Why Factory Quotes Differ So Much: How to Read a Custom Clothing Quote

Send one hoodie design to three factories and you may receive three very different prices. That does not automatically mean one supplier is dishonest.

It usually means the factories priced different versions of the garment. Each supplier filled the gaps in your tech pack with its own assumptions.

The solution is not to demand a lower number. It is to make every quote describe the same product, service scope, quantity, and delivery boundary.

This guide gives you a line-by-line method for doing that.

A unit price is not a comparable quote

A unit price is only the visible result of dozens of inputs. Until those inputs match, two prices do not represent competing offers.

Start by assigning every important line in each quote one of four states:

State	Meaning	What you do next
Included	The specification and cost are inside the quoted price	Confirm the exact material, method, quantity, and quality level
Excluded	The item is not part of the price	Add its separate cost before comparing totals
Assumed	The factory selected an input because your brief was incomplete	Accept the assumption or replace it with your required specification
TBD	The cost cannot be fixed before sourcing, testing, or approval	Record the trigger, owner, and expected decision date

A blank cell is not the same as included. Treat silence as TBD until the factory confirms it in writing.

What a garment price is made of

Every custom garment quote combines the same broad cost families. Our hoodie cost anatomy shows how they interact on one garment.

Fabric. Compare composition, weight, knit or weave, finish, usable width, color process, and quality level. A weight such as 500 gsm does not describe yarn quality, density, hand, shrinkage, or surface finish.

Cutting and sewing. Panel count, pockets, lining, seam type, hardware, matching requirements, and finishing steps all affect production time. A pullover and a lined zip jacket are not comparable labor programs.

Decoration and washing. Record the method, number of placements, artwork size, color count, embroidery coverage, wash effect, and test or approval stages. “Logo included” is not a usable specification.

Trims and branding. Zippers, drawcords, eyelets, buttons, rivets, labels, hangtags, and packaging need named specifications. A branded zipper and an unspecified zipper should not share one comparison row.

Development and setup. Pattern work, grading, sample development, screens, molds, digitizing, and artwork preparation may be separate charges or spread across the unit price.

Packing, inspection, and delivery. Confirm folding, polybags, cartons, inspection scope, pickup point, freight, insurance, duties, and taxes.

Use our shipping-terms guide before comparing EXW, FOB, CIF, and DDP offers.

The ICC's official Incoterms® 2020 checklist shows why the named rule and named place matter. The rules allocate transport tasks, costs, and risks between seller and buyer.

They do not make two quotes comparable unless both suppliers use the same boundary.

Factory overhead and margin. These are real parts of a sustainable price. You do not need a supplier's private costing sheet, but you do need a clear statement of what its selling price covers.

Build an apples-to-apples comparison sheet

Put one factory in each column. Use the rows below even when a supplier's quotation groups them differently.

Comparison row	Details that must match	State to record
Style and revision	Style code, drawing, tech-pack version, reference sample	Included / Assumed / TBD
Quantity	Total units, units per color, size range, quantity tier	Included / Assumed / TBD
Main fabric	Composition, gsm, structure, finish, color process	Included / Excluded / Assumed / TBD
Secondary materials	Rib, lining, interlining, pocketing, elastic	Included / Excluded / Assumed / TBD
Construction	Panels, seams, pockets, closures, special operations	Included / Assumed / TBD
Decoration	Method, placements, size, colors or stitch coverage	Included / Excluded / Assumed / TBD
Wash and testing	Wash process, approval sample, required tests	Included / Excluded / TBD
Trims and labels	Hardware, main label, size label, care label, hangtag	Included / Excluded / Assumed / TBD
Packaging	Fold, polybag, stickers, carton, units per carton	Included / Excluded / Assumed / TBD
Development	Pattern, grading, sample, revisions, setup charges	Included / Excluded / TBD
Inspection	In-line, final, third-party access, rework handling	Included / Excluded / TBD
Delivery boundary	Trade term, named place, freight, duty, insurance	Included / Excluded / TBD
Commercial terms	Currency, tax, payment milestones, validity	Included / Excluded / TBD
Timing	Sample estimate, approval gates, bulk lead time	Confirmed / Assumed / TBD

Do not score a supplier until every material row has a state. An attractive price with six unanswered rows is an incomplete offer, not the winning quote.

Normalize each offer to one cost boundary

Choose the point where you want every comparison to end. For many brands, that is the cost of one sellable unit delivered to the location where orders will be fulfilled.

Use this structure:

Normalized project cost =
garment cost
+ development and sample charges
+ decoration and setup not included in unit price
+ labels and packaging not included in unit price
+ inspection
+ freight and insurance
+ estimated duty and tax
+ expected rework or replacement allowance

Normalized cost per sellable unit =
normalized project cost / expected sellable units

This is a planning model, not an instruction to invent missing values. Mark uncertain costs as a range and record who must confirm them.

Compare currency and quantity on the same basis. A 300-piece tier should not compete against a 50-piece tier unless 300 pieces is a realistic purchase decision.

Why one quote is much cheaper than another

When two normalized totals still differ, trace the gap in this order:

1. Specification difference. One supplier selected a different fabric, trim, construction, decoration, wash, or packing standard.
2. Scope difference. Development, labels, testing, inspection, freight, or another service sits outside one price.
3. Quantity difference. The prices use different totals, color splits, size ranges, or reorder assumptions.
4. Delivery difference. The offers end at different places or allocate freight, risk, duty, and tax differently.
5. Process difference. Equipment, sourcing relationships, line efficiency, overhead, and margin can produce a genuine gap after the first four are aligned.

The first four are comparison errors you can remove. The fifth is where supplier evaluation begins.

Estimate, quotation, and final production scope

An early estimate answers, “Is this project broadly feasible in my budget?” It can use stated assumptions and ranges.

A formal quotation should identify the priced specification, quantity, inclusions, exclusions, delivery boundary, currency, commercial terms, and validity period.

The production scope becomes reliable only after the approved sample and written revision record agree with the quotation. If the sample changes, request a written price impact before bulk approval.

Do not treat a chat message, marketplace headline, or old quote as the current commercial agreement.

The sample is the audit

The sample turns assumptions into a physical garment. Fabric hand, shape, seam quality, hardware, decoration, and wash can finally be compared with the priced specification.

Use the 15-point sample checklist, then return one written revision record. If a material or construction change affects cost, the quote should be revised before approval.

At Jiashun, MOQ starts at 50 pieces. The final minimum depends on the product, fabric, wash, and customization.

Samples typically take 10–15 working days. Bulk typically takes 20–30 working days after sample approval. Sample pricing, delivery, and payment terms are confirmed after project review.

Eight questions to send every factory

1. What exact fabric — composition, weight, knit — is this priced on?
2. Which tech-pack revision, sample, or reference did you quote?
3. What quantity per style and color does this price assume?
4. Which construction, decoration, wash, trims, labels, and packaging are included?
5. Which development, testing, inspection, freight, duty, and tax costs are excluded?
6. What trade term and named delivery place define the price boundary?
7. Which values are assumptions or still TBD, and what will confirm them?
8. What are the sample process, bulk timing, payment milestones, and quote validity?

A factory that answers all eight clearly gives you something as valuable as a low price: a scope you can manage.

Copyable quote-comparison brief

Send the same block to every shortlisted supplier. Replace the brackets instead of deleting fields you have not decided.

Style code and revision:
Product and fit:
Reference sample or garment:
Quantity by style and color:
Size range and size breakdown:
Main fabric:
Secondary materials:
Construction details:
Decoration and placement:
Wash or finish:
Trims, labels, and packaging:
Required tests or inspection:
Sample requirement:
Delivery destination:
Requested trade term:
Target approval and delivery window:

Please mark every item as included, excluded, assumed, or TBD.
Please list separate development, setup, testing, inspection, packing,
freight, duty, and tax costs where applicable.

FAQ

Is the cheapest quote ever the right choice? Sometimes. First normalize the scope, quantity, delivery boundary, and extra charges. Then use the sample to confirm that the physical garment matches what was priced.

Why do small orders cost more per piece? Pattern work, artwork setup, screens, markers, sourcing, and line preparation are spread across fewer units. Color splits and special materials can also affect the final minimum and unit price.

Should a factory share its cost breakdown? A supplier may not share its private internal costing. It should still identify the priced specification, inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, delivery boundary, and separate project charges.

How many factories should I compare? Enough to understand the market without creating an unmanageable sample program. A short list of credible suppliers with normalized scopes is more useful than a spreadsheet of vague headline prices.

When should I ask for a revised quote? Ask whenever the approved specification changes fabric, construction, decoration, wash, trims, packaging, quantity, delivery boundary, or another priced assumption.

References

• This comparison method reflects Jiashun's factory-side quotation review workflow. It is operational guidance, not a universal costing formula.
• Delivery-term reference: ICC, Incoterms® 2020 Checklist and Flowcharts, retrieved 2026-07-21.