyuan Building, Jiancaicheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China

Tel.: 86 10 51654906

Fax: 86 10 51654926

http://www.huatecmeter.com/

http://www.ndt-instrument.com/

http://ndt-instrument.en.alibaba.com/aboutus.html

They seem to go by Huatec Group and Beijing NDT Instrument Co., Ltd. I assume the latter is their registered business name and the former is their brand name. The slightly confusing thing was I typed their import license number into http://lic.ec.com.cn:6804/index1.htm (thanks imron!) and it said Instrument Technology Co., Ltd. Beijing Branch China and Thailand (but I think this was Google Translate mistranslating a bit?). However the import export license has the english part as Huatec Group Coperation (misspelling of corporation?) which isn't the same, but maybe the company states what its english translation is and it doesnt have to be Beijing NDT Instrument Co on the certificate? A native speaker who can read it would help a lot!

Their bank account details are in the name of Huatec Group Coperation (so not an individual)

Things seem legitimate but any input welcome...

License scan:

Edited October 16, 2009 at 02:42 AM by imron
changed the imgshack link to the full-size picture, rather than the thumbnail.

[imron]

You are correct about Google mistranslating. One of the characters in their Chinese name is the same as an abbreviation for Thailand, and Google is just doing a literal translation of the characters.

Anyway, when typing the import/export license number into that page, the returned result matches the name of the company on the image you provided.

A WHOIS lookup on the domain shows that the website was first created in 2006, which would also be unlikely if this was a scam.

For Beijing-based companies, you can verify the business license on the website of the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce. A search for the number you provided returns a match for the same Chinese name listed on the import/export license.

So, it would be fair to say that Huatec Group Coperation is a legitimate company (and yes, Coperation is almost certainly a misspelling - but that is not uncommon in the English names of Chinese companies), with a legitimate export license. NDT Instrument Co is probably a child-company which makes sense as it looks like this is the export-focused side of the business.

This is not to say that they are a reliable/trustworthy company, just that it is a legitimately registered company. You still need to exercise the same amount of caution you would when doing business with anyone, and you also need to make sure that the people you are dealing with are actual employees of the company, instead of people just using the company's name and license number. If you're ordering large quantities from them you probably also don't want to pay everything up front as then you have little recourse if the quality is bad/doesn't meet your expectations etc.

It's also worth pointing out that if you send money by bank transfer, you have no recourse should things go wrong. You might therefore consider something like a Letter of Credit. If you do send money via bank transfer, also note that Chinese banks are incredibly picky on having the exact spelling of the account name, and have been known to reject transfers that have missed a . at the end, or not included Co. Ltd if that was part of the account name etc. Which is to say, double check with them to confirm their exact bank details and make sure the name you specify matches this precisely.

[missingmymarina]

Hi there, I have read the forum and clicked the links. I am sorry if I am confused and missing something. I can not verify this company at all. If you could help me, it would be greatly apprecaited..

Star Harvest

registion number is 441900601912419

Company Name: Star Harvest Jewelry Co., Ltd

Street Address: Changan

City: Dongguan

Province/State: Guangdong

Country/Region: China

Zip: 523882

Telephone: 86-769-85386106

Fax: 86-769-81553722

Website: http://www.starharvestcn.com

Thank you. I know that you wrote that the info is in the forum. Just the sites I use from here and seach, I can not find any information.

Christy

[James Johnston]

They look fairly genuine or at least not obviously fake.

The zip code, telephone number and address match up and their internet page has been registered a few years.

[Lu]

@Imron, every time I read this thread I was more and more impressed by your endless patience, you must have saved a lot of people a lot of money by now. I second Roddy's idea to make money off this thread.

[imron]

@Lu people don't want to pay. Basically there are two types of posters looking for help here:

1) People looking for cheap electronics.

2) People looking to do legitimate business with a Chinese company.

The former outnumber the latter probably by 10 to 1, and you have no real hope of these people paying anything - after all, their main concern is price, and are simply not willing to pay.

Experience in this thread also shows that the latter are not willing to pay either, even if it's only a voluntary donation of whatever amount they think appropriate. I'm sure it might be possible to convince a some proportion of these to pay for the service, however the number is going to be so small as to be not really worth it.

[snarehead]

Hello There

I am in contact with a suppler in china for computer components. I really want to place my first order with them but i am worried. They have allowed me to purchase a sample of them first. and there prices are NOT CHEAP! there around the price i would expect to pay for. they have also made a few statements which has made my head start ticking. for example they will not send me a Image of the product until I have place my order. there payment options are T/T Western union and Moneygram. If anybody can please help with this to find out if there legitimate words just cant explain how grateful i will be. business licence picture and company name/address as follows. many thanks.

Business Licence

http://www.gpspassion.com/upload2/License.jpg

Company Name / Address

SHENZHEN LIANHUA ELECTRONIC CO.,LTD

Tel:0086-755-81587368

Address:11H Hangdu Building,Huafu Road,Futian District,Shenzhen City,China

Company Website

http://www.0086-755.com

Thanks Again

Dan

Technoheadz

[James Johnston]

About as genuine as a porn star's cleavage, I'd have thought.

'Established 17 years', but with a website that's been around less than two months and registered with a hotmail account as a contact.

Their website makes claims to 'Barclaycard Merchant Services' but don't accept payment by credit cards.

'Internet shopping is safe' accredited. Did you check? If not, why would you post a question here without checking first?

Come on, if you want to succeed in business you'll really have to show a little more nous.

[roddy]

Same company came up a page earlier. If they're charging what you'd expect to pay, there's no advantage in using them . . .

Hmmm, compare and contrast . . .

Their license

This one I found looking for more info.

Digits and names different, glare and blemishes identical. Looks like the bosses name has been photoshopped in, look at the way the verticals run compared to elsewhere. Plus where the numbers are different, they're all digits that appear in the same number - hence I wager they've been copied and pasted . . .

Edited October 19, 2009 at 05:29 PM by roddy

[snarehead]

@ James Johnston & Roddy

Thank you for your replys. I feel extreamly embarresed for asking the question in the first place. But the positive is you both have tought me something today. and now i feel confident that i can look into this myself. Now that i have read the very first post it has enough information there to show me all i need to know. I do appoligise and thank you again for your views and helpfull thoughts!

Many Thanks

Dan

Technoheadz

[Lu]

@Imron, I know, I actually meant this business idea:

I'm increasingly intrigued by the possibility of running one of those sites though. And telling people it's legit when they post on here . . .

[imron]

Ah it makes sense now

[krilovsky68]

I ask to give information about a company:

Company Name: Jinan Mao Shu Trading Co., Ltd.

Street Address: ROOM 608 NO 51 XIAOWEI SECOND ROAD JINAN CITY

City: JINAN

Province/State: Shandong

Country/Region: China

Zip: 250000

Telephone: 86-531-85605653

Mobile Phone: 13793130134

Fax: 86-531-85605653

Website: http://jnmsmy.en.alibaba.com

what is it possible to set from foregoing data?

I ask to give a help.

[adrianlondon]

I'm not sure if this thread should continue. Everyone asking just registers to ask one question, doesn't say what type of business they're in, gets the info ("they're dodgy, are you crazy?") then never logs in again.

[roddy]

We're also seeing the same companies come up more than once.

[James Johnston]

krilovsky68:

Read this from Alibaba's own website.

[Patronic]

I know this type of question has been posted

before and I don't want to seem ignorant

but I have tried ways to verify a company but am not able completely

sure. The only way for me to find out a conclusion is to check their buisness license

certificate but the only problem is I cannot read chinese.

Would someone please lend their time to check out this

certificate and tell me if it's fake.

This would be highly appreciated.

Certificate:

http://www.tradevv.com/chinasuppliers/hualong2002/certificates/Business-Liscence-A7cf.jpg

Company Name:

Hualong Electronic& Digital Trade co.,Ltd