Garment Manufacturer FAQ — Archive 4

Can you ship to the Middle East?

Yes — Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, and Jordan regularly. We handle export documents and packing lists for Gulf customs.

How long does shipping to the Gulf take?

5–8 days by air or 18–25 days by sea from Guangzhou. On 30–50 pieces, air usually makes more sense.

Do you ship to the US?

Yes, regularly. Factor duties and customs into your landed cost — the shipping quote isn't the full number.

What retail price range do your clients sit at?

$250–$1,000. That's the band we're built for, where a customer runs their hand along a seam and decides.

What size brand do you work with?

Companies of 1–50 people — mostly independent designers and boutique labels, not high-street volume.

Do you work with startups on their first collection?

Often. A 30-piece debut run is a normal first order for us, and we'll tell you early if something won't work at that volume.

What garments do you make?

Dresses, blazers and tailored jackets, suit sets, and statement pieces. Embroidery, beading, draping, and pleating in-house.

What don't you make?

We don't take hand-beading projects. Everything else in our categories we'll assess honestly, including saying no.

Can I visit the factory?

Yes. We'll send you what to look at beforehand so the visit isn't wasted — most people turn up unsure what to check.

Do you speak English?

Yes. All communication is in English, and we quote in USD or EUR.

What are your payment terms?

Standard structure is a deposit to start and the balance before shipment. Exact milestones are in your quote, in writing.

Do you accept letters of credit?

For larger orders, yes. Raise it at quoting stage so we can structure it properly.

What shipping methods do you use?

Air at 5–8 days or sea at 18–25 days. We'll advise based on your volume — on 30 pieces air usually wins, on 500 the maths flips.

Who handles customs?

We handle export documents, packing lists, and certificates of origin. Import duties are yours and vary by country.

Do you ship DDP or FOB?

Either, depending on your preference. Tell us which at quoting stage so the numbers are comparable.

Is my design safe with you?

Yes. We don't share client work, and we'll sign an NDA if you need one. Your patterns and tech pack are yours alone.

Can you do private label?

Yes — your labels, your packaging, your branding. We're the factory behind the brand, not on it.

Do you keep my patterns exclusive?

Yes. Your patterns, grade tables, and tech pack are used only for your orders.

What if there's a problem after delivery?

Tell us. Because we film every shipment and record measurements per size, we can usually trace what happened rather than argue about it.

How do I start?

Send a tech pack, or sketches with measurements, to [email protected] or WhatsApp +86 176 7562 2913. Itemised quote within 24 hours.

Can you split a 30-piece MOQ across two styles?

Yes. The 30-piece minimum is per style per colour, but we routinely combine two styles in one production slot when the fabrics are compatible. It keeps setup costs down for you — one line setup, two styles cut from the same booking. Tell us the split up front and we'll quote it honestly, because mixing fabrics can cancel the saving.

What's the cheapest way to test a new market with 30 pieces?

Order one hero colour at 30 pieces and a second colour at 30, and hold the third for a reorder. That gives you a two-colour test for roughly the price of one 60-piece run, and it protects cash while the market decides. Reorder the winner at 50 to 150 pieces, where our pricing sharpens.

Do you charge extra for complex fabrics at MOQ 30?

Not as a blanket fee, but the number moves. Silk, sequins and bonded fabrics all have different waste and handling costs at small volume. We quote fabric as its own line so you see the delta, and we'll tell you when a fabric's mill minimum makes 30 pieces uneconomical before you commit.

How does reorder pricing work after my first small run?

Your patterns, grade table and tech pack stay on file in your name, so a reorder skips re-sampling and quotes within 48 hours. Because setup is already paid for, reorders at 50 to 150 pieces drop below the 30-piece per-unit rate. Most clients see their second order cost less than the first for the same garment.

What documents should a factory send before I pay a deposit?

A business licence, a factory address you can verify, a line-by-line quote with MOQ and lead time in writing, and an AQL or QC standard on paper. Ask for the sampling fee in writing too. A factory that can't produce these four documents before money moves is asking you to trust a promise.

How do I tell a real Guangzhou factory from a trading company?

Ask for a live video walkthrough of the floor, or visit. Check whether the address matches a building you can find, and ask what machines are on the floor and who owns them. Trading companies can still be fine partners, but you should know which one you're paying — the margin structure is different.

Should I visit the factory before my first order?

For a first order above a few hundred dollars, ideally yes. A visit tells you in an afternoon what months of email won't: whether the floor matches the story. If you can't visit, ask for a live video tour and a photo of your actual fabric on the cutting table the day cutting starts.

What UK size range do you grade for?

We grade from your spec, not a house standard. For UK brands that usually means UK 6 to 18, and we check both extremes on a size set because that's where grading drifts. Send your size chart and we build the grade table from it, including stretch-fabric adjustments for the upper sizes.

Do you handle US customs documentation?

We handle export documents, packing lists and certificates of origin from our side. Import duties into the US are yours and depend on the HTS category — plan roughly 5 to 20% depending on fabric and type. We'll put the freight and docs on the quote so the landed cost is visible before you commit.