Three to five factories, not one. Prioritize years in operation, strong transaction histories, trade assurance. Read what they actually make: a category specialist beats a generalist. Message them all with the same note; reply speed, directness, and willingness to send real numbers do most of the shortlisting.
Hello, I am launching a private label brand in the US and evaluating suppliers for my first order of [product].
Could you send:
1. Your price per unit at 300, 500, and 1,000 units
2. Minimum order quantity for a first order
3. Lead time from deposit to ready-to-ship
4. Sample price with express shipping to [your ZIP]
5. Whether you support custom packaging and my logo
If the sample checks out, I plan to order within [timeframe] and reorder quarterly if sales perform.
Please send one sample of [product] with express shipping to [your ZIP]. Sample cost and shipping total in advance, please. Payment by a protected method. I will confirm the exact configuration and any color or packaging options before you ship.
Order samples from two or three finalists, express shipped, pay with a method that protects you. Samples across suppliers run roughly $50-150 total (small-order estimate).
Before I pay the balance, please confirm in writing: FNSKU labels applied to every unit, carton weight and labeling per Amazon's prep requirements (attached), and suffocation warnings on any poly bags. Confirm my logo and packaging per the approved sample, and the final unit price of $[x] at [quantity] units.
Send Amazon's prep requirements in writing and confirm before the balance. Factories do this daily; they just need you to be specific.
Reorder for [product]: please confirm current unit price at [quantity] units, lead time from deposit, and the same packaging and prep as the last order. If the sample checks out again, I plan to [deposit %] by [date] and reorder quarterly if sales perform.
The factory that already made your product is the cheapest and fastest reorder you will ever place. Keep the supplier thread warm between orders.
My first order was [n] units at $[x]. I am ready to order [larger n] units. At the [500 / 1,000]-unit tier you quoted in our first exchange, what is the price per unit? If we can land at $[target], I can pay the deposit this week.
Anchor to the quantity tiers from the first email. Volume is the honest lever; the deposit-timing offer is yours to make or withhold.
Use the product like a hostile customer. "Good" is relative: calibrate against what page one sells. One scorecard per finalist.
| Test | Result / notes | Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Drop test | ☐ | |
| Overload test | ☐ | |
| Dishwasher / claimed durability check | ☐ | |
| Side-by-side vs page-one product | ☐ | |
| Packaging and logo as specified | ☐ | |
| Unit price at my quantity (written) | ☐ |
A product that arrives wrong as a thirty-dollar sample is a two-thousand-dollar mistake avoided. Winner confirmed in writing: unit price at your quantity, lead time, packaging, labeling, prep requirements.