Are both suppliers quoting the same garment?
Start by matching each offer to a dated brief. If one supplier assumes a different fabric, construction detail or quantity, you are comparing different production choices.
Create a comparison sheet with the following fields:
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| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Brief | Version/date and any supplier-proposed changes |
| Quantity | Total garments, style/colour split and size allocation |
| Material | Agreed specification, sourcing responsibility and remaining unknowns |
| Price | Currency, unit basis, validity and quantity conditions |
| Development | Pattern, grading, sampling and revision scope |
| Production | What is included, excluded or supplied by you |
| Delivery | Named destination, freight/insurance/customs responsibilities and applicable trade term |
| Commercial terms | Payment milestones and handling of changes, shortages or defects |
Use confirmed, excluded and unknown rather than leaving cells blank. An empty cell can make an incomplete offer appear cheaper.
What happens when one price excludes fabric?
Add the missing fabric cost on the same order basis before comparing totals. Also confirm whether the required fabric purchase exceeds the amount consumed by this order.
The following is an illustrative arithmetic example, not a supplier quotation or clothing-price benchmark. Both offers are assumed to cover the same 300 shirts, the same material and the same other terms. Freight, duty/tax, development and other charges are excluded from both totals and require separate comparison.
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| Item | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Sewing and fabric, per shirt | US$19 | — |
| Sewing only, per shirt | — | US$12 |
| Assumed fabric allocation, per shirt | Included | US$8 |
| Comparable sewing + fabric subtotal | US$19 | US$20 |
| Subtotal for 300 shirts | US$5,700 | US$6,000 |
Offer B’s US$12 headline price becomes US$20 after the assumed material allocation. Under these limited assumptions, it is US$300 higher for the order. If its fabric cost or required purchase is still unknown, the result is a provisional estimate rather than a settled comparison.
Ask whether material buying, freight to the factory and unused material are included in that allocation. The MOQ guide shows how material purchases and garment quantities can diverge.
How should you handle delivery terms?
Compare the responsibility for costs and risk, not just whether an offer says “shipping included.” Identify the named place, the applicable rule/version where used and the costs still payable by you.
The International Chamber of Commerce explains that Incoterms rules cover more than transport, including aspects of risk and customs responsibilities. A three-letter term does not replace a complete understanding of the transaction.
For the comparison, ask each supplier or your logistics adviser who pays for each applicable step: pickup, export handling, main freight, insurance, import clearance, duties/taxes and final delivery. Confirm who arranges each step and what the quoted amount assumes.
If one offer ends at a factory and another includes delivery to your destination, keep them separate until the remaining charges are established. Do not turn an unknown shipping charge into zero.
Is a larger order actually cheaper for your business?
A lower unit price can require more total cash. Compare the quantity you want with the quantity needed for the proposed price.
Illustrative example: 300 garments at US$20 require US$6,000. A price break of US$18 for 500 garments requires US$9,000. The second option reduces unit cost by US$2 but commits US$3,000 more to 200 additional garments, before other costs.
The decision depends on whether those extra garments fit your demand evidence, available cash and inventory plan. Ask whether the larger number is a manufacturing minimum, a price break or a material requirement. Those answers lead to different alternatives.
If it is a price break, request the offer at your intended quantity. If it is a material constraint, explore whether an acceptable stock material changes the requirement. If the order remains beyond what you can justify, another route or supplier may fit better.
What still needs checking beyond the price?
Price comparison narrows a decision; it does not approve production. Compare sample evidence, supplier communication, unresolved technical questions and the clarity of the commercial agreement.
Before proceeding, ask each supplier to confirm which product version they are pricing, which changes could reopen the price and which event starts the delivery estimate. Keep sample revisions connected to the quotation. A later material or construction change can make the original comparison obsolete.
Agree how acceptance and corrections will be documented. Where technical, contractual or compliance questions require a specialist, obtain that review rather than relying on the table to answer them.
A message you can adapt
“Please confirm this quote uses brief version [date], for [quantity] garments with the attached colour and size split. Please identify whether fabric, trims, labels, packaging, development, samples, revisions and delivery are included. For exclusions, please state who supplies them and any known cost or purchase minimum. Please also confirm the currency, quote validity, payment milestones and conditions behind the delivery estimate.”
Use the answers to update the comparison before selecting an offer. Frenzee is being built to keep garment details, costs and next steps together. Get an invite. Chat and the workspace are coming soon.