With the information coming out about the resignation of the CEO and COO of Alibaba, the online sourcing world should have just become a little better informed. Sourcing online, while more convenient than physical factory visits, is easily as risky—??if not more—??as meeting suppliers face to face at a traditional trade show.

But we are all still going to be looking online for new suppliers. So what can you do to protect yourself if you cannot fly over to China to investigate every potential supplier that you come in contact with? A bare-bones online sourcing experience should look something like this:

1.Search only for suppliers that have been verified by a third party outside of the website that hosts their information.
2.Pay for background information and document confirmation for any potential supplier before you make any commitments or pay any deposits.
3.In contracts with your supplier, include mandatory 3PQC visits during production and before the balance of payment is made at the completion of the project.
4.Have a third-party inspection company test your products to confirm quality and components.
5.Confirm and verify container loading information to see that what you have ordered, tested and checked is indeed what you are being shipped.