Sources & identity
Separate public records, supplier statements, and human checks before treating a field as established.
Guides in this section
Registered office, sales office or factory: label the address correctly
An address on a filing may be a registered office. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
How to document a manufacturer, affiliate and distributor chain
A buyer may talk to a distributor, receive samples from a manufacturer and sign with an affiliate. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
What to do when a cited supplier source disappears
A directory article may retain a link after the underlying page moves or changes. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
Using ABN Lookup to check an Australian supplier identifier
An Australian Business Number can make a quote look formal, but a copied number may belong to a different entity or may be presented without context. A...
How to cite a supplier brochure without treating it as verification
Brochures are useful for discovering product names, options and claimed capacity. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
When contract, invoice and payment names do not match
A buyer can verify a company and still be asked to pay an account in another name. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
Which register should anchor a cross-border supplier identity check?
An English trading name may appear on a website while the contract names a company in another jurisdiction. A source-aware method for buyers and directory...
What an EU VAT number check can and cannot establish
A VAT number is often copied onto quotations as shorthand for “the company is real. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
Public record, company claim or human check: choose the right label
A supplier profile often uses one reassuring badge for statements with very different origins. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
How to separate a supplier's legal name from its trading name
A brand, website domain and company name can all differ. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
How to leave a supplier directory field blank without losing the lead
A blank field can feel incomplete, so editors are tempted to fill it with a plausible guess. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
Why a business registration does not prove manufacturing capability
A company number answers an identity question. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
How to avoid merging two similarly named suppliers
Directory search rewards tidy single records, but two companies with a shared word or brand may be unrelated. A source-aware method for buyers and directory...
How to record the date and edition behind a supplier claim
A link can keep working while the document or standard it points to changes. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.
How to trace a supplier directory field back to its source
A practical way to separate public register facts, supplier statements and human checks without turning one link into a blanket endorsement.
How to read a UK Companies House result for supplier research
A search page can return several near-identical UK names. A source-aware method for buyers and directory editors.