Why Chaperon Exists

Chaperon Supply started with China, but it was never meant to be only about China.

Buyers working with unfamiliar suppliers often face similar questions. Prices that don't make sense. Suppliers that look legitimate but feel hard to verify. Decisions that need to be made before enough information is available.

We are based in Hong Kong, with an initial focus on sourcing from China.

Our tools bring together information about Chinese suppliers, including businesses found on Alibaba, 1688 and through independent sources. Interest in other countries will help guide the Network’s expansion; it does not mean we have partner coverage there yet.

We don't sell products. We don't take money for goods. And we don't promise zero risk.

A price or listing leaves many questions unanswered: who is behind it, what is included, and what still needs checking?

To address this, we aggregate registry records, legal filings, shipment activity, and community scam reports into a unified view, surfacing risk signals around a supplier.

Our current tools cover local-market prices, cost planning and supplier records.

The first is pricing. Foreign buyers often see prices after multiple layers of markup, or without understanding how volume, buyer profile, or sales channel affects pricing. In some cases, factories raise prices simply because they know the buyer is overseas. We document sourcing discoveries and sources to explain how these gaps form, not to judge them.

The second is preparation. Our calculator and guides are built to help buyers understand what costs exist, when they appear, and what questions should be asked before contacting suppliers or agents.

The third is company records and supplier data. Buyers often worry about factories being scammers, and rightfully so. There are many reports of defective or incorrect products, shipment delays, and unexpected fees or pressure tactics.

Registry data shows how a company is registered and structured. Legal records can reveal reported disputes and court decisions; a filing alone does not establish wrongdoing. Available US import records show recorded shipments, rather than a supplier’s complete trading history. Verification calls show what happens when a supplier is contacted directly.

This helps buyers understand whether they are dealing with a factory, a trading company, or a supplier with limited verifiable history, before committing to a transaction.

We don’t rank factories or label winners and losers. We surface risk signals and let buyers decide how much confidence is enough for them.

Factory verification is often presented as a binary outcome. Safe or unsafe. Verified or not.

That isn't how manufacturing works in reality.

We have seen the same person answer calls for multiple factories. We have seen practices that look dishonest on the surface, but exist only to improve platform rankings or survive competition. We have also seen legitimate factories that simply do not respond to cold calls.

Because of this, Chaperon does not label factories as safe or unsafe.

Our verification records function as preliminary risk checks. We document whether calls were answered, whether details matched public records, whether visits were allowed, and whether basic questions were addressed.

Photos and videos can be misleading and are easy to reuse. We treat them as supporting context rather than proof of identity, capacity, or day-to-day performance.

Alongside verification records, we also surface suspected scam reports collected from public sources in China and internationally. These are presented as reports, not conclusions, so buyers can factor them into their own decisions.

The calculator and guides are not meant to replace quotes from factories or agents.

They exist to translate manufacturing-side pricing logic into something buyers can understand earlier in the process.

Some costs can be estimated. Others can only be explained. We show both, clearly separating what can be calculated today and what becomes relevant later.

The goal is not perfect numbers. The goal is fewer surprises, clearer expectations, and better decision-making before money changes hands.

Explorer is the free starting point for researching a supplier. It includes limited search access, registry snapshots, and full access to suspected scam reports, along with the option to request a deeper supplier lookup when needed.

Insider costs US$24.99 per month for supplier checks and available research tools. Network access is separate and is not available yet. It unlocks full access to registry, legal, and export data, along with verification records. This allows buyers to evaluate multiple Chinese suppliers, compare sourcing options, and make more informed decisions before placing orders.

Chaperon Supply does not facilitate product orders, handle payments for goods, or offer escrow services.

We do not guarantee outcomes, and we do not remove all risk from sourcing.

What we do is aggregate and document information, explain how sourcing systems work, and surface risk signals that buyers can use to make more informed decisions before committing to a supplier.

Everything beyond that remains the buyer's choice.