Start with what they actually ship
Ask a supplier for references and you get the customers they chose. Look at their shipping history and you see all of them.
From customs records you can establish:
- Whether they export at all, and to which markets — a supplier claiming European experience but with no recorded shipments there is worth a second question.
- Their real scale, by volume and declared value over time.
- How concentrated their customer base is. A supplier with one dominant buyer is exposed: if that buyer leaves, your order becomes their priority in a way that is not comfortable for either of you.
- Whether their volumes are growing, flat or falling — a falling trend is worth understanding before you commit.
Then the things customs records do not tell you
Records show trade behaviour, not financial health or legal standing. These have to come from elsewhere:
- Registered identity and ownership. Is the entity you are contracting with the one that ships? Corporate structures with several similarly-named entities are common, and the distinction matters when something goes wrong.
- Credit standing. Company credit data — where it is available — indicates whether the business is financially sound, not just busy.
- Litigation and sanctions exposure. Screening the entity and its owners against restricted-party lists is a basic step that is often skipped.
One practical note: if the shipping entity and the contracting entity differ, ask why in writing and keep the answer.
A sequence that avoids the common mistakes
- Confirm the supplier's export history exists and matches what they told you.
- Check the entity you will actually pay is the one with that history.
- Check ownership and any related entities.
- Check credit standing if the order size justifies it.
- Screen against sanctions and restricted-party lists.
- Start with a small order regardless of what the checks show.
Where to go next