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OEM & Private Label

Putting your brand on a product involves samples, tooling, MOQs and packaging decisions. Here is how each step works and what it costs.

01Custom Packaging from China: Options, Printing, MOQs and LabelsStart by choosing the packaging type — poly bag, folding colour box, rigid box or corrugated mailer — then ask the supplier for a dieline and supply print-ready artwork on it. Offset-printed boxes carry setup costs and minimums, while digital printing suits small runs. Before approving, check your market's labelling rules: a GS1 barcode if retailers or Amazon need one, and country-of-origin marking such as the US requirement that imports show their origin in English.5 min read
02How to Negotiate MOQ with Chinese SuppliersMOQs exist because each production run carries fixed setup costs and material minimums that must be spread over enough units. To lower one, remove what forces a dedicated run: use the factory's stock colours and materials, accept a higher unit price or a setup fee, propose a trial order with a clear reorder plan, or combine SKUs that share materials. For very small quantities, wholesale markets such as Yiwu or trading companies are often a better fit than factories.5 min read
03Product Samples from China: Types, Costs and How to Evaluate ThemOrder samples in stages: stock samples to compare suppliers, a custom sample to check your specification, a pre-production sample made with bulk materials, and a signed, sealed golden sample as the reference for mass production. Buyers usually pay for samples and courier costs; many suppliers credit the sample fee against the first bulk order if you ask before paying. Judge every sample against a written specification, not against your impression.5 min read
04OEM vs ODM: Which Manufacturing Model Fits Your Product?Choose OEM when you have your own design and want to own the product and its tooling: it costs more upfront and takes longer, but the IP is yours if your contract says so. Choose ODM when you want to brand an existing factory design: it is faster and cheaper, but the factory usually keeps the design and can sell it to others. In either case, register your trademark in China and sign a China-enforceable NNN agreement before sharing details.6 min read

Key terms

Golden sample: The final approved sample, signed and sealed by buyer and supplier, that serves as the reference standard for mass production and inspection.
Lead time: The time from order confirmation (usually deposit receipt) until goods are ready to ship, which in China sourcing normally excludes transit time to the destination.
MOQ: The smallest quantity a supplier will accept for one order, often set per item, per colour or per design, and usually negotiable.
NNN agreement: A contract with a Chinese manufacturer that bars it from disclosing your product information, using your design for itself, or going around you to sell to your customers.
ODM: A manufacturing model in which the factory supplies its own existing product design, which the buyer customises and sells under its own brand.
OEM: A manufacturing model in which the factory produces a product to the buyer's own design and specifications, usually sold under the buyer's brand.
Pre-production sample: A sample made with the actual materials, processes and packaging intended for mass production, which the buyer approves before the factory starts the bulk run.
Private label: Products made by a manufacturer but sold under the retailer's or seller's own brand, usually with some customisation of the product, packaging or specification for that seller.
Tooling: The custom moulds, dies, jigs and fixtures a factory makes to produce a specific design, usually charged to the buyer as a one-off cost before mass production.
White label: A standard, unchanged product that a manufacturer sells to many resellers, each of whom puts its own brand on it, with no exclusivity or product customisation.