Question 1

How do I compare two lingerie quotes on equal terms?

Accepted Answer

Put both quotes against one document: the same tech pack, the same size range, the same quantity per colour, the same Incoterm and the same payment terms. Then ask each factory to state what is included and what is excluded.The quote that survives that comparison is the comparable one. Two numbers on two different scopes are not a price difference, they are two different products.

Question 2

Do you charge for samples and pattern development?

Accepted Answer

Samples are charged, and the charge covers fabric, trims and the line time taken off production. Development from a sketch or a reference sample, meaning pattern making, grading and the first prototype, is quoted separately because it is engineering work rather than sampling.Sampling itself runs about seven days, and a sales sample for a confirmed style takes two to three weeks. Sample charges are normally credited against the bulk order once it is placed, and that should be stated in the quotation rather than agreed verbally later.

Question 3

Does the unit price fall at higher order quantities?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but not in a straight line. Three things drive the curve: fabric minimums and dye-lot batching, how many pieces can be cut from one lay, and the changeover time the style costs a line. Small runs are dominated by changeover, large runs by material.Our minimum is 1,000 to 3,000 pieces per style per colour depending on fabric and construction, which is the band where the six cost blocks become predictable. Below that, the unit price says more about setup time than about the garment.

Question 4

What is usually left out of a low lingerie quote?

Accepted Answer

The costs easiest to leave out are testing (colourfastness, fibre composition, OEKO-TEX 100), packaging (polybag, hangtag, carton), third-party inspection, pattern and grading development, and inland freight to the port. Each of those is a real cost that has to land somewhere, either in the unit price now or in a supplement later.Ask for the quote in writing with the exclusions listed. A factory that will not list them is not cheaper, it is quoting less product.

Question 5

Why did two factories quote the same style so differently?

Accepted Answer

Four things usually differ, and only one of them is price. The fabric actually specified may not match on weight, composition or stretch recovery. The construction may be different. What the quote includes may differ, because testing, packaging, inland freight and export documents are often left out by one side and included by the other. And the two factories probably assumed different order quantities.Before comparing numbers, send both the same tech pack, the same quantity per colour and the same Incoterm, then ask each to break the price into the six blocks. When the blocks sit side by side the real difference is visible in one line.

Question 6

How is a lingerie FOB price calculated?

Accepted Answer

An FOB price is built from six blocks, and no factory prices a bra by weight. The blocks are fabric, trims, cutting and sewing labour, packaging, testing and wastage, and factory overhead plus margin. Fabric and labour together usually account for 60 to 70 percent of the unit price.What you can actually influence at quotation stage is fabric consumption per piece, how many separate trim components the style needs, and how much changeover time the style costs on the line. Construction decides the rest: a moulded cup bra and a cut-and-sew bra drawn from the same sketch are not the same product and will not price the same.

Cost, Quoting & Payment Terms