datawebotGlobal Sources: supplier and product data
Separate Global Sources product profiles, supplier verification labels, assessment reports, exhibitors and buyer inquiries; preserve evidence scope, event dates and reuse terms.
Global Sources links catalogs, company profiles, trade shows and MATCH
Global Sources describes its service as a multichannel online-to-offline sourcing platform spanning GlobalSources.com, mobile apps, industry-specific trade shows and business matching. A sourcing dataset should preserve those records as a graph: a product can point to a supplier, a supplier can exhibit at one dated show, and a buyer request can receive a recommendation without any one record proving the next.
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| Record type | What the record represents | Safe relationship key |
|---|---|---|
| Product listing | A specific catalog product page, category path, stated specifications and page-level offer fields. | Canonical product URL or exposed product ID; attach only the supplier shown on that record. |
| Supplier profile | A company profile with its stated identity, location, business scope and any displayed verification evidence. | Company-profile URL or exposed supplier ID; do not merge similarly named companies from a show or another listing. |
| Show exhibitor | A company appearing at a named show, phase, venue and time, sometimes with a booth and product focus. | Event page plus exhibitor identity; attendance is a dated event fact, not permanent catalog availability. |
| MATCH or buyer inquiry | A buyer's sourcing requirement, recommended supplier set, RFI or scheduled meeting. | Keep the buyer request and account event private; link suppliers through the specific recommendation or inquiry record. |
Product listings and supplier profiles expose different fields
On its riding-lawn-mower category, Global Sources shows listing filters for Verified Manufacturer, minimum order and FOB price, while individual product cards can pair a title with a quoted price unit, MOQ and supplier identity. The linked company profile has its own business and factory details. Save what each page actually shows; a category filter is not a confirmed value for every listing and an FOB price is not a landed or negotiated quote.
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| Field group | Capture from the page that states it | Keep the boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Product identity | Product title/model, canonical product URL or displayed ID, category path, stated specifications and image URL. | Do not combine lookalike products or carry a supplier claim over to another listing. |
| Offer terms | Displayed amount, currency, unit, minimum order quantity, ready-to-order or OEM/ODM detail when present. | Retain unit, market, page URL and observation time; the displayed terms can change and may not be a final quote. |
| Company identity | Supplier name and profile link; on the profile, stated location, business scope and registration fields. | Keep the profile separate from the listing and preserve its stated supplier/factory relationship. |
| Evidence and provenance | Badge label, assessment provider, named company/factory, report date or validity, source page and capture time. | A profile or filter label is not evidence for a different product, factory or date. |
Verification markers describe company evidence, not a product guarantee
Global Sources defines several supplier-verification markers with different checks. A marker belongs to the company profile and its stated scope; it should not be converted into a universal supplier score or a product-quality claim.
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| First-party label or report | Published scope | What not to infer |
|---|---|---|
| Verified Supplier | Business-registration details checked by independent third parties. | Not a product test, inventory confirmation, manufacturing-ownership claim or transaction rating. |
| Verified Manufacturer | The supplier's business scope is government-licensed to manufacture goods and credentials are checked by third-party agencies. | Not proof that every listed item comes from a named factory or has a particular product certification. |
| O2O Manufacturer | A verified supplier maintains a comprehensive company profile and is exhibiting at an upcoming Global Sources show. | Event-linked and time-sensitive; do not treat it as permanent attendance or a separate quality grade. |
| Business Registration Profile | Specific business information from relevant government agencies, checked and provided by independent third parties. | Record the named fields and profile source; do not generalize beyond the information displayed. |
| Supplier Capability Assessment | An optional paid independent third-party report based on an onsite visit, describing operations, production capability, QC processes, management and more. | Attach assessor, assessed entity/location, report date and stated validity; it does not itself certify each product or future shipment. |
Trade-show and MATCH records depend on a named event
Global Sources' app describes exhibitor and product search, an interactive show map, itinerary and meeting tools; MATCH uses sourcing requirements to recommend suppliers and arrange meetings around a show. Record those as event and buyer-workflow facts, not as a lasting extension of a supplier's online catalog.
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| Event record | Useful attributes | Relationship rule |
|---|---|---|
| Exhibitor listing | Show name, phase, event dates, venue, hall/booth, exhibitor name and product focus. | Join to a company profile only when the supplier identity matches; retain the exact event and period. |
| O2O status | Displayed O2O Manufacturer marker and the upcoming show named by the source. | Store the observation date; the source defines this as a verified supplier exhibiting at an upcoming show. |
| MATCH recommendation | Buyer requirement reference, recommended supplier/profile, recommendation date and meeting channel. | A recommendation or scheduled meeting is not an order, signed agreement or performance outcome. |
| Show-app activity | Exhibitor/product reference, show map or itinerary context and timestamp where retained with authorization. | Keep badge scans, notes and contact details within the authorized buyer workflow; omit them from public catalog data. |
RFI and Buyer Profile activity is separate from public listings
Global Sources' help article describes an Inquiry Basket for selected products and suppliers, multi-supplier Requests for Information and an optional Buyer Profile shown in relation to an inquiry. It says that profile can reflect sourcing activity such as show attendance, subscriptions or report downloads, product-alert categories, searches and registration year. These buyer-side records have a different audience and sensitivity from public supplier pages.
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| Buyer-side record | Keep in its own scope | Public-data boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Inquiry Basket and RFI | Selected product/supplier references, the buyer's requirement, selected recipients, submitted time and response state. | Do not copy inquiry messages, attachments, order details or buyer contact fields into a public product record. |
| Buyer Profile | Optional disclosure state plus the activity summary that the account holder chooses to share with suppliers. | Search history, attended events and downloaded reports are account activity, not supplier attributes. |
| Meeting notes and badge scans | Account, event and permission context for any saved note or scanned exhibitor reference. | Exclude private contact details and personal notes from a shared supplier directory. |
| Method and terms | Current Terms version, service-specific conditions, source URL and rights/permission review state. | Do not assume that visible profile information permits repeated collection or republishing. |
Terms and provenance must travel with the data record
Global Sources' current Terms describe limited non-substantial, occasional and ad-hoc internal non-commercial use of its content subject to source-notice and no-competitive-or-prejudicial-use conditions. The same Terms reserve other copying, republication and reuse for cases with prior written permission and say specific services may have additional terms. Treat the posted wording as a review boundary for a proposed use, not as a legal ruling that a particular collection or commercial workflow is allowed.
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| Source condition | Capture with the record | Practical handling |
|---|---|---|
| Source and date | Exact product/profile/event URL, source name, observed date, language/market and field-level attribution. | Keep each factual claim traceable to its page instead of copying a whole profile into a second catalog. |
| Reuse status | Terms version, applicable service-specific terms, permission owner and written permission reference if required. | Public visibility alone is not a license; review intended repeated, competitive, commercial or redistributive use before collection. |
| Images and supplier text | Original page URL and rights/permission state, separately from normalized text fields. | Do not republish profile copy, logos, product images or reports unless the applicable terms and permission support it. |
| Assessment reports | Named assessor, assessed entity, date and report URL or reference. | Preserve the report's own conditions; do not redistribute or summarize it as a product certification without authority. |
Content reviewed 2026-10-04.