where to check legitimacy of US based company?

[mineistaken]

Do you have some database where you enter the company and see how many employees they currently have, do they have any debt and any other info that could help decide if company is solid or not?
Thanks

[Relentless]

D&B is what most people use, but it is nowhere near as accurate as people think it is.

http://www.dnb.com

[mineistaken]

All I see is "state OK". Unless I pay 160 dollars ))
I guess I am used to the good things like public and free daily updated info (number of employees, debt to the tax man etc) about companies here in Europe

[Wizzo]

Only if they are publically traded is that info easily available.

[SplatterMaster]

What type of business?

You can try http://www.manta.com/ or bbb.org

[mineistaken]

Originally Posted by Wizzo

Only if they are publically traded is that info easily available.

Any other ideas how to check if company is legit? At least something. As an example if you see number of employees you can be sure that it is not some 1 person shell company etc. Not necessary this, but anything would help

[fitzmulti]

Originally Posted by mineistaken

Any other ideas how to check if company is legit? At least something. As an example if you see number of employees you can be sure that it is not some 1 person shell company etc. Not necessary this, but anything would help

There's not always anything wrong with a "one person" company.
{ raises hand }.
There are a lot of smaller companies that wouldn't necessarily be in a database like you are looking for.
And...MANY larger companies that might be in such a database that would be total scam places, or bad to do business with.

[mineistaken]

Originally Posted by fitzmulti

There's not always anything wrong with a "one person" company.
{ raises hand }.
There are a lot of smaller companies that wouldn't necessarily be in a database like you are looking for.
And...MANY larger companies that might be in such a database that would be total scam places, or bad to do business with.

Of course there is nothing wrong with one employee companies. I am not stupid or anything you know... I meant that when a company presents itself as bigger company with employees it is nice to confirm. Anyway this is just one example of many indicators that forms bigger picture... Lets not concentrate on this particular one.
Still looking for some tips and tricks on how to vet a company at least by a little bit.

[xXXtesy10]

Originally Posted by mineistaken

All I see is "state OK". Unless I pay 160 dollars ))
I guess I am used to the good things like public and free daily updated info (number of employees, debt to the tax man etc) about companies here in Europe

Kinda funny given all the privacy laws there

[Barry-xlovecam]

I used to pay $25 (25 years ago) to a collection agency for a commercial credit report from a credit reporting bureau.

But that was on large construction contracts -- kept me aware of any shady buyers or general contractors I would sub-contract from.

[First Person]

If you know what state the company is in, you can check the corporation commission db search to see if the company actually exists and is in good standing, etc. For example here's the CA search: businessfilings.sos.ca.gov

Each state has something similar.

[mineistaken]

Originally Posted by First Person

If you know what state the company is in, you can check the corporation commission db search to see if the company actually exists and is in good standing, etc. For example here's the CA search: businessfilings.sos.ca.gov

Each state has something similar.

Will do
Although I think that can be checked via the link posted by relentless. Status OK is what I got there

[fitzmulti]

Originally Posted by mineistaken

Of course there is nothing wrong with one employee companies. I am not stupid or anything you know... I meant that when a company presents itself as bigger company with employees it is nice to confirm. Anyway this is just one example of many indicators that forms bigger picture... Lets not concentrate on this particular one.
Still looking for some tips and tricks on how to vet a company at least by a little bit.

I did NOT mean to offend, and I certainly did not imply that you were stupid.
On that note, in many instances, the Better Business Bureau could also be a good place to look.
http://www.bbb.org/ {However people can lodge complaints just to express displeasure with a business, so take BBB reports w/ a grain of salt.}

[ravo]

With a private, closely held corporation (as most are), it would be almost impossible to get any info about the company, other than perhaps its incorporation docs. Private corps are just that - they don't need to disclose anything publically.

So, like others said, if you do find any info, take it with a huge grain of salt, as it's likely to be an estimate or educated guess.

[Relentless]

If they file with D&B they have to provide all that data. The problem is not all companies do, sometimes the info isn't as current as it should be, and it costs a few hundred bucks to pull their D&B report. It's the best you can do... Unless they are publicly traded... Which is part of why so many companies avoid going public.