Short version: A good partner offers ~100-piece MOQ, owns its machines, samples in days, and answers technical questions clearly. Avoid huge minimums, vague replies, "we can make anything", and prices that seem too cheap — they usually mean a middleman.
Factory vs trading company — the #1 thing to get right
Most "manufacturers" you find on marketplaces are trading companies: they take your order, send it to a real factory, and add a markup — while you lose control over quality and timelines. A real factory makes your product in-house. It's not that trading companies are always bad, but for a growing brand you want to talk directly to the people cutting and knitting your garments.
Questions that separate the real from the resellers
- "Can you show me your production floor on a live video call right now?"
- "Which machines do you own — do you knit seamless in-house?"
- "What's your MOQ per style and per colorway?"
- "What fabric composition and GSM do you recommend for this, and why?"
- "Can I get a factory audit report (BSCI) and certifications (GRS, OEKO-TEX)?"
- "Who is my contact, and how fast do you reply?"
A real factory answers these instantly and specifically. A reseller gets vague, slow, or changes the subject.
Healthy MOQ & lead-time benchmarks
- MOQ: ~100 pcs/style/colorway (stock + logo); ~300 pcs (full custom).
- Samples: 3–10 days.
- Bulk: ~30 days standard, 15 days rush.
- Reply time: within 24 hours, from a named person.
Red flags to walk away from
- Minimums of 1,000–5,000+ for a first order.
- "We can make anything" with no specialty — focus beats generalists.
- Prices dramatically below everyone else (corners are being cut somewhere).
- No certifications, no audit, no willingness to video-call the floor.
- Replies that are slow, templated, or only warm up once you mention big volumes.
How Yesseam stacks up
We're a real, vertically integrated seamless activewear factory in Xiamen — 100-piece MOQ, in-house knitting, BSCI/GRS/OEKO-TEX, samples in days, and a human who replies in 24h. Video calls and factory audits are welcome. See exactly why brands switch to us.
FAQ
What's a good MOQ for a new brand?
Around 100 pieces per style/colorway for stock + logo, ~300 for full custom. Much higher minimums are built for established brands.
How do I tell a factory from a trading company?
Ask for a live floor video, which machines they own, an audit report, and judge how technically they answer. Resellers dodge these.