How to Source Women's Clothing from China: Markets, MOQ, Samples and Labels

Women's clothing is the product category most first-time importers ask about, and the one with the widest gap between what a supplier page shows and what arrives in the carton. Fabric, fit, colour and labels all have to be specified, sampled and checked, because none of them can be judged from a listing photo. This guide covers where to buy, the two buying models and their minimums, how to sample and inspect, the sizing trap, and the label rules that apply once the goods land. It is written for small importers and online sellers ordering their first few hundred pieces.

Where women's clothing comes from#

China's garment trade is concentrated in a few clusters, each with its own price band and way of selling.

Start in Guangzhou if you want range and export experience. Our directory entries describe the Shahe clothing market, the Liuhua and Zhanxi area and Yiwu's Huangyuan clothing market in more detail, including location and opening hours. If you plan to develop your own styles, the fabric comes from Keqiao, and your factory will usually buy it there on your behalf.

Stock packs or made-to-order#

There are two ways to buy, and most problems come from applying the expectations of one to the other.

The figures are ranges that suppliers commonly quote, not rules; a booth may sell single pieces at a higher price, and a factory with free capacity may accept 50 pieces per colour if the fabric is in stock. Ask every supplier for its minimum per style, per colour and per order, since the three are not the same number.

Many importers combine the two: test twenty styles from stock, then move the five that sell to made-to-order with their own label. The step-by-step below works for both.

Step 1: Define the range before you contact anyone#

A clear brief gets you real quotes instead of a catalogue. For each style, write down the garment type, fabric (composition and weight in grams per square metre if you know it), colours, the size range you sell, quantity per size, packaging (polybag, hanger, folded), labels required, and your target landed price. A supplier who receives this answers with a price and a lead time; one who receives "do you have dresses?" sends photos for a week.

Decide your size curve now. A typical first order is weighted toward the middle sizes, for example 1 : 2 : 2 : 1 across four sizes, and a factory will build its cutting plan from that ratio.

Step 2: Samples, and what to look at#

For market stock, the sample is a pack: buy one and ship it to you before ordering more. For made-to-order, ask for a size set, which is one piece in each size, made in the production fabric. A factory sample made to your spec is commonly quoted at two to three times the bulk unit price plus courier, often refunded against a bulk order. Plan for two rounds if the fit is new. How sampling works in general, including who pays and how to brief, is covered in ordering product samples from China.

When the samples arrive, check:

• Measurements against your chart, at the points you specified (bust, waist, hip, length, sleeve), with a tolerance of about 1 to 1.5 cm on most points.
• Fabric by hand and, for anything you will reorder, by a composition test at a lab; a supplier's "95% cotton" claim is what you will have to print on the label.
• Colour fastness with a simple wash test, because a dress that bleeds in the first wash becomes a refund.
• Construction: seam allowance, stitch density, loose threads, zip and button quality, lining where promised.
• Weight: weigh the garment; a lighter production piece usually means a lighter fabric was substituted.

Sign one approved sample per style and keep a sealed duplicate in China with your agent or inspector. Every later dispute is settled against it.

Step 3: The sizing trap#

Chinese domestic sizes run small compared with European, North American and Latin American sizes, and a Chinese "L" can correspond to a Western "S" or "M". Never order by letter sizes alone. Work from a measurement chart in centimetres, ask the factory to grade to your chart, and label the finished garments with the sizes your customers expect. If you sell in several markets, decide which size system goes on the sewn-in label and which can go on a hang tag.

Fit also differs by cut: many stock styles are drafted for a slimmer, shorter block. A factory can regrade a stock pattern for you, but that is a made-to-order job with its own sample round.

Step 4: Order, inspect, ship#

Put the approved sample, measurement chart, fabric composition, colour standards, labels, packaging and delivery date into the purchase order or Trade Assurance order. For payment, a 30% deposit with the balance before shipment is the common structure for made-to-order; market stock is usually paid in full before pickup. Payment routes and their protections are compared in how to pay Chinese suppliers.

Inspect before the balance is paid. For clothing, a pre-shipment inspection checks a random sample against the sealed reference piece: measurements, fabric, colour, workmanship, labels and packing. Use sampling based on ISO 2859-1, explained in how AQL inspection works, and our pre-shipment inspection checklist. Garments are light and bulky, so shipping is priced by volume: compare the options in sea vs air vs rail vs express, and for a first order of a few hundred pieces, consolidated air freight or courier is often the right answer.

Step 5: Labels and duties by market#

Labels are a legal requirement in every major market, and they are cheapest to get right before production, when a sewn-in label costs cents. The requirements below are the ones most small importers meet; confirm the current text for your product and country before you print.

Duties on finished clothing are among the highest of any consumer product. Brazil's import tax for apparel can reach 35% of the customs value depending on the NCM code, with IPI, PIS, COFINS and state ICMS stacked on top. Mexico applies a higher tariff schedule to goods from countries without a trade agreement, which includes China, and apparel sits in the upper band after the increases that took effect for 2026. In the United States, apparel duty rates vary by fabric and garment type and have been subject to additional tariffs on Chinese goods. Price your line from the landed cost, not the factory price: the method is in how to calculate landed cost.

Common mistakes#

• Buying from photos. Fabric hand, weight and colour cannot be judged on a screen. Every style gets a physical sample.
• One size chart in letters. "S/M/L" without centimetres produces the wrong fit in a whole order.
• Skipping the fibre test. The composition you print must be true; "polyester blend" sold as cotton is a legal problem, not just a quality one.
• Mixing stock and custom expectations. Asking a booth for your own label and colours, or asking a factory for ten pieces, wastes everyone's time.
• Paying the balance before inspection. Once the cartons are on the water, the sample you signed is your only leverage.

If you are still deciding between buying from a market and ordering from a factory, our comparison of factory vs trading company explains who you are actually dealing with behind each booth, and negotiating MOQ shows how to bring a factory minimum down for a first order.