Name the kind of review first
There are three different exercises: a buyer's own review before ordering, a third-party audit from a qualified inspection body, and a platform review attached to a transaction. They produce different documents and are relied on differently. Be clear which one your team actually needs before you request evidence.
What can be reviewed remotely
Public company details, product pages and images, sample quality, and whether a supplier answers the same question consistently across conversations. Public footage shows what was recorded on a given day in a given area; it does not describe the whole site or its capacity.
What is worth checking on site
Look at how material is stored, which process steps happen in-house and which are outsourced, the in-process checks you can see, how finished pairs are staged, and how packing and carton marking are controlled. Ask about the step, not only the machine.
- Material and component storage
- Cutting, stitching and assembly areas
- In-process checking points
- Finished-goods staging
- Packing and carton-marking area
Ask questions whose answers stay honest
Capacity, certifications, customer names and complaint history are the areas where a verbal answer is least useful. Ask instead for the specific document you need, issued in the name you need it in, then record who will provide it and when. If a document cannot be shared, note that — rather than accepting a substitute claim.
Write the review as a note, not a verdict
Example: “Observed: stitching and assembly areas, finished-goods staging and packing preparation. Not verified on this visit: capacity, testing equipment, named certification documents. Open: sample revision review outstanding.”
This is a recording convention, not a statement about any specific factory.
