The three questions in almost every first email are the same: what is your minimum, how fast can I see a sample, and how long does production take. Here is how each one actually works at our factory, and what drives the numbers.
Why the minimum is 1,000 pieces
Our minimum order is 1,000 pieces per style. It is not a sales threshold; it comes from the setup work behind a custom bag.
- Welding die. A welded pouch or dry bag needs a die cut to the shape. Making and testing it is a fixed cost that does not change with quantity.
- Print setup. Screens or transfer plates have to be made and registered, and the first metres of material are used to set colour.
- Material. Film and tarpaulin are bought by the roll. A run below the minimum leaves unusable part-rolls behind, and that cost ends up in the unit price anyway.
On an existing model in an existing colour, we can sometimes go below 1,000. On a new shape, 1,000 is where the economics start to work.
What happens in the sampling week
A physical sample takes 3 to 5 days from confirmed artwork and specification. In that window we confirm the material and film thickness, cut the die or use an existing one, weld or sew the first piece, apply the print, and check the result against your drawing.
What we need from you to start: artwork in vector or a high-resolution file, the Pantone references, the size and any hardware you have already chosen. If you have a reference bag, send it. A physical reference removes most of the back-and-forth on feel and stiffness that photos cannot convey.
Sample cost depends on the build and the print method, and is quoted with the sample. It is not a fixed number across all products.
From sample approval to shipment
Production runs 30 days from sample approval and deposit. The sequence is:
- Sample approved in writing, with any comments on the piece itself.
- Deposit received, 50% by T/T.
- Materials pulled and the order sheet issued to the line.
- Production, with the four quality checks running through it.
- Balance of 50% before shipment.
- Booking and shipment, FOB Shenzhen, CIF or DDP depending on what you need.
Thirty days is the production window, not the door-to-door time. Freight depends on the destination and the mode, and we quote it separately so it is visible rather than buried in the unit price.
How to shorten it
- Choose an existing model and an existing colour. No new die, no new print setup.
- Approve the sample in one round. Comments arriving in three batches usually cost a week.
- Book freight before production ends rather than after. The goods are often ready before the space is.
What to send in the first email
Product type, quantity per style, target price if you have one, destination country, and a reference image or sample. With those five things we can quote a realistic price and a realistic date in the first reply instead of a range that has to be revised later.
If you are starting from a catalogue model, the full product range is the fastest place to begin.
