Checking whether a supplier makes the proposed product

Ask the supplier to name the exact product it proposes to supply and the production steps it performs. Compare that account with your brief.

A catalogue page, factory photograph or stock sample may show access to similar goods. None alone establishes who makes your proposed version.

Define the production claim

Decide which step matters for this order: the finished item, a critical component, assembly or a customised finish. A business may perform some steps and source others. You need to know which operations it controls and which depend on another party.

Give the candidate a dated brief covering essential materials, construction, variants and quantity range. Ask it to mark each requirement as something it currently produces, could develop, would source elsewhere or cannot supply. Request a revised description for any proposed alternative.

Trace the relevant work

Ask for the name and location of the business performing the critical step, what happens there and what work is done elsewhere. Identify who will invoice you and who may approve a change of producer or production site. If the seller cannot disclose a producer, record the gap and ask what evidence it can provide instead.

Request product-specific material that bears on the claim. Depending on the item, this might be a production specification, process description, tooling details, a recent example of the same construction or a discussion with a production contact. Check that each item refers to the proposed version. Documents and images supplied by a seller remain claims to assess.

Ask about one critical feature

Choose a feature that matters to the order, such as a joining method, material grade or finish. Ask how and where that step is completed, who checks it and what would change if the specification changed. Compare the answer with the supplier’s written product description.

For example, a seller might show a sewn pouch while leaving unclear who sets its closure. The useful question is whether the proposed production route can deliver the specified closure and who will address a defect. This is an illustrative case, not a finding about a real supplier.

If the goods will be supplied to Australian consumers, seek safety evidence for the proposed item. ACCC guidance calls for attention to factory controls and relevant testing. Even a safety-tested pre-production sample generally needs further quality assurance before later goods can be relied on.

State what the evidence establishes

Record the product version, material reviewed and one bounded finding: production role explained, partly explained with named gaps, or claim unsupported. Genuine company details do not establish that the business makes this item. An Australian business address does not establish Australian manufacture. The ACCC educates consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities under consumer law, and can investigate if a business breaks the rules about country of origin claims.

This is an initial capability enquiry. Company and factory verification, samples and product-specific compliance remain separate decisions before an order.