Blog

The second order is harder than the first because it has to match it. How to document the specification, avoid lot variation, and scale without losing quality.

Weight, shrinkage, colour fastness, pilling and tensile strength. The tests that turn a specification from words into numbers you can enforce.

The last point at which you can still act before the container is sealed — AQL in numbers, the checklist, and the clauses that make a claim enforceable.

What you actually pay on a first order, which lines repeat and which do not, and how to start with the least capital without compromising the product.

The factory price is not your cost — it can be only 65% of it. Delivery terms, the cost layers, and a worked example.

Embroidery is more durable and more expensive; printing is cheaper and more versatile. A comparison on cost, lifespan, hand feel and fabric, with a practical decision rule.

The number that decides how a tee feels, what it costs, how long it lasts and what it costs to ship — and how to specify it in writing.

What counts as critical versus minor? How the sample size is drawn, and the number you must write into the contract for inspection to mean anything.

Recurring errors that cost importers thousands on a first order, and the single step before signing that prevents each one.

OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS and BCI. Which cover product safety and which cover farming and environment, and how to verify a certificate before building a marketing claim on it.

From order confirmation to the container arriving: every stage in days, the four real causes of delay, and how to count backwards from your deadline.

A wrong code means wrong duty and a later reassessment. How t-shirts are classified, which documents are required, and how to avoid delays and storage charges.

How much do you pay upfront? When is the balance due? And when is a letter of credit worth it? A practical guide to protecting your money without stalling the order.

Packaging decides your freight bill, because freight is charged by volume. How an order should be packed, what goes on the carton, and how to save ten per cent of volume.

A neck label is not a decorative detail but a legal obligation in most markets. What it must carry, the types, their minimums, and the mistakes that get shipments rejected.

Why your colour arrives different from what you approved. How dyeing works, what a dye lot is, and how to write a colour clause you can actually enforce.

Staple length is what separates cotton that stays soft from cotton that pills within a month. A guide to cotton types, their price gaps, and when the upgrade is worth it.

A uniform washed five times a week needs a different specification. Fabrics, seams, colour fastness and sizing, and how to guarantee the next order matches.

Childrenswear is governed by safety rules that do not apply to adult clothing. Drawstrings, buttons, dyes and age-based sizing, and what must appear in the contract.

A polo is harder than a t-shirt by three components: the collar, the placket and the buttons. A complete specification guide that prevents the most common imported-polo defects.

Why your oversized tee looks limp instead of contemporary. The difference lies in weight, the dropped shoulder and the width-to-length ratio, with a practical measurement chart.

Every cost line on a real 1,000-piece order, the approximate share each one takes, and where you can genuinely save versus where you must not.

Every Chinese garment city has its own specialisation, price tier and minimum. A guide to choosing the city before the factory, because getting this wrong costs two months.

Budget, quantity, size distribution, and a delivery date that cannot move. A practical guide to promotional, exhibition and campaign t-shirt orders.

What moisture-wicking actually means, polyester versus blends, and a guide to sportswear fabrics, weights, printing methods and functional finishes.

Fabric swatch, first sample, pre-production sample, shipment sample — what each one is for, how long it takes, and why none of them can be skipped.

Factory or trading agent? The documents to request, the questions that expose real experience, the warning signs, and how to verify bank details before you transfer.

Why a Chinese L arrives smaller than your customer expects. Measurement charts, common fits, allowed tolerance, and how to prevent sizing problems before production.

How freight is really calculated, the difference between FOB, CIF and DDP, and how many t-shirts fit in a container. A practical guide with numbers.

From the neck label to the packaging: everything that turns a plain t-shirt into your own product, what each element costs, and when it is worth paying for.

A practical comparison of five decoration methods: cost, minimum quantity, wash durability, and which one suits your design and volume.

Combed or carded? Single jersey or pique? A practical guide to t-shirt fabrics, their weights, their relative cost, and which market each one suits.

From writing the specification to the container arriving: nine ordered steps for importing t-shirts from China, with realistic timelines, documents and common mistakes.