# Apparel Manufacturing Question



## devonn (Jan 25, 2011)

Recently I have been looking to do custom manufacturing for all my apparel in order to have the perfect fit. Last week I was contacted by a company out of Bangladesh offering up their full manufacturing services (found my email via my clothing company website).

Everything seemed very mature and legitimate. After sending the rough sizes / fabric type / potential design I was told this:

"Thanks for your kind information. please see our price according to your instruction.

100% cotton 160 gsm men short sleeve t-shirt with print price US $ 3.90/pc FOB

Yes, we will be able to send you some available samples but if you want to make samples according to your design & measurement then you have pay us some sample cost & it will be deduct from final order amount.

So, don't hesitate to contact us if you have any further question."

---

That too seemed to be fair, and a great price. My question is, is it to good to be true?

The payment must be made through T/T or L/C. I have read a little online about Wire Transfer and L/C but I was hoping someone here could explain a little more, and if its a safe method of paying for things overseas.'

Thanks!


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## AtkinsonConsult (May 2, 2011)

Devonn:

What is the quantity? Are you prepared to order a container? (about 50k shirts)

Also, if things go south are you prepared to go to Bangladesh, or pay someone else to represent you? I'd have payment in escrow, transferable upon delivery. 

Do they have references? Any other US company that deals with them?

Put your CSI hat on and check them out.

Good luck...

-M


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## devonn (Jan 25, 2011)

This company has offered to deal with my much lower quantity requirement, roughly 200 pieces per design.

The payment L/C payment method seems to be a way to hold all payments until garment is received, and is done via banks, but I was hoping to hear from someone with experience in it.

I could find practically no reviews or testimonials from anyone online, which was my first concern.

Thanks for the info!


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

you can try to contact their embassy and see if they have a trade representative who can or is willing to check the company and the people behind. Not an assurance but better than having to deal with someone who already has a bad record.

About the L/C, what happens if the item arrived but not according to specs?


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## devonn (Jan 25, 2011)

I will try to find a way to find more info about them, thanks for the idea!

As for the L/C thing, that is why I need to look into it more.

Anyone else have an input? I would love to hear from lots of people on what I should do next.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

I am not familiar with the types of L/C available but I have heard of people receiving a van full of junk. I think some L/Cs are conditioned upon delivery of the merchandise to the shipping company and the bank release the funds after proof of delivery is presented to the bank. I believe banks do no more than inspect the documents and not the merchandise. Please check it with your bank.


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## Andson Apparel (Feb 20, 2007)

If this is your first foray into importing, I would work with a buying / sourcing agent who will be able to conduct inspections at the factory. Or someone who has a US presence and the infrastructure for importing. In most factories, the sample pieces are made by a sampling department, and are not always reflective of the production quality. 

Most large importers require prototypes/ pre-production samples, then early production samples as well. But from what I understand your quantities will make that difficult.

Also, find someone well versed in crafting an L/C that will be dependent on the condition of the goods here. This a tricky art that requires some expertise. 

We've been importing for years and, well, for 200 pieces per design, I would really do a cost/benefit analysis of importing vs. domestic customization.


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

I brought in 18k of custom mugs, 150 or so had the image upside down. Luckily , I had gone through an agent who also handled Target and Kmart...his clout saved my bacon. Not in amillion years ...


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## devonn (Jan 25, 2011)

Luckily I have found a company willing to deal with quantities that are much lower. I will take all your information and try to find out more about the company, and how much protection I have from quality of product.

Thanks!


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

it will be prepay or letter of credit, either way you have no recourse with small quantities.


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## michellefanfan (Oct 26, 2009)

devonn said:


> Luckily I have found a company willing to deal with quantities that are much lower. I will take all your information and try to find out more about the company, and how much protection I have from quality of product.
> 
> Thanks!


Hi Devonn,

I'll expect to some experiences of you to be shared after talk with the company, thanks.

Bill


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

devonn said:


> Luckily I have found a company willing to deal with quantities that are much lower. I will take all your information and try to find out more about the company, and how much protection I have from quality of product.
> 
> Thanks!


lucky or not, now is not the time to say.

do try to find out more about the company. as to quality assurance, i think that would depend much on the reputation of the company. recourses can be difficult to come by in international transactions.

as ayaz suggested, maybe you can also try to find companies with a local presence. It may be more expensive per piece but it should be much cheaper than getting junk.


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

Bro, your site shows tee images , but pricing and descriptions of hand guns ..?


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

just checked and they seem fine.

The site is now restricting the maximum number of products that can be uploaded so I am not updating the site though.


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## Mydivinefamily (Jul 4, 2011)

devonn said:


> Luckily I have found a company willing to deal with quantities that are much lower. I will take all your information and try to find out more about the company, and how much protection I have from quality of product.
> 
> Thanks!


Please keep us posted on how that works out


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

those are retail prices right? and discount on wholesale.


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## joshcott (Jul 20, 2011)

devon hello ope yu gud...please what company you daling with who are ready to give yu lower quantities???please fill me in or jux me da info [email protected]


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## JoeSarkis (Aug 23, 2011)

Well i guess i am having the same issue. I have been looking for an overseas garment manufacturer and have found many in China and India. The problem is how to know the quality of the finished product. Sure they are willing to do escrow but that does not guarantee anything as to receiving quality product. I have been looking on Alibaba.com and found both cotton mills/textile producers and garment manufactures. I have had swatches sent to me for the fabric and the sewing companies are offering samples but that does not help. I mean sure they will send you their best work as the sample but what will the actual finished product look like. So here is a check list that i am putting together to test the factories:

1. Quality guarantee (within the contract): I am asking what type of quality guarantee will they give me. Will they buy back the defective shirts that do not pass my quality inspection. Will they pay for the cost of the shirt that they mess up. 

2. Overseas (USA, Europe) References: Here i will be asking if they have any references from US or European based clientele. Also, if there is a line of clothing that they manufacture which is sold here. This way instead of looking at the sample they send me i can go the store and buy an example for inspection. 

3. Proof of business presence: I will ask them for all their business licenses, any type of their local government certificates they may have. This way i can try and contact someone in their government and see if they can verify everything. This can also be helpful in looking up for any lawsuits they may have against them. I will also ask the representative to take some pictures of their facility and email them to me. You can tell a lot by seeing what the place looks like. I know its not seeing with your own eye but pictures are the next best thing. 

4. Online/social media presence: Make sure the company has an Online/social media presence. Any individual or a business entity doing business on a global basis will have a good online presence. Make sure they have contact information online for the different divisions of their company. 

Now i know this is not a sure way of knowing who you will be dealing with and no guarantee for anything! But if a company is willing to provide some simple requests then they have nothing to hide. My search is just starting for a manufacturer but i would love to hear how yours has been going. I would love to have my product be made in the USA but every mill and manufacturer i have contacted here in the US has tuned me down. The cotton mills i contacted didnt even want to talk to me. I had to call and call to get someone to respond and they always told me they dont want to bother with a start-up private label. As to garment manufacturers here locally, well i have only found two and they didnt even want to talk to me unless i was ordering 100k + shirts. The overseas guys on the other hand, i mean what can i say..one email and they sent me samples, all kinds of info...etc.... they really put an effort to get your business.


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

Devonn,
I have imported lots of containers of goods from China. Buying a stock item is scary enough...sea damage, poor quality, wrong color, size, slow ship...
but to buy a custom item, in small quantities, ..you are out on a limb with no protection. Tees is one item we have that has plenty of margin from USA manufacturers or distributors. Consider the higher prices an insurance premium, and sleep at night. I got burned on 18k mugs...the image was upside down. Even at 18k I was a small fry...imagine what you are .


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