Pricing in china

[Caz12]

Hello,

I'm in the process of opening an online fashion boutique. I will be going to china to pick my stock.

My questions are a 'how long is a piece of string' type question but I'm going to ask anyway...

-How much roughly could I expect to pay for a basic bodycon or skater dress that is good quality.

-How much roughly should I expect to pay for items that I have requested amendments to made, I read a post that referred to these items as 'of the shelf'.

Because I am planning to travel to China I want to get an idea of prices before I go so that I can make sure it is worth me going instead of just using a manufacturer in the UK.

Any insights appreciated.

 

[Cherry Lee]

I am purchasing garments for a UK client now， I think I can tell u the rough price if you can show me the garment photo

 

[MOIC]

Hi Caz12

Coming to China to choose and collect your stock has got to be economically viable for you.

You should allow approximately £1500 for flights / hotel / food / transportation, for say a 5 night stay which should be adequate to source from the wholesale markets.

You should take into account that sizes from some supplers will be for the China market and these are different to a UK size spec.

If it is a viable proposition to come to China, I would advise you to have an interpreter with experience of the clothing markets/suppliers to be with you throughout your stay and to be able to follow your orders, arrange payments, check the quality and arrange shipping.

If you need any further assistance with your project, please feel free to contact me by email at: [email protected].

Best of luck with your project.

Regards

Ron

 

[Frank the China Forwarder]

Maybe you can come and join some 2014 China clothing exhibitions. Such as:


the 9th Shanghai World Textile & Apparel Exhibition (15th-17th October, Shanghai)

the 4th(autumn) Shanghai Textile and Clothing Exhibition (16th-18th October, Shanghai)

the 16th China Jiangsu International Textile Fabrics Apparel Exop (13th-15th September, Nanjing);

the 15th China International Silk & Womenswear exhibition (11th-14th October, Hangzhou)

 

[rockylee]

I suggest that you should choose some factories and compared price with these suppliers first or expo through internet, and let them know your schedule, they will pick you up and will save you more time, have good luck

 

[Alicechina]

Hello,

I'm in the process of opening an online fashion boutique. I will be going to china to pick my stock.

My questions are a 'how long is a piece of string' type question but I'm going to ask anyway...

-How much roughly could I expect to pay for a basic bodycon or skater dress that is good quality.

-How much roughly should I expect to pay for items that I have requested amendments to made, I read a post that referred to these items as 'of the shelf'.

Because I am planning to travel to China I want to get an idea of prices before I go so that I can make sure it is worth me going instead of just using a manufacturer in the UK.

Any insights appreciated.

Hi,I have been engaged in garment sourcing about 10 years, below are some suggestions for you.
1. Before you ask for price, you should give below information to the factory:
1) garment sketch or pic 2) Fabric(water resistant index for skater dress）, lining,accessories,packing requirement( which will make you get a more accurate price). if you don't have that, factory also can estimate according to their experience 3) sizes 4) estimated order q'ty 5) need fabric/accesories test or not (like color fastness, water resistant index, zipper nickel free,led free test ...etc)

Above 1)3)4) is essential.

2.searching some suppliers and make price preparation before you come to China
3. Make a factory visit to see if they are qualified(production capacity,garment workmanship etc) to make your garment

 

[Directimport]

Hello,

I'm in the process of opening an online fashion boutique. I will be going to china to pick my stock.

My questions are a 'how long is a piece of string' type question but I'm going to ask anyway...

-How much roughly could I expect to pay for a basic bodycon or skater dress that is good quality.

-How much roughly should I expect to pay for items that I have requested amendments to made, I read a post that referred to these items as 'of the shelf'.

Because I am planning to travel to China I want to get an idea of prices before I go so that I can make sure it is worth me going instead of just using a manufacturer in the UK.

Any insights appreciated.

I would advise against a visit until you have done a lot more research.

You can get quotes online from manufacturers, but don't search via the popular B2B sites you will so often see recommended on forums. You are unlikely to find real manufacturers by using those sites.

Even if you intend visiting one or more of the fairs suggested by Frank The China Forwarder, you need to do your homework well in advance of travelling. Locate a list of exhibitors and make initial contact via email. Sort out the promising ones and maintain communication with them. That will save you a lot of time and frustration when you actually visit the fair.

Using an interpreter can put you at a great disadvantage. Most reputable exporters have English speaking staff. If they don't, you will likely find them awkward to deal with long term.

 

[MOIC]

Using an interpreter can put you at a great disadvantage. Most reputable exporters have English speaking staff. If they don't, you will likely find them awkward to deal with long term.

Given that the OP is in the process of opening an online fashion boutiqe, it is reasonable to expect that her quantities will not be met by manufacturers in China.

Realistically, the only alternative is to buy from the wholesale markets (where manufacturers sell stock at small volumes) that would allow the OP to buy from a multitude of factories as well as designs without committing to MOQ's which China manufacturers demand.

Visiting the wholesale markets, especially for the first few times, you must have someone to guide you to the correct markets, where many do not speak sufficient English, as well as to negotiate, quality control, pack and ship the products wth correct documentation. The vast majority of suppliers in the wholesale markets do not have any export licences, so a shipping company will have to prepare the export invoice, after receiving all the packing lists and invoices, normally written in Mandarin, from each supplier bought from.

We do this for a number of retailers who have online businesses as well as 1, 2 or more retail outlets.

We had one last week buying from 4 different markets and buying from 35 different suppliers.

This is not something that can be done by someone arriving in China for the first time, if at all.

 

[Directimport]

Here is part of the answer I gave to crucialf in the thread Asian Clothing Brands:
There are many small clothing manufacturers in China, Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Estonia etc, who have generic designs and will supply you without a brand label. They will supply small quantities if you approach them the right way.

You can have woven labels carrying your own brand made locally and get a local seamstress to stitch them in for you.

If the OP does careful research and does not limit his/her search to China, it is possible to find some innovative designs that are not commonly seen in UK shops. Even some of the smaller manufacturers in China can offer some interesting designs based on the latest trends in other countries.

 

[MOIC]

From a "stock" point of view, you cannot beat China suppliers and prices.

Until you have seen the vast amount of manufacturrs selling up to date stock at cheap pries, it's hard to imagine.

You literally have thousands of suppliers to choose from, that will carry stock.

You can buy 6pcs of this and 6pcs of that, from stock.

The manufacturers who have their showrooms n the wholesale markets, specfically sell from stock and you can buy in small quantities at the best prices, not available online.

 

[Caz12]

Thank you very much everybody. I will take everything on board. I think I have a little more research to do lol. I do have an agent in china who will help me when I get there and I also have an uncle who lives over there too should I need any extra assistance

 

[YoungMoneyChina]

To answer your questions,

1. A basic body con style dress you would expect to sell on eBay for 10-14 gbp for instance will be around 3-4 pounds here. You can get them for less but your return rate will be pretty high. I supply a lot of people who sell these types of garments on eBay so i have a bit of experience.

2. For the amended garments If your order volume is a little higher than purchasing from markets, by this I'm talking upwards of 2-300 units per style then you can use a small manufacturer to make up your designs. Cost will be similar until you get into the thousands where you will begin to see a decrease.

 

[Caz12]

Thank you very much. So for me to make up say 300 items of a particular design it would cost me around £1200 give or take. This is a good price can you tell me where these types of manufacturers are located. I'm toying with either going to yiwu, guangzhou or humen city.

I'm looking for good quality in particular if that makes a difference.

 

[YoungMoneyChina]

Im talking 1 design, 1 colour and if possible no more than 2/3 sizes.

If so then yes these prices will be about right.

If i was you i would look for a manufacturer in guangzhou, quality tends to be a bit better and its more accessible.

Like Ron says above i would say you will likely find a style you like in stock and save yourself a lot of hassle.

If you want some more tips have a look on my blog it might have some useful info for you.

 

[Caz12]

I see! I would need sizes ranging from a UK 4- 16 so I would need 6 different sizes of the same design. They would all be the same design but they wouldn't just be one colour and they would have fastenings and detail etc...

If I found existing styles in Guangzhou how would I ensure that the quality and sizing is perfect? Would I need to tell the supplier so they can get them made up or would I just be given their stock? Do you have any tips for this?

What is your blog would love to take a look!

 

[YoungMoneyChina]

As a basic straight talking rule of thumb:

The more fiddly the order is the more you will have to pay. Not really for any other reason other than its more work or hassle for the seller. So if you want more sizes or several colours expect a little price increase.

Buying from a market will limit you on the sizing, a UK 16 for instance is pretty big by Chinese standards as funny as that sounds. There are of course markets offering bigger sizes but these tend to be less bang on trend than the kind of stuff your looking for.

My blog is www.youngmoneychina.com, you might find some useful tips there on doing business in China.

Thanks

 

[Caz12]

Thank you this is all really helpful .

Do you think any manufacturers would do a deal where if I agree to have say 10 different designs made up they would reduce their minimum quantity for each style to 100 instead if 300. So I would still be ordering 1000 items in total but they would be 10 different styles... Lol or is that wishful thinking.

I will check out your blog

 

[YoungMoneyChina]

You need to think about it from the suppliers point of view, make it easier for them and they will be more flexible with you.

By this i mean:

Can they use the same materials for the different dresses? This will mean they can buy all the fabric in bulk for the different styles and save on buying several different fabrics from different suppliers.

Can they use a similar pattern and modify it? ie adding a peplum detail to a body con will mean they can double up on a pattern and safe a cost there.

Are the fabrics to be used of similar weights? Meaning the machines will not need to be set up several times throughout the production of your order.

Each size and style needs a new pattern cutting, this is a cost the supplier must then share over your production without you realising.

So 10 styles in 6 sizes is actually 60 patterns that need to be drawn, made and cut. Thats all extra costs.

I bought a clothing factory in China a couple of years ago so i know a fair bit about the process.

 

[Caz12]

I really appreciate all the info it is all really helpful.

So I could literally have say 10 styles of bodycon (in similar material) but some could perhaps have cut outs or diamanté detail and this would possibly be cheaper.

I'm going to have the patten and sample for each design made up in the uk- would that be easier and cheaper or would I still incur the costs for the additional sizes?

 

[YoungMoneyChina]

I say the same material because what i mean is your supplier will get a better rate buying say 10 rolls of a rayon/spandex fabric instead of having to buy several rolls of different fabric.

This saving may not be passed onto you though but it will mean they are able to make a bit extra thus making them more willing to work with you.

I would assume any factory here will still make their own patterns, most have an in house person to do them, they are cheaper to make in China than the UK thats for sure.

Each size is a new pattern.

 

[Caz12]

Thank you very much! Such a big help x

 

[MOIC]

You are best working with a small manufacturer for this kind of work.

Also be prepared to be in China to oversee the samples, if you are planning different styles with embellishments/modifications.

It is normal to expect samples to be amended 2 or 3 times before they are confirmed to be correct.

Do not leave anything to the imagination of Chinese manufactuerers.....................their mindset is completely different and what you think you will expect can be different if each detail is not explained clearly.

Best of luck.