Buyer verification
How to verify a US importer before you quote
A polished website is not evidence that a buyer is active. Before you spend on samples, freight estimates, or a long proposal, check the company's identity and its latest import activity.
Updated Aug 9, 2026
Confirm the legal identity
Search by the company name and add its website when possible. Names can collide, subsidiaries can share a brand, and a customs record can be filed under an entity a salesperson would not recognize. A domain match is stronger than a name-only match.
Read the last shipment first
A buyer with a recent filing is a different lead from one whose last record is more than six months old. The date is a signal about current activity, not a guarantee that the next order is open to a new supplier.
Then compare the last twelve months with the prior twelve months. Rising volume can justify a timely approach; falling volume calls for a question about what changed.
Understand the limits of customs data
US ocean import records do not show every purchase. Air freight, truck freight, buying agents, confidential filings, and records outside the source's coverage can all create gaps. A thin record means the evidence is incomplete, not that the company does not buy.
- Use supplier count and coverage to judge how much of the record is visible.
- Use China sourcing share to choose between a displacement pitch and a first-sourcing pitch.
- Never publish or export a supplier name as if it were public when the product only reveals it after account access.