Buyer Information By Region

Most of the questions that appear in anticipation of the first order are of a pragmatic nature. Listed below are things that apply across all regions – pricing and timing that would depend on specifics of the product are covered on the MOQ & pricing and Shipping & Lead time pages.

The minimum order is 50 pieces per style, per colorway – low enough for a new brand not to be compelled to order more than it wants just to get a first run done. 30% deposit is required for placing an order; the balance of 70% goes against pre-shipment inspection or bill of lading. None of this depends on the region where the order will be imported – only the documents needed at the destination change. This is the reason for listing region-specific import requirements on separate pages, not on a single checklist.

The pre-shipment quality control is not an additional paid service for buyers who need it, but a natural part of the order fulfillment process. All runs are inspected before shipping by the AQL 2.5 criteria for major defects and AQL 4.0 for minor defects in relation to the approved sample, not the spec. Each piece that goes beyond tolerance is inspected and fixed on site, not by buyers on their side when unpacking the shipment thousands of miles away. Inspection reports can be provided on request; for buyers who would like to witness the whole process themselves instead of reading the report, video walk-throughs are available every day – particularly handy for the very first order, as it does not have any history yet.

Communication is also underestimated by buyers in the initial stages of cooperation. GMT+8 time zone makes an immediate response to your message sent from New York in the evening impossible, as you will receive an answer only in the morning. Although the factory does not work via an intermediary agency or trading company, the message is unlikely to be filtered on its way, thus making the response faster; however, the buffer is not there anymore – and missing information is less likely to be added to your message by someone else; it is important to provide all the details in your first message. All artwork and tech packs are stored separately for each client in the corresponding folder; NDA agreements can be signed upon request if you still hesitate to share much of your designs.

When considering a manufacturer on something other than just cost, the due diligence guidance for garment and footwear industries developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) serves as an independent source to understand what sourcing due diligence really includes.

The reorder process differs from the process of placing the initial order, and it is important to know about it beforehand. In case a style already has an approved sample and the washing/printing formula, the feasibility and sampling processes are completely avoided. The buyer only needs to approve the quantity and colorways, make a payment for the deposit, and start production. This explains why the first order is always a little bit slower than expected by the buyer: some part of the process that takes 1–2 weeks of feasibility time and 7–15 days of sampling time is spent by the factory on creating documentation related to that specific style, which will be used when ordering the same style again.

There is one expectation of the buying process that is worth setting beforehand: the initial order is not necessarily the most economical way of testing a design. Taking into consideration the sample fee, lab dips needed for wash match, and fixed costs of setting up a new style, per-unit pricing in case of a 50-piece first run is higher than in case of repeated production. Buyers should set the expectation about it and think of the first run as proof of concept, rather than a test of the margins.