What Does MOQ Stand for in Clothing Manufacturing?
If you’ve ever wondered what MOQ policy is in clothing manufacturing, it represents the “minimum order quantity” you will buy from a manufacturer. If your order quantity is significantly lower than the required MOQ, the clothing factory may simply refuse your order.
The reason why most clothing manufacturers have MOQ policies in place is to better manage their inventory levels, maintain a steady cash flow, reduce production waste, and effectively meet their production plans.
What Amount Is Considered a “High” or “Low” MOQ Policy?
Now that we’ve established what MOQ means, how do you know if your order is considered large or small for your manufacturer? While the situations may differ from one another, there are still some general guidelines and references that can give you an idea of what to expect when dealing with your clothing manufacturing partner.
Typically, here are the common standards regarding MOQ requirements in the fashion industry :
- Less than 250 units – Very Low MOQ
- 250 - 500 units – Fairly Low MOQ
- 1,000 – 2,500 units – Standard MOQ
- Up to 5,000 units – Fairly High MOQ
- 10,000 and more units – Very High MOQ
Note that the listed amount is only for reference, and the actual MOQ policy may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Please contact the factory for additional details regarding the MOQ policy and order quantity before placing your order.
Why Do Clothing Manufacturers Usually Have High MOQ Amounts?
It’s no easy task to start producing an order. For a clothing manufacturer, it is just a lot more profitable to start the production line and invest in equipment and workforce for large quantity orders.
High MOQ requirements exist precisely to maximize the cost efficiency of everything that goes on behind closed doors. From warehouse rent and maintenance to sourcing cheap fabric at certain times of the year, buying accessories from sequins, buttons, and bows, to reducing the production lead times, everything revolves around costs, time, and profitable volume.
Also, the fashion industry is a vicious environment, where competition thrives. A high MOQ requirement is in fact a necessity for manufacturers to secure business scalability and good profit margins.
How to Negotiate for a Lower MOQ Amount?
Negotiating a lower MOQ can impose its fair share of challenges but it’s achievable. In the most simple situation, that is if you’re confident about your financial arrangements and willing to spend more money per unit, then the clothing manufacturer might agree to lower its MOQ volume.
Another way would be to bundle orders with other clients to meet the large MOQ requirements. It is also possible to negotiate for a longer production timeline, which allows the factory to spread out and complete your order over a longer period of time, and they will likely work with you due to the flexibility of your orders.
You could also propose to have a long-term collaboration with the manufacturer, especially if you have verified their production capability and quality, and have already established a channel of honest communication and trust.
How Do Clothing Manufacturers Determine Their MOQ Policy?
Each factory will have different production plans and operating strategies. These several factors will influence their production scale and eventually affect their decision on the MOQ policy. Below are some of the common aspects involved during the MOQ policy development process.
Design Complexity
The complexity of design majorly influences the MOQ level. A simple cotton dress might not require a large MOQ, but intricate embellishments and cuts involve specialized technology, workforce, increased production times and costs, making it less cost-efficient to sustain a low MOQ policy.
Choice of Material
Sourcing fabrics from overseas or sustainably produced fibers imply major costs for the manufacturer. If you choose to accept the stock cotton that the manufacturer regularly uses, it lowers the production costs, hence the minimum order quantity as well. For embroidered materials or printed fabrics, the wholesaler will increase their MOQ requirements accordingly.
Manufacturing Process
The manufacturer will always factor in their production procedure when determining their MOQ policy. Everything from electricity, rent, other utilities, specialized training, complicated tech packs, and machinery, all adds up to the overall cost of manufacturing your order. The higher the manufacturing process cost, the higher the MOQs will be.
Product Types
With mass-produced items such as T-shirts, stockings, or bobby pins, the production costs will be cheap, and often with lower MOQs. However, if you’re looking to order embellished sandals or intricate hand-sewn bedazzled dresses, you should expect a much higher MOQ requirement.
How Does the MOQ Policy Affect Order Pricing?
In layman's terms, big orders mean a lower price per unit. Large-scale MOQ manufacturers will mostly offer lower order pricing with large amount orders since it implies decreased production costs per product.
Compared to small quantity orders, high MOQ allows manufacturers to order large quantities of materials with lower costs, spend less on transportation costs per unit, and produce the products at lower unit costs. Thus, factories with a lower MOQ policy may have a higher price due to the higher costs associated with producing smaller quantities of products.
Is There Any Clothing Manufacturer That Has a Low MOQ Policy?
What was mentioned before seems a bit nerve-wracking for small business owners. But don't fret, as there is still hope out there for small-scale businesses as there are clothing manufacturers that are offering low MOQ policy.
Here at Appareify, we understand that starting a business is not an easy task, especially when you have to order under a strict MOQ policy, so we are ready to help all-scale clothing & fashion businesses with our startup-friendly ordering policy. Appareify believes that high-quality clothing manufacturing should be accessible to all individuals, and MOQs should never be an obstacle to get over with.
Other than our all-scale business-friendly MOQ policy, Appareify also has additional strengths to offer our potential business partners.
Experienced R&D Team
Appareify is proudly built on the dedication of our innovative and highly skilled R&D team. Not only will our experience in the industry get your business closer to success, but paired with our dedicated group of clothing experts with extensive R&D capabilities to bring your ideas to life effortlessly.
State-Of-The-Art Machinery
Establish a name for your business with lavishly qualitative products. With advanced machinery and cutting-edge production methods involved, our production lines are fully loaded with technology to cost-efficiently accommodate your order at the highest standards.
Resourceful And Versatile Production Techniques
The all-inclusive approach of our production techniques is a statement of the success brought to you by Appareify, and these are the guarantee of our capability of completing all project inquiries. With our expertise in various production techniques including pattern-making, grading, sewing, and sample-making, our full-house clothing production services are ready to turn your vision into reality.
How Can Appareify's MOQ Policy Benefit Your Business?
Lowering Upfront Costs
By choosing to place your order with Appareify's startup-friendly MOQ policy, your business will benefit from maximum operation flexibility and decreased upfront investments. You will no longer need to worry about taking out of your company’s budget large sums of money to invest in immense inventory, not knowing if it will sell or not.
Effective Market Testing
Sometimes you might feel like a product will be a hit, but in reality, the customer demand says otherwise. With our MOQ policy, you get to test the waters with lowered costs. Order only the needed amount of products from us, see what are your customers’ preferences, and then you can build from there.
Create A Sustainable-Centered Brand
With our startup-friendly minimum order quantity requirements, Appareify's production processes can use up fewer resources and produce less waste. By choosing Appareify, you have the opportunity to create a name for yourself as a sustainability-focused brand and help make the fashion industry more environmentally friendly than ever.
How to Find Out if a Low MOQ Manufacturer Is Reliable?
If you're looking to partner with a clothing manufacturer with a low MOQ, you always want to make sure of their reliability along the way. Here we listed a few ways to investigate and evaluate your potential partner before committing to a final agreement.
Sampling
Most clothing manufacturers nowadays will allow you to sample their products before placing your order. The sampling process is necessary to know if the factory is capable of meeting your expectations and to make sure that your customers are going to get their garments with the best quality possible.
Online Presence
With the rise of technology, almost every business is moving their operation online, including clothing manufacturers. When assessing your potential partner, you can check their websites, online reviews, and social media portfolios such as Facebook pages and Instagram posts as well.
Pay Them a Visit
If possible, you are always suggested to visit the production plant and see every detail by yourself, especially if you tend to work with clothing manufacturers overseas. You need to check if the factory offers decent working conditions and is compliant with all of the rules and regulations.
Also, you should always pay special attention to their quality control process and verify their production capabilities, as these aspects directly affect your customer experiences later on.
Taking these steps to investigate a potential clothing manufacturer can help you make confident, thoughtful, and informed decisions, and to make sure your factory is reliable and capable of meeting your needs.
