How we check suppliers
WholesaleX checks whether a supplier’s VAT ID is valid in VIES and shows the date of that check. Where VIES returns no company name, WholesaleX also needs proof that the number belongs to the company. For companies outside the EU, a national company register replaces VIES. Quality, authenticity, prices and brand permission are not checked.
What WholesaleX checks
WholesaleX runs one of two registration checks, depending on where a company is based.
EU companies: the VAT ID in VIES
VIES is the VAT Information Exchange System of the European Commission. WholesaleX sends it the country code and the VAT ID, nothing else. VIES answers whether the number is valid on that day.
Some EU countries also return the registered company name and address. Where VIES returns a name, WholesaleX compares it with the company name on the listing. Legal-form words such as GmbH or B.V. are ignored in that comparison. A clear difference means the listing gets no VAT ID label.
This is the simple check. WholesaleX does not request a qualified confirmation, which also compares name and address. Every result is stored with the date of the check.
Countries where VIES shows no name
In Germany and some other countries, VIES returns no name. It confirms that a number exists but not whose it is. A valid number alone could belong to another company. So WholesaleX needs a second piece of evidence before it shows the label.
For a company listed from public information, the evidence is its own legal notice. The number must be printed there, on the company’s own website.
A supplier that registers itself is reviewed by hand. In these countries the label appears only after WholesaleX has seen proof, for example a legal notice or a document.
Companies outside the EU: the company register
VIES covers EU countries only. For companies elsewhere in Europe, WholesaleX uses the national company register instead, for example UK Companies House.
The label “Company registration checked” needs three things.
- The register shows the company as active.
- The registered name matches the company name on the listing.
- The register number is printed in the company’s own legal notice.
This is not a VAT check. Such a listing carries the note “Outside the EU: VAT number not checked with VIES”.
See what each of these register numbers actually looks like, and where to search it yourself. Company register number formats.
What WholesaleX does not check
A listing is not a test of the supplier or of its goods. The table names each gap and the step you can take yourself.
| Not checked | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Authenticity and origin of the goods | Ask the supplier for purchase records or other written proof. |
| Permission from a brand to sell its products | Ask the supplier to show that permission in writing. |
| Prices and discounts | Ask the supplier directly. |
| Quality and condition of products | Ask for samples or product documents before a large order. |
| Delivery times, stock and reliability | Ask the supplier for delivery terms in writing. |
| Financial standing of the company | Look up a credit report or the company register yourself. |
| Compliance with EU cosmetics rules | Ask the supplier which documents it holds, or take legal advice. |
No label covers any of these points.
Where listings and products come from
A listing starts in one of two ways. The supplier registers itself, or WholesaleX builds the listing from the supplier’s own public website.
Listings built from a public website
These items come from the supplier’s own website:
- Company name, city and country
- The business type, only as the site itself states it
- Delivery countries, only when the site names them
- Up to 5 products, each with its name, a link to the supplier’s product page and a picture
WholesaleX copies no prices and no descriptive text from the supplier. A short neutral text on each listing is written from the data.
Under each listing, a source line names the website and the day WholesaleX read it. Everything about range, minimum order or delivery is the supplier’s claim, not a WholesaleX result.
Who is listed
WholesaleX lists companies that sell to trade buyers and show their offer on a public website. It does not list shops that sell mainly to consumers.
We do not list suppliers that market products as a “dupe”, “clone”, “equivalent” or “inspired by” a known brand.
A company appears once. WholesaleX compares the VAT ID, the web domain and the company name to avoid double listings.
Reading the VAT ID label, step by step
The label has one fixed wording: “VAT ID checked (VIES) on 27 September 2026”.
A worked example
This example follows a German company. It is an illustration, not a real listing.
- The company’s own legal notice prints a VAT ID: the letters DE and nine digits.
- WholesaleX sends the country code DE and the nine digits to VIES.
- VIES answers that the number is valid on that day. For Germany, it returns no name.
- WholesaleX finds the same number in the company’s legal notice and stores the day of the check.
- The listing shows: “VAT ID checked (VIES) on 27 September 2026”.
What the label answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the VAT ID valid? | Yes, on the date shown. |
| Does the number belong to this company? | Yes, shown by the VIES name, its legal notice or other proof. |
| Are the goods authentic? | Not checked. |
| May the company sell any brand? | Not checked. |
| Are prices, stock and delivery reliable? | Not checked. |
| Is the company financially sound? | Not checked. |
The four wordings you may see
| Wording on the listing | What it means |
|---|---|
| VAT ID checked (VIES) on 27 September 2026 | VIES returned the number as valid on that day. The number is tied to the company. |
| Company registration checked (UK Companies House) on 27 September 2026 | For companies outside the EU. The register shows an active entry. The name matches. The number is in the company’s own legal notice. |
| Outside the EU: VAT number not checked with VIES | The company is outside the EU. VIES does not apply. |
| No label | There is no check result to show. VIES may have been unreachable, the name may differ or no proof has been seen yet. |
How current a check is
A dated label shows the day of the check. That day shows when WholesaleX looked, not that nothing has changed since.
Lists and tables show “As of 27 September 2026”. The date comes from the stored data, never from a manual edit.
The source line also carries a date: the day WholesaleX read the supplier’s page. If the supplier changes its site, the listing can differ until the next reading.
Report a mistake or request a change
Use the report form for a wrong detail, a broken link or a listing that should not be there.
The form covers these requests:
- Have a listing removed
- Correct details
- Claim a listing as the supplier
- Report a broken link
- Give feedback about the website
- Report a language or content issue
- Report illegal content
We handle reports promptly. When we decline a request, we give the reason.
Limits and independence
These checks use VIES, company registers and public websites. They cannot show what happens inside a company.
A listing is not a recommendation, a certification or a test of the supplier. Before you order, check the company yourself: legal notice, company register, credit standing and brand permission.
Suppliers can pay for placement in the directory. Paid placements carry the label “Ad”, and paid links are marked as paid. A payment does not change the result of a check.
Without a paid placement, listings appear from A to Z by company name.
If WholesaleX has a business relationship with a listed supplier, the listing says so.
Method version and history
This is version 1 of the method, as of 27 September 2026. Later changes to what WholesaleX checks are added to the table with their date.
| Version | Date | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 September 2026 | First published version: VIES check, company register check outside the EU, source and date on each listing, report form. |