Guides
How to make and ship a product from Asia
Plain-English guides to sourcing factories, reading and negotiating a quote, running quality control, clearing customs, and planning around the production calendar. No jargon, no fluff — just the steps and the numbers.
Sourcing
Sourcing
Why "China is cheaper" is wrong under 1,000 units.
India beats China on small-batch textile. Vietnam beats both on lead time. The real answer is category × volume, not country reputation.
8 min read
Sourcing
Which factory certifications actually matter — and which are just stickers.
OEKO-TEX vs GOTS vs BSCI vs SA8000 vs Fair Trade — the four that move buyer trust, and the half-dozen that are basically wallpaper.
8 min read
Operations
Operations
The three letters at the end of every factory quote that move price 35%.
EXW, FOB, CIF — what each one transfers to you, what each one leaves with the factory, and the markup that hides inside CIF.
7 min read
Operations
What the factory isn't telling you in their quote — line by line.
The price is the smallest part of the answer. The MOQ, lead time, payment terms, sample policy, and HS code each hide their own surprises.
7 min read
Operations
Your sample looked perfect. Why your bulk run won't.
Samples are made by the senior operators; bulk is not. Color, fit, fabric, finishing, and packing each drift in predictable ways — here's how to lock each one.
9 min read
Operations
Don't negotiate the unit price. Negotiate these four levers instead.
Payment terms, lead-time penalty, rework allowance, and volume tier — these move all-in cost more than unit-price haggling ever will.
7 min read
Operations
The 14-step checklist every founder skips — and pays for later.
Brief, sample, BDA, PO, deposit, mid-production inspection, PSI, balance, freight, customs, last mile. Skip a step and pay 2–10× later.
6 min read
Operations
Why your "one sample" is actually six — and the 6–10 weeks they cost.
Six sample types, $400–1,200 in fees, 6–10 weeks of sampling before bulk. Skip a type and discover the gap in the wrong place.
9 min read
Operations
Your factory wants 30/70. Here are the 5 payment structures and when to push back.
30/70, 20/80, 15/85, LC at sight, Open Account — five structures, very different risk profiles. Which one to ask for, and when.
13 min read
Operations
Customs from Asia: the 7 steps that decide whether your first import clears or stalls.
HS codes, Section 301, MPF/HMF, broker fees, ISF, demurrage. Get one wrong and your container sits at $100–300/day.
13 min read
Operations
You don't need 5 factories. You need 2 good ones — and a soft-backup bench.
Two vendors at 60/40 split beats five at 20% each on price, terms, and priority — until a single-vendor failure costs you the entire quarter.
9 min read
Operations
Asia's holiday calendar quietly burns 30% of your year — here's how to plan around it.
CNY shuts China for 3 weeks. Tet shuts Vietnam. Diwali slows India. Plan in writing 8–12 weeks ahead or pay 2× lead time.
12 min read
Ready to source?
Brief Frenzee on what you’re making, or browse the factory directory to see who makes things like it.