Costs and minimums

• The blank garment, which varies by brand, fabric weight, color and size.
• Decoration: print or embroidery, usually priced by location, size, colors or stitches.
• Setup: screens, digitizing or pattern work, often charged once per design.
• Samples, which are often charged and sometimes credited against a bulk order.
• Packaging and branding extras such as labels, tags and bags.
• Shipping, and for cross-border orders, duties and import taxes.

A minimum order quantity (MOQ) is the smallest order a supplier accepts. It can apply per order, per design, per color or per size, and it often differs by method. Twenty-four pieces per design can mean twenty-four of one color, not twenty-four across your whole order.

Minimums exist because setup work, fabric rolls and production lines cost the same whether the run is small or large.

Ask: “Is your minimum per design, per color or per order, and does it change for embroidery?”

Send every supplier the same brief: garment, colors, sizes and quantities, decoration and placement, packaging, and the delivery address. Ask what is included, and whether shipping, taxes and setup are extra.