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Residential address vs factory: reading geo signals
2026-03-19 · 5 min read
What a residential or virtual-office geocode means on a supplier dossier — and what to ask before you treat it as a plant.
Geocoding is a clue, not a verdict. Trading companies often list offices; factories should look industrial. Confusion between the two is where deposits go wrong.
Office vs plant
A downtown office can be legitimate HQ. Calling it a “10,000㎡ factory” without a second industrial address is the problem.
What to request next
Video walkthrough timestamps, utility bills for the plant, or a third-party inspection booking at the claimed address.
Try it
Verify the company behind a website
Paste their URL. SupplierProof screens business identity, registries, facilities, trade signals, and reputation — not just whether the domain exists.