Factory Visit

The Factory Visit puts a GEB visitor inside your supplier's premises to confirm the place is real, working and capable, with photographs and notes back to you in ten to fifteen working days.

Everything on paper checks out. The records are clean, the reviewer signed off, the quote is good. What nobody has done is stand in the building. You still do not know whether there are machines behind the office door, whether the lines are running, or whether the factory is a desk and a phone.

A video tour is filmed by the supplier, and the supplier chooses where to point the camera. Photographs sent by email can be years old, or belong to somebody else's plant. A real GEB visitor walks the supplier's premises, confirms it is working and capable, and reports back with photos and notes: dated pictures of the floor, the lines that were running, the equipment in the building and the questions the staff could not answer. Available in China and South America only, where GEB has its own people on the ground. If your supplier is elsewhere, use the remote options on this page.

Price: $3,500 — fixed price. Turnaround: 10–15 working days.

The verdict you get: Closes with a clear GEB verdict — proceed, proceed with limits on order size, or stop — plus a confidence level and the one thing seen on site that should change your plan. Not a data dump; a decision.

What you receive

• A half-day or one-day on-site visit by a GEB visitor, arranged and scheduled for you
• 40–60 dated photographs of the premises, the production lines and the equipment
• Written notes on capacity, working conditions and what was actually running on the day
• Confirmation that the company on your contract is the company at the address
• A signed visit report from the person who walked the floor, in 10–15 working days

Best for

• A supplier you plan to place repeat orders with
• Orders where nobody on your side has ever seen the building
• Buyers who cannot travel to China or South America themselves

Not for: Not a guarantee that the supplier will perform, and not an inspection of your goods — a factory can be entirely real and still ship badly. Available in China and South America only. To check the goods before they leave, go to the Pre-Shipment Inspection.

Natural next step: Pre-Shipment Inspection.

Frequently asked questions

Where can you visit?

China and South America only, where GEB has its own people on the ground. If your supplier is elsewhere, use the remote options on this page.

How fast is it?

Ten to fifteen working days. Most of that is scheduling. The visit itself is a half day or a full day, and the report follows within two working days of it.

Does the supplier know we are coming?

Usually yes, because most premises will not admit a visitor otherwise. Tell us in the checkout questionnaire whether you want an announced audit-style visit or a lighter commercial one, and we will say what is possible at that site.