Finding an FMCG supplier online is easy. Confirming that the company, products and offer are legitimate requires more work.
International wholesale orders involve substantial quantities, advance payments and time-sensitive logistics. Buyers should verify both the business behind the quotation and the exact products being offered before transferring funds or booking transport.
Start by checking the legal business
A professional website and company email address are useful, but they do not prove that a supplier is registered or authorised to enter into a contract.
For a company established in the Netherlands, buyers can use the official Dutch Business Register to check the registered business name, address and company officials. KVK advises businesses to confirm that the name and registration number on a contract match the register and to verify who is authorised to sign.
For EU cross-border transactions, the European Commission’s VIES VAT validation service can be used to check whether an EU VAT number is currently valid.
Compare every company detail
The following information should tell one consistent story:
- Registered company name
- Trade name used on the website
- Business registration number
- VAT number
- Registered and operational address
- Bank-account beneficiary
- Email domain and telephone details
- Name of the person signing the agreement
A difference does not always indicate fraud; companies can have trade names, group companies or separate operational locations. It does mean the buyer should ask for a clear explanation before paying.
Verify the bank beneficiary before payment
The beneficiary on the invoice should normally correspond with the contracting business. Treat a last-minute request to pay a different company or personal account as a reason to stop and verify.
Confirm changed bank details through a previously verified telephone number, not only by replying to the email that announced the change. Email accounts can be compromised, and an authentic-looking message is not enough protection.
Check the exact FMCG product, not only the brand
A genuine company can still send an incomplete or unsuitable offer. A brand name alone does not identify the product that will reach the buyer.
Confirm:
- Product name and variant
- Pack size and units per carton
- EAN or GTIN barcode
- Label language
- Country or market version
- Origin where commercially relevant
- Best-before date or remaining shelf life
- Cartons per pallet and pallet height
- Whether deposit markings are present
See Ortu’s detailed guide to packaging, barcodes and pallet configurations for the checks that should be completed before order confirmation.
A practical Ortu example: verifying a Red Bull shipment
For an 11-pallet Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml order intended for Austria, confirming the brand was only the beginning. The buyer required the Austrian product version, English text and a specific best-before date. Loading also had to take place from the agreed bonded location at the scheduled time.
Those details were checked before the loading arrangement was treated as final. If the wrong market version or label had been assumed, the goods could have been commercially unsuitable even though they were genuine Red Bull products.
This is why Ortu separates company verification from product verification. Both are necessary. Buyers can review the Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml product page and Ortu’s wider wholesale beverage category.
Ask for a commercially complete quotation
A credible quotation should identify more than a unit price. Depending on the order, it should state:
- Product specification and quantity
- Carton and pallet configuration
- Price basis and currency
- Incoterm and named delivery place
- Payment conditions
- Offer validity
- Available documents
- Estimated preparation or delivery timing
The International Chamber of Commerce explains that Incoterms rules clarify the tasks, costs and risks allocated between seller and buyer. A quotation that simply says “delivered” without a named place and agreed Incoterm leaves too much open to interpretation.
Request evidence appropriate to the order
Evidence should be recent and connected to the exact offer. Depending on the transaction, this can include product photographs, carton labels, pallet labels, barcode confirmation, warehouse information or available certificates.
Do not assume that a certificate used for one market automatically applies to another. Documentation requirements depend on product type, origin, destination and the buyer’s import arrangements. Read the FMCG export documentation guide before confirming which documents are required.
Warning signs buyers should investigate
- A price far below comparable market offers without a clear explanation
- Pressure to pay before specifications are confirmed
- Refusal to provide company-registration information
- A beneficiary name unrelated to the supplier
- Sudden changes to bank details
- Copied product photographs presented as current stock evidence
- No clear pack size, barcode, label language or shelf-life information
- Promises that every certificate is available without checking the destination
- An address, telephone number or email domain that does not match the company
One warning sign does not automatically prove wrongdoing. It means the buyer should pause, request evidence and resolve the inconsistency.
Use a controlled first transaction
When working with a new supplier, buyers can reduce exposure by starting with a clearly defined order, written specifications and agreed inspection points. Payment milestones should be connected to the actual commercial process and understood by both parties.
For more evaluation criteria, read How to Choose an FMCG Wholesaler in Europe.
How Ortu supports verification
Ortu Wholesale BV prepares quotations around the requested products, quantities, destination and available commercial information. Product versions, packaging, barcodes, shelf life, pallet configuration and available documentation are confirmed for the products offered rather than assumed from a brand name.
Send Ortu your buying request with the exact product, pack size, quantity and destination to receive an offer prepared for your requirements.
