Supplier Vetting

How to vet a Bali supplier: the 20 checks I run before I trust one with your order

By Sasha, ExportBali Sourcing Agency. Updated August 2026

Finding a supplier in Bali takes five minutes. Finding one who produces consistently, communicates clearly, and does not vanish with your deposit takes real checking. This is the checklist I work through before I let a client commit money to anyone, written so you can use it yourself.

The honest reason I made this checklist

Because Bali is known internationally and feels exotic to foreign buyers, it draws two kinds of operator: genuine craftsmen with real workshops and real production capacity, and middlemen who collect deposits, subcontract badly, and disappear when something goes wrong. From the outside the two can look identical.

Nothing removes all risk. But asking the right questions early filters out most of the second kind before any money moves. Work through this before you place an order with a new supplier. Some checks you can do before you make contact, some come up in the first conversation, some you only confirm at sample stage.

Before you make contact

These you can check independently, before you send a single message.

• They have a physical address you can find on a map. Search it on satellite view. Does it look like a workshop or a factory, or a house? This alone removes a large share of pure middlemen.
• Their website shows real production photos. Workers, machinery, raw material, work in progress. Perfect lifestyle photography with no sign of a workshop is often lifted from other sites.
• They are a registered business entity. Legitimate exporters operate as a PT or CV. Ask for their NIB, the single business identification number now used across Indonesia. Older firms may still refer to a SIUP. A real supplier hands this over without hesitation.
• They leave a trace beyond their own website. Customs-data tools like ImportYeti or Panjiva log real shipment records, which are hard to fake. Complete invisibility outside a supplier’s own site is worth noting.

In the first conversation

Reasonable questions to ask any new supplier. A good one expects them.

• They give specific examples of past export orders. Not “we ship worldwide”, but named product types, volumes and destinations. Specifics mean they have done it before.
• They know the export documents your destination needs. Certificate of origin, fumigation certificate for wooden goods, phytosanitary certificate. Confusion here is a warning sign.
• They are clear about real production capacity. Units per month, lead time for your order size. “We can make whatever you need” is a warning, because every workshop has limits.
• They send a written proforma invoice promptly. A professional supplier answers a genuine enquiry with a document, not just a number on WhatsApp.
• They do not ask for full payment upfront. Market standard in Bali is a 30–50% deposit with the balance before shipment. A request for 100% from a new, unvetted supplier should be declined.
• They can point to a reference or a repeat buyer. Not every supplier will share client details, but a flat refusal to evidence any track record is a yellow flag.

At the sample stage

• The sample proforma invoice is properly formed. Full business name, address, registration number, and a bank account in the company’s name. A personal account request for a business payment is a red flag.
• The sample arrives in professional packaging. How they pack one piece tells you how they will pack a container. A sample damaged by poor packing is a warning.
• The sample matches the spec. Measure it. Check material and finish against what was described. Unexplained discrepancies now predict a production run full of them.
• They handle feedback constructively. When you flag a discrepancy, do they engage and offer to fix it, or become defensive and go quiet? This exchange tells you how disputes will go later.
• The workshop is verified to exist. Best by a visit in person. If you cannot travel, a local agent or independent inspector can go on your behalf. Never place a large order with a supplier whose premises nobody has seen.

Before you place the production order

• The timeline is in writing with specific dates. “About six weeks” is not a timeline. A written confirmation should state start date, completion date and inspection date.
• Payment terms are in the written agreement. Deposit amount, when the balance is due, payment method, and what releases the goods. Both sides confirm in writing.
• Packaging is specified and priced. For sea freight goods need wrapping, crating for fragile items, corner protection. Confirm what is included and what is extra.
• You have a named contact with a direct number. A specific person responsible for your order, not a general inbox that may go unanswered.
• You know what happens if goods do not match the sample. Ask directly. A good supplier has an answer. One who evades the question is telling you something.

The five red flags: stop if you see these

• Full payment demanded before production starts. The most common setup for a loss. Once they hold your money and nothing has been made, you have no leverage. Full upfront is not standard practice in Bali.
• Payment asked into a personal bank account. A registered business is paid into a business account in the company’s name. A personal account means the business is informal or the payment is being diverted. Either way, stop.
• They go silent after the deposit. Immediate quiet after a transfer is not “busy in the workshop”. It is the clearest signal something is wrong. Chase at once, do not wait.
• No evidence of any past export. A supplier who claims to export regularly but cannot produce one previous packing list, invoice or bill of lading is either very new or not honest about it. Your order should not be their first experiment.
• Website photos that are not theirs. Reverse image search them. If they appear on other supplier sites or come back as stock, you are not seeing their real products or workshop.

Most of these show up early, if someone is there to see them. I describe how they play out in real cases in how to avoid sourcing scams.

Green flags: signs of a supplier worth keeping

• They volunteer information you did not ask for. A confident supplier tells you their timelines, export process and sample policy without being pushed. They want to be trusted and show it.
• They push back on unrealistic expectations. A real maker tells you when a timeline is not achievable or a quantity is below their minimum run. Agreeing to everything often means they have not thought about whether they can deliver.
• They show you the workshop. On request, by video, or by welcoming a visit or an inspection. Openness about the premises is a strong positive.
• They have repeat clients. The most reliable signal is that buyers come back. A supplier with a multi-year relationship with a European wholesaler is almost certainly sound.

Get the printable checklist

This is the version to take with you: all 20 checks plus the red and green flags on a clean, tickable sheet you can keep open during a first call or carry to a workshop visit. Enter your email and I will send it over.

Frequently asked questions

Not sure about a supplier you have found?

I visit the workshop, check production capability, review export history, and give you a straight assessment. Ask me before you transfer money, not after.