The honest position for any first-time buyer is that you should not extend trust to a supplier you have never met, in a jurisdiction where enforcement is slow and expensive. The answer is not to trust harder. It is to rely on documents you can verify independently.
What to ask for, and what it proves
- GST registration. Confirms the entity exists and is tax-registered. Verifiable on the government portal against the name and address given.
- Import Export Code. Required for any direct exporter. Its absence does not disqualify a mill, but it tells you they export through a merchant exporter rather than directly.
- Export shipment history. Indian customs shipment data is commercially available. It shows what a mill has actually shipped, to which markets, at what unit values. This is the single most useful check available.
- Certifications. OEKO-TEX, ISO and social audits should be supplied as certificates you verify with the issuing body, not as claims in an email.
- References from existing accounts. Ideally in your own region, ideally on repeat business rather than a single order.
Protect the transaction, not just the selection
Verification reduces the chance of a bad supplier. It does not eliminate the risk of a bad shipment. Two things do most of the work there: third-party pre-shipment inspection with the report going to you directly rather than through any intermediary, and payment terms that never leave you unsecured. A letter of credit at sight, or a modest advance against the balance on shipping documents. Never a full advance to a mill neither party has worked with.
A note on brand
A well-known name does not remove the verification step. It makes people feel they can skip it. The checklist above costs a few hours and protects the order regardless of who you are buying from.
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