When you place a production order with a factory, you will email send them a Purchase Order. A Purchase Order is a contract that you place with a factory and it lists the style, the quantity, size and color breakdown, price, and the delivery of what you are ordering. You attach your standards to it with your Tech Pack and any compliance standards that must be met. The Purchase Order notes that the order must be shipped on time, by a certain date, with all these standards met to make the goods acceptable. Once the factory confirms the receipt of the Purchase Order and they sign and agree to the terms of the order, then you send the factory 50% of the payment for the order. The remaining 50% is paid upon receipt of the goods.
Give the factory enough time for to make and ship the goods to you. Production and shipping time can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the factory’s quoted leadtime and, of course, their location. Shipping from Asia to New York takes four times longer than shipping from L.A. to New York. It is important to understand the timeline, and remember that the faster you can sell an item and deliver it to the retailers, the better. Make sure you provide everything needed to your factory quickly so they can the item to you on time. If you take even one extra day to approve a fit sample or a lab-dip, a factory cannot meet their deadline in which they originally stated.