You should, and before you place an order. An agent acting for you has no reason to hide the factory's legal name, its production address or its registrations.
If an agent will not name the factory, they are usually protecting a margin or a payment from the supplier. Treat it as a warning sign, and ask the question again in writing.
Why agents sometimes hide it
Some agents and traders fear that you will go around them and buy direct. Others are buying from a different factory each time and do not want you to notice. Some take a payment from the factory and do not want you to ask about it.
None of these reasons protects you. They protect the middleman.
Why the name matters to you
- You can check the factory's registrations yourself.
- You can visit or send someone to audit it.
- You can check that the invoice and export documents come from the same company.
- You can claim against the right party if goods arrive wrong.
- You can keep buying from the factory if you change agents.
- You can spot a substitution when a later lot comes from somewhere else.
How to make sure you get it
Ask for the factory's legal name and production address on the shortlist, not after the deposit. Make the factory the seller on the purchase contract and the exporter on the shipping documents. Pay the factory directly, to an account in its own name. Our guide on paying the factory directly or through the agent explains why.
Then check that every document matches. If the commercial invoice or the bill of lading names a different company, ask why before you pay the balance. The documents to look at are listed in the document pack your broker will ask for.
Will I then cut the agent out?
Some agents worry about this, and it is a fair concern for them. The answer is to agree the agent's role and fee in writing, not to hide the factory. An agent who adds real value through audits, inspection, loading and claims will be kept on because the work is useful. An agent whose only value is a secret name has little to offer. If you do part company, a clean handover of reports and contacts should be in the agreement.
What about confidentiality?
Knowing the factory's name does not mean everyone else does. Your agent should keep your suppliers, specifications and prices confidential, and many buyers put that in an NDA. Read can a sourcing agent sign an NDA.
Next step
We never hide a factory's name, and we do not substitute a factory after you have approved one. To see how our shortlist reports work, book a free sourcing review.