Almost any factory can quote. The differences appear at the second order, the inspection table and the customs declaration. These twelve questions surface most of them before you have paid for a sample.
On capability
1. What do you make most of, and what do you make least of?
A factory that makes 90% French terry sweatshirts will do a better job on your sweatshirt and a worse job on your pointelle bodysuit than one whose mix is reversed. Ask for the split, not the list.
2. Which processes are in-house and which are subcontracted?
Cutting, sewing, printing, embroidery, needle detection and packing are sometimes partly outsourced. Subcontracted steps are where quality and calendar control get weakest. There is nothing wrong with subcontracting — it is a problem only when you find out afterwards.
3. Can I see the needle detection record for a recent lot?
For infant garments this is not optional. A factory that cannot produce the record on request probably does not run the check on every lot.
4. What are your inspection points, and what AQL do you work to?
Inline only, or inline plus end-line plus final? A factory that answers "we inspect everything" has not understood the question.
On the commercial frame
5. What exactly is the binding minimum, and why?
Yarn, dye lot, trims, or setup? The answer tells you which lever to pull to reduce it. See the piece on what MOQ depends on.
6. What is your sampling sequence, and how many rounds is typical?
A factory with a defined sequence — counter, fit, size set, pre-production — is easier to work with than one that samples until you stop complaining.
7. What is included in the quoted price, and what is not?
Labels, hang tags, poly bags, carton marking, inspection, and freight are the usual exclusions. Ask for the price to be broken down rather than quoted as one number.
8. Which Incoterm are you quoting?
FOB, EXW, CIF and DDP produce very different totals. A quote without an Incoterm is not a quote.
On the relationship
9. Who is my contact, and who approves a change?
One named person who owns the order, and a clear answer on who can agree a specification change. Orders that pass through a shared inbox lose days.
10. What happens if the final inspection fails?
The right answer involves the lot being held and the decision being yours. The wrong answer involves shipping and discussing afterwards.
11. Can we send a third-party inspector?
A factory that resists this is telling you something. A factory that welcomes it usually has a reason to.
12. Will you hold our patterns and blocks as ours?
Get this in writing, including for styles developed from the factory's own blocks. The modified pattern is the thing you paid to develop.
Two things to look at rather than ask about
- The sample room. An empty sample room means sampling is subcontracted or the factory does not develop. A busy one means the opposite.
- The warehouse. Fabric and finished-goods storage tells you how the factory manages continuity — whether a reorder will find the same fabric or a near-match.
Refusing a third-party inspection. No needle detection record. A price given without an Incoterm. A lead time given before the fabric is chosen. A claim that a single certificate covers the whole range.