The global economy is now transitioning to reduce its dependency on foreign products, and produce everything indigenously. Initiatives like ‘Make in India‘ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and even the recent push towards US local production by President Donald Trump, are some prime examples. This has given rise to a number of new-age brands that claim to manufacture FMCG and other household goods locally in their respective countries.

However, many of these brands continue to import products from overseas and repackage them, pretending as if it was made locally. Some popular examples include clothing, footwear, consumer electronics such as wireless earphones and smartwatches, as well as various other accessories. Although this is unethical, these brands often exploit loopholes in laws, which makes it legal to operate. As responsible citizens, one should be able to identify such companies. Here’s a guide to check whether a company is importing products from China and fooling innocent customers.

Identify Company Name

Businesses often use creative names for their branding, but the actual company name is different on paper. For example, Frido, a popular brand in the ergonomic cushion industry, is owned by Arcatron Mobility Private Limited. Similarly, the actual name of boAt, the consumer electronics brand, is Imagine Marketing. Here’s how you can identify the proper name of a company. We have demonstrated this example for Seven, a clothing and sports wear brand by the star cricket player MS Dhoni.

1. Open Google and search for “parent company of Seven Clothing”. Replace Seven with the brand name that you are trying to search for. You can also include some keywords if the brand name is not that popular.

2. The first few search results will reveal the company name. In this case, the company name of Seven is ‘RS Seven Lifestyle Private Limited’.

3. We will use this company name to find out the import history of the business.

Check Import History of the Company

When a private company imports raw materials or finished goods from overseas, they have to declare this information to the customs department as per trade laws. This information is easily available on portals like Volza, ZaubaCorp, etc. While these services charge a small fee to view the complete data, the free version is enough to get an idea of whether a particular business imports anything from China or not. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open Google and type “company name import history”. For our example, we will type “RS Seven Lifestyle Private Limited import history”.

2. Based on the company, you can view the import history on Volza, Zauba, The Company Check, and many other portals. Here we are using Volza.

3. Scroll down to the import section. Here you can see the top country from where the selected company makes the maximum of its imports.

4. In this example, the map clearly shows that this company imports goods from China.

5. Scroll down to find the exact name of the product imported by the company. Here, you can also find the supplier name, quantity of imports, and other details.

With just a few simple steps, you can confirm whether your favourite company or business imports from China, or any other country. If the said brand is claiming to manufacture products locally in your nation, but you see a strong import history, then it is clear that the company is white-labelling stuff, which is a kind of cheating with the customers.

As a more advanced step, you can also search the supplier name along with the product on AliExpress or Alibaba to see the exact wholesale listing directly from the manufacturer. This will give you an idea of the exact price of the product, which you can compare with the retail rates from the importing company.

FAQs

Q. How to check if a product was made in China?

The easiest way is to search for labels like Made in China or Made in PRC (People’s Republic of China). You can also look for the instruction guide or other stickers on the box and see whether its written in Chinese or non-English languages.

Q. How to import products from China?

You can import products from China at wholesale prices using AliExpress or Alibaba. Both are verified and trusted marketplaces with millions of sellers and manufacturers. You can also check the ratings of a seller before making your purchase.

Q. Does Alibaba deliver to India?

Yes, Alibaba does deliver products to India. However, your shipment may get stuck in customs, so it is recommended to avoid importing high-value items from Alibaba in India.

Wrapping Up

By using portals like Volza and Zauba, you can easily see whether a company imports its products or goods from China. This helps to remain aware when a business pretends to produce its own products, but in reality, they are just importing them from China and pasting their brand name over it, and selling it at a premium. Although this is unethical, this practice is legal in most countries; hence, customers should remain aware.

You may also like to read:

• 3 Ways to Use DeepSeek Without Sending Data to China
• Use Your Phone’s Camera to Check a Product is Chinese or Non-Chinese
• Chinese vs Non-Chinese: Smartphones that are ‘Made in India’
• Deal or Deception? Identify Fake Discounts on Amazon and Flipkart

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