How order quantities and MOQ work
Almost every enquiry we receive starts with the same question: what is the smallest order you will take? The honest answer is that MOQ is not one number — it is a consequence of three decisions you make before production starts. This guide explains what those decisions are, and how to keep a first order small without paying for the privilege.
Why there is no single MOQ figure
A supplier who quotes you one fixed MOQ for every garment is either quoting you the worst case, or they have not looked at your design yet. The real minimum depends on three things:
- Fabric choice. Some fabrics are held in stock and can be cut at short notice. Others are knitted or dyed to order, and a mill has its own minimum for that run. A fabric made to order simply cannot be economical in the same quantity as a stock quality.
- Print or decoration method. Full sublimation has no per-colour setup, so it scales down much further than screen printing, which needs one screen per colour. Embroidery needs a digitised file, which is a one-off cost that makes sense to spread over more pieces.
- How many sizes and colourways you are splitting across. Ten pieces in one size and one colourway is a far simpler job than ten pieces spread across six sizes and three colourways.
That is why we quote MOQ per programme rather than quoting a blanket figure. Send us the design, the quantity you have in mind and the size breakdown, and the quotation will tell you the real minimum for that job.
What we do to keep a first order small
Our stated policy is low MOQ, mixed sizes in one order, and no penalty for trial runs. In practice that means:
- Mixed sizes, one order. You are not pushed into ordering a balanced pack of sizes you cannot use. Order the size spread your squad actually needs.
- Trial runs are accepted. A club that wants ten sets to see the quality before committing to a full season is a normal customer for us, not an exception.
- No per-colour setup on sublimation. A ten-colour design costs the same to set up as a one-colour design when the garment is fully sublimated. If your artwork is detailed, choosing sublimation usually lets you go smaller than you expected.
- Repeat orders stay colour-matched. The point of a trial run is that the next run matches it. We keep the artwork and the colour references from the original programme.
Where a small order does get more expensive
Two costs do not disappear at low volume, and it is fairer to name them up front than to bury them:
| Cost | Why volume matters |
|---|---|
| Development and mock-up | The design work to turn your idea into a production-ready file is largely the same whether you order ten pieces or a thousand. We provide the digital mock-up free, but a physical sample carries its own cost. |
| Print setup on non-sublimation methods | Screen printing needs a screen per colour and embroidery needs a digitised file. These are one-off costs that get cheaper per piece as the order grows. |
Neither of these is a penalty — they are real work. The useful thing is knowing they exist, so you can decide whether to run small now and scale later, or go straight to the larger run and accept a longer first order.
How to get the sharpest quote
Every extra piece of information shortens the back-and-forth. If you can supply the following with your first message, the quotation is usually right the first time:
- Sport and garment type — for example, basketball singlet and shorts, or a soccer home kit.
- Quantity and size breakdown — even an approximate spread is better than a total on its own.
- Artwork or a reference — a logo file, a sketch, or even a photo of a kit you like.
- Colour references — Pantone numbers if you have them, or a club colour we can match.
- Any deadline — a target date you are working to, so we can tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
The quotation comes back as clear EXW pricing with quantity tiers, so you can see what a larger run would save before you commit.
Send your artwork, quantity and size breakdown — a free digital mock-up comes back with the quotation.
Request a quote