The short answer
Treat a price far below market, a demand for prepayment to a new bank account, or bank details changed by email as stop signs. Before you pay, verify the company independently, call back on a number you already have, ask for the producer lot number and the original COA, and start with a sample or small order you can test for melt flow, density, moisture and ash. If you have already wired money to a fraudster, call your bank to recall the wire immediately and file a report.
Most resin sellers are honest. The fraud that does happen falls into two groups: payment fraud, where money goes to someone who never ships or is impersonating your real supplier, and material fraud, where something ships but it is not what was sold. The checks below catch most of both.
Red flags
| Red flag | What it often means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Price far below every other quote | The material is off-spec, regrind or a different grade, or there is no material | Get two more quotes on the same grade. Ask in writing whether it is prime, with a lot COA. |
| Prepayment only, to a new or personal bank account | The seller cannot be traced or will not be there later | Pay a known company account; use escrow or a letter of credit for large orders. |
| Bank details "changed" by email | Business email compromise: someone is impersonating your real supplier | Call the supplier on a number you already have. Never use the phone number in the email. |
| No producer lot number | Repackaged, blended or unknown material | Ask for the lot number printed on the original bags or gaylord label. |
| COA looks retyped, or has no lot number or test methods | A data sheet or an old COA dressed up as a lot test | Ask for the producer's original COA for that lot, and check it against the label. |
| "Prime" at off-grade prices, unbranded bags | Wide-spec, regrind or repro sold as prime | Test melt flow, density, moisture and ash before use. |
| Pressure to close today | Removing your time to check | A real offer survives a day of verification. |
| No sample, no inspection, no photos of labels | The seller does not have the material, or it would not pass | Ask for a sample or a third-party inspection before shipment. |
| Long chains of middlemen across borders | Nobody in the chain controls or has seen the material | Ask who holds title and where the material sits today. |
These are warning signs, not proof. A single flag can have an innocent explanation; several together usually do not.
Business email compromise
The costliest version does not involve a fake supplier at all. A criminal gets into your supplier's email (or yours), or registers a look-alike domain, watches a real order, then sends an invoice with "new" bank details. The email looks right because it is a real thread. Business email compromise is among the costliest crimes reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center every year, with reported losses in the billions of dollars.
The defense is a rule: any new or changed bank details are confirmed by phone, on a number you already have on file or found independently, before any payment. That applies to every supplier, including us. Look closely at the sender address for one-letter changes.
How to verify a supplier and an offer
- Check the company is real. Look it up in the state business registry (Secretary of State) or the Canadian federal or provincial registry. Check the address, how long it has existed and whether the website and phone match.
- Call back on a known number. Not the one in the email or quote that raised the question.
- Ask for the producer lot number and the original COA. The lot number on the COA should match the bag or gaylord label. See what a COA shows.
- Ask for label photos of the actual packages, showing grade, lot and the producer's markings.
- Get "prime" in writing on the quote. Wide-spec, off-grade and regrind are legitimate products at the right price; the fraud is selling them as prime. See prime vs. off-grade.
- Start small. A sample or a single gaylord, tested before the big order.
- Protect large payments. Use escrow or a letter of credit tied to shipping and inspection documents rather than open prepayment to a new counterparty.
What to test on arrival
| Test | Common method | What it catches |
|---|---|---|
| Melt flow rate | ASTM D1238 / ISO 1133 | Wrong grade, degraded or blended material |
| Density | ASTM D792 / ISO 1183 | Wrong polymer or filler level; wrong PE density class |
| Moisture | ASTM D6980 (loss in weight) or Karl Fischer | Wet or poorly stored nylon, PC, PET, PBT |
| Ash content | ASTM D5630 / ISO 3451 | Filler or glass percentage (a GF30 grade should ash near 30%) |
| DSC melting point | ASTM D3418 | Wrong polymer family (for example PA6 sold as PA66) |
| FTIR | Spectrum match | Wrong polymer or blend |
| Color and contamination | Visual against a standard or plaque | Black specks, mixed pellets, color off-shade |
Compare results with the COA and the grade's data sheet, tested by the same method. Pigments and additives also leave ash, so ash on colored or flame-retardant grades runs a little above the glass level.
For a full receiving routine see incoming resin inspection. If you have pellets with no paperwork at all, see how to identify unknown plastic pellets.
If you think you have been scammed
- Wire fraud: call your bank's fraud line now. Ask it to recall the wire and contact the receiving bank to freeze the funds. Hours matter; recovery odds fall quickly after the first few days.
- Report it. In the U.S., file at the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) with the bank names, routing and account numbers and amounts. In Canada, report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and local police.
- Secure email. If a payment email was spoofed or an account was compromised, change passwords, turn on two-factor login and warn your real supplier.
- Off-spec material: quarantine it, do not process it, keep retained samples and labels, test it, and notify the seller in writing.
- Ignore "recovery" offers. Anyone who asks for a fee to get your money back is often part of the same scheme.
How we can help
ResinBridge forwards a COA with every lot, and a polymer chemist reviews every request. If you have an offer that looks too good, send it to us: the grade, the price basis, the COA and the label photos. We will tell you whether the paperwork hangs together and what the same grade should look like, whether or not you buy from us. Our standard terms are FOB the warehouse, orders start at one gaylord, and we aim to send your quote within one to three business days.
Common questions
How do I know if a resin supplier is legitimate?
Check that the company is registered where it says it is, call it back on a phone number you found independently, ask for the producer's lot number and the original COA, and start with a sample or a small order you can test. A real supplier expects these questions.
What is the biggest red flag in a resin deal?
A request to wire payment to a new or changed bank account, especially by email and under time pressure. Confirm any change of bank details by calling a number you already have on file before you pay.
What tests confirm resin is what the seller says?
Melt flow, density and moisture check most resins against the COA, ash content checks the filler percentage in glass- or mineral-filled grades, and DSC or FTIR confirms the polymer family. A small lab can run these on a pellet sample.
What should I do if I wired money to a scammer?
Call your bank's fraud department immediately and ask it to recall the wire and contact the receiving bank. In the U.S., file a complaint at ic3.gov the same day; in Canada, report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and local police.
Is a COA proof that resin is prime?
Not by itself. A genuine COA names the grade, a lot number that matches the package label, measured values and test methods; a retyped document without a lot number or methods proves nothing, so ask the seller to tie it to the producer's lot.
Why is cheap resin often a warning sign?
Most resin trades on thin margins, so a price far below everyone else usually means the material is not what it claims to be (wide-spec, regrind or a different grade) or that it does not exist.
How do I protect a large first purchase from a new supplier?
Use a payment structure that does not depend on trust: a small trial order first, then escrow or a letter of credit tied to inspection and shipping documents for the large order.
Send us the offer you received
A polymer chemist reviews every request, then matches your grade or finds a qualified equivalent and prices it.
What to send for an accurate quote
- The grade name, from any supplier, or a data sheet
- Color (natural, black or a custom match)
- Fill type and percentage, if any
- Melt flow, if you know it
- Quantity for this order and what you use in a year
- Ship-to city and state or province