You can view a supplier's shipping history by expanding their records using the View Shipments option in the Supplier Database:
Once you click on the "View Shipments" button, you will see a slide out with the shipping information, which you can find in the table. The graph is a representation of the shipments sent over time (the last 200 shipments).
You can also filter the shipping filter shipments based on your search criteria:
In the table, you will find the following information about the shipment:
- Date of the shipment,
- Name of the customer,
- Description of the shipment,
- Quantity (of units included in the shipment),
- Weight of the shipment,
- HS code
A supplier's shipping history is a good indicator of how legitimate they are as an exporter and helps to weed out scammers or trading companies that claim to be suppliers. A long and consistent shipping history will indicate that the supplier has been in business for a good amount of time, which means that the chances of them closing their doors without delivering your goods are slim. It also indicates that they have the experience needed to export to make the transaction smooth and error-free.
By having visibility into the frequency and contents of their shipments, you can determine if they are an established supplier for your specific product. You will also be able to tell who the supplier ships to. If they are shipping to some big-name companies that you recognize, you will know that they will likely deliver you a high-quality product as well.
The frequency and volume of shipments will also give you an idea of how large the factory is, and its capacity. If they are shipping large quantities very frequently you will know they should have no problem keeping up with your demand and shipping schedule. On the other side of this if they ONLY ship large quantities it may be problematic because your quantity may be too small for them to accommodate. You can always discuss this when you contact the supplier.
The shipping history is just one more tool you have to use in your search for the best supplier for your product.