SECTION 02 — HOW WE STAY HONEST
RUBRIC V2.1 · REV 2026-08
How TradeSplain works
Printed on every page. Auditable, not aspirational.
P-01
We take no orders
Tradesplain is not an agency and never will be. Nothing here ends in “get a free quote.” If we ever launch services, they’ll be labeled and scored like everyone else’s.
P-02
One rubric for everyone
Every agent, platform, and inspection service is scored on the same published criteria. The scoring sheet is public — you can audit it.
P-03
We show our math
Every number carries a source and a date. Duties change; when they do, we update the page and log the change — not quietly bury it.
SECTION 05 — WHO WRITES THIS
HENAN, CN · 34.75°N 113.62°E
Inside the supply chain
Not a rented desk abroad.
Xinjian Ma
FOUNDER & EDITOR · GONGYI, HENAN, CHINA
Xinjian grew up in Gongyi — the aluminum-processing town at the center of Henan’s manufacturing belt — around a family business that makes water-treatment chemicals. He runs Tradesplain the way his neighbors run their factories: show the license, quote the real price, keep your word. Every guide on this site is written by him, from the factory towns the products actually come from.
Tradesplain is written from Henan, China — a province that ships more aluminum, machinery, and water-treatment chemicals than most countries. We visit the factories, read the Chinese contracts, and hear what the sales managers say after the Zoom call ends.
- Every author page carries a real name, photo, and verifiable location
- Factory-visit notes published with dates and city names
- We answer email in English and 中文 — within 48 hours
SECTION 03 — THE SCORING RUBRIC
PUBLISHED IN FULL · SAME CARD FOR EVERYONE
The rubric, in full
Four criteria, 25 points each, 100 total. Scores appear on every review page as a visible scorecard, and each score links to the evidence behind it.
| CRITERION | WHAT WE CHECK | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | Are all fees published? Is commission stated up front, or discovered later? Hidden markups inside “free” services? | 25 |
| Supplier disclosure | Does the buyer learn the factory’s real identity and keep direct access? Or is the middleman structurally permanent? | 25 |
| Contract & payment safety | Payment routing (company vs personal accounts), enforceability, escrow options, and what happens when things go wrong. | 25 |
| Track record & complaints | Operating history, public complaint patterns, and how the company responds when criticized. | 25 |
| SCORE BAND | READING |
|---|---|
| 85 – 100 | Recommend without reservations |
| 70 – 84 | Solid, with specific caveats stated |
| 50 – 69 | Use only in the narrow cases we describe |
| BELOW 50 | Documented problems — we explain what they are |
We score companies, not countries, and re-score when evidence changes. A company can ask to be re-reviewed; it cannot ask to have a score removed.
SECTION 04 — HOW WE EARN
FULL DISCLOSURE · QUARTERLY LEDGER
How Tradesplain earns money
Tradesplain earns affiliate commissions in three places: when readers open accounts with cross-border payment tools through our links, when they book quality inspections through our links, and when they subscribe to trade-data services through our links.
Three rules that never bend: (1) We never accept payment for rankings, reviews, or placement. (2) Commission amounts never influence rubric scores; affiliate and non-affiliate options compete on the same card. (3) A summary ledger of what this site earns goes on this page quarterly.
Display advertising may appear later, clearly separated from editorial content, and never inside tool results.
Corrections policy
Every page carries a “last reviewed” date. Factual errors get a dated correction entry in the public log. Trade policy and freight rates shift constantly; that is why dates are printed like customs stamps across this site.
The one-line version
If a sourcing guide ends in a quote form, it was an ad. Ours ends here — with the rubric, the disclosure, and an email address.
WRITE TO XINJIAN: jingshuicc@gmail.com — ENGLISH OR 中文