Why minimums and samples are one decision
The garment you sample is the garment the minimum should describe. If you sample a plain body and later add a custom elastic, the quantity that was workable for the body may not be the quantity the elastic mill will make. If you approve a base size and then change the size run, the fabric and dye lot may need to be quoted again.
A practical order of work
- Send one brief: style, reference or sketches, fabric direction, branding, destination and the quantity split you are considering.
- Ask how the minimum is counted before you freeze the colour and size plan.
- Ask what the first sample will include, and which later sample must carry the branded waistband and the pack.
- Approve or correct that sample in writing, tied to measurements or photos.
- Request the bulk quotation again if the approved specification differs from the brief that was priced.
- Place the order against the approved sample version and the quotation that matches it.
The OEM MOQ, pricing and lead-time guide is the worksheet for comparing those quotations. The sample development guide is the list of stages. This page is only the sequence that joins them.
What can set a minimum
Ask which line is the limiting one. An order-wide total can hide a colour, a waistband or a pack that is still short of its own minimum.
| Line | Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Is the minimum per style or across the order? | Two silhouettes may not share one minimum |
| Fabric | Does this cloth have a mill minimum separate from sewing? | A short sewing run can still need a full dye lot |
| Colour | Can colours be combined, or does each colour stand alone? | A dark and a light may be different lots |
| Size | Can sizes be combined inside the style and colour minimum? | A size curve is not the same thing as a mill minimum |
| Waistband or label | Does custom elastic, a print or a label have its own minimum? | Branding is often made by another supplier |
| Pack | Does a retail box, header or barcode have a separate minimum? | The pack can force a larger order than the body |
What a sample does and does not approve
| Sample in hand | It can support | It does not support |
|---|---|---|
| Photo or mock-up | A conversation about placement | Fit, fabric hand, or a bulk order |
| Plain body in the base size | Silhouette and construction of that body | A logo band, a grade, or every colour |
| Fit sample, measured | Measurements against the spec you wrote | Wash behaviour you have not tested |
| Washed sample | Change after the wash method you agreed | A different fabric or a different care label |
| Branded band on the body | That artwork, on that elastic, at that size | Every size, if the repeat was not checked |
| Pre-production sample in bulk materials | The reference for the purchase order | A later substitution of cloth, elastic or labels |
If the quotation includes a component the sample does not show, mark that line open. Ask for a revised sample or a written exclusion before you approve bulk production.
Questions to send with the first brief
- What is the minimum for this style, and is it counted per colour, per size or per order?
- Which of my colours or sizes can be combined inside that minimum?
- Does the waistband, label or pack have a separate minimum?
- What does the sample fee include, how many revision rounds, and who pays sample freight?
- Is the sample fee credited against a bulk order, and under what conditions?
- Which event starts the sampling schedule, and which event starts the bulk schedule?
- What is not included in the unit price: set-up, testing, inspection, packing, freight?
- Which sample version will the purchase order refer to?
How to read two quotations
Put both replies on the same brief. A lower unit price is not comparable if one quote includes the branded waistband and the retail pack and the other excludes them. A shorter schedule is not comparable if one supplier starts the clock at deposit and the other starts it when bulk fabric arrives.
- Same style, fabric direction, colours and size split.
- Same list of branded components, marked included or excluded.
- Same trade term and named place.
- Same statement of what the sample must include before bulk.
The landed-cost worksheet is where freight, duty and fees are added after you have those factory replies. Do not fold an unknown freight figure into the factory comparison.
Where the longer guides go further
- MOQ, price inclusions and the production schedule: the OEM minimums guide.
- Sample stages, feedback and approvals: the sample development guide.
- Size and colour quantities inside a minimum: the size-curve guide.
- What to lock in the specification before the purchase order: the first-order tech pack checklist.
Common questions
What is YXLP’s MOQ for men’s underwear?
We do not publish one minimum. It depends on the style, the fabric, the colours, the sizes and the branding. Send the specification and the split you are considering and we will state the minimum for that project.
Can I mix sizes or colours to reach a minimum?
Do not assume it. Ask whether sizes share the style and colour minimum, and whether each colour is its own lot. The answer belongs on the quotation, next to your size and colour matrix.
Does a sample reserve bulk capacity or a price?
No. A sample approves a specification. Price, minimum and schedule are confirmed on the quotation for the approved specification. Ask the supplier to say if a sample fee is credited, and under what conditions.
When should I ask about lead time?
Ask for separate estimates for sampling and for bulk, and ask which event starts each one. Confirm the schedule again after the specification and the materials are agreed. This page does not state a number of days.
Ready to brief a style?
Send a reference garment or sketch, the quantities you are considering and your destination. The quotation will state what is included and how minimums are counted.