Most glove “manufacturers” online are not manufacturers. That is not automatically a problem — a good trading company can be a better partner than a mediocre factory — but it is a problem when you believe you are buying from a factory and you are not.
The difference shows up later: in delivery dates you cannot influence, in specifications you cannot change, and in a quality dispute where your supplier has to ask someone else for permission.
Why the distinction matters to a buyer
| Factory | Trader | |
|---|---|---|
| Specification changes | Can adjust liner, gauge, coating on the line | Has to negotiate with a third party |
| Delivery date | Controlled by their own schedule | Controlled by someone else’s schedule |
| Quality dispute | Can rework or remake | Can only relay the complaint |
| Price | Cost plus margin | Cost plus two margins |
| Traceability | Batch records exist | Often no access to batch records |
| Small quantity trial | Can add to a scheduled run | Must buy a full lot first |
The factory route is not always better. A trader with strong QC and consolidated shipping can be more efficient for a buyer ordering six unrelated items. But you should know which one you are dealing with.
Six checks that actually work
1. The business licence and its scope
Ask for the business licence. Check three things: the registered company name, the registered address, and the scope of business. A licence whose scope covers manufacturing is a starting point; a licence whose scope is “trading” or “import and export” only is an answer in itself.
Then check that the company name on the licence is the same name on the quotation, the invoice and the test reports. Mismatches are the most common tell.
2. The factory address versus the office address
Ask for both. Then ask which one the container is loaded from. A supplier who cannot separate the two, or who becomes vague about the loading location, is usually sourcing.
3. A live video walkthrough, on request
Ask for a live call — not a video file — walking from the knitting area to the dipping line to packing. Pre-recorded factory footage is widely circulated and proves nothing. A live call where you can ask them to point the camera at the dipping line and read the batch card is much harder to fake.
4. Test reports with the factory name on them
A CE or EN 388 test report names the applicant and often the manufacturer. Ask for the report for the exact model you are buying and check whose name is on it. A report held by a different company means the model is not theirs.
5. Ask one question only a factory can answer
Examples that separate the two quickly:
- Which knitting gauge is this liner, and how many needles on that machine?
- What is the cure temperature and line speed for this coating?
- What is the coating pickup in grams per pair for this model?
- If I change the cuff length by 20 mm, what changes in the price and the lead time?
A trader can sometimes relay these answers, but the delay, or the vague answer, is informative.
6. A small, specific change
Ask for one concrete modification to a stock item — a different cuff colour, an extra size, a printed label on a stock carton. A factory answers with a setup cost and a date. A trader answers with “let me check with the factory”, and the answer comes back days later and rarely holds.
Documents to request before the first order
- Business licence (with scope)
- Export licence or registration, if they export directly
- Test reports for the exact model, in the buyer’s required standard
- Declaration of conformity, if CE marking applies
- REACH / RoHS declarations if the market requires them
- Product liability insurance, if available
- A specification sheet with grams per pair and coating weight
- Two references from buyers in a comparable market, if they will share them
If a supplier cannot produce a specification sheet with measurable values, the vetting ends there. Everything else follows from having a specification.
Red flags worth taking seriously
- Price moves substantially on the second quote with no specification change
- Sample lead time is under a week for a custom colour
- Factory photos show no batch cards, no weighing scales, no packing area
- The same product photos appear on three other suppliers’ websites
- Willing to accept any MOQ at any specification
- Cannot say which port they ship from
- Test report is a scanned certificate with the model number blank
The middle case: manufacturers who also trade
Many real factories also trade complementary items they do not make — for example, a coated glove factory selling cut-resistant liners from a partner mill. This is normal and useful, provided they say so. A supplier who tells you clearly which items they make and which they source is more trustworthy than one who claims to make everything.
What to ask us
We make coated work gloves on our own knitting and dipping lines, and we say plainly when an item in a quotation is sourced rather than made. If you want to check us the same way you would check any supplier, start with the questions in this article — the contact page goes straight to a person who can answer them.
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad to buy from a trading company? No. Traders can consolidate, handle documentation and offer smaller mixed orders. The problem is only when a trader is presented as a factory, because then the buyer’s assumptions about control and traceability are wrong.
How do I verify a factory without visiting China? Live video walkthrough, business licence scope, test reports in the supplier’s name, and one factory-specific technical question. Combined, these are hard to fake convincingly.
Should I ask for a factory audit? For a first order above a certain value, a third-party factory audit is worth the cost. For smaller orders, the six checks above plus a pre-shipment inspection cover most of the risk.
What if the supplier refuses a live video call? Ask why. Some factories have legitimate no-camera policies on certain lines, but they can usually offer an alternative — a live call from the packing area, or a walkthrough with a third-party auditor present.
Related: how to evaluate the samples you receive and what AQL inspection should cover before the container ships.