The most common mistakes overseas clothing buyers make when ordering dresses

Having worked for many years in the field of international apparel procurement, I have witnessed many buyers fall into various traps when ordering garments through their own casual negligence, causing themselves to either lose money or experience extended selling cycles or both. The many choices that buyers have available to them in their options for overseas apparel suppliers causes many buyers to be easily misled by low prices and fail to consider the risks associated with importing dresses, resulting in them falling into one of many of the common apparel purchasing pitfalls. I will talk about five of the most frequent mistakes that buyers make when they order dresses from overseas vendors in this article, using real-life examples that I am personally familiar with to provide you with additional data and information on how to avoid making these mistakes. By avoiding these mistakes, you will save yourself from potentially making these same mistakes. in addition, also as a reminder to the international apparel suppliers to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in their business relationships

I.Summary of core errors

The chart makes it clear that both “Not being aware of difficulties encountered by Chinese factories when making clothing,” and “Choosing a supplier who may not have the proper qualifications for the job, and going with the lowest cost provider,” are probably going to create the largest losses for your company. In addition, these two items are also likely to be the most frequently made mistakes when purchasing clothing. We are now going to examine the reasons behind these two mistakes and explain how you can make these same mistakes, as well as how you can avoid making these mistakes.

II. Breaking it down: The 5 most common mistakes and tips to avoid them

Mistake 1: Only looking at sample pictures/samples without confirming the quality of the bulk goods.

Trampling case

Last year, an American company ordered a large amount of dresses from one of their suppliers based on images of chiffon dresses that were shown in the catalog that were described as being made of 100% mulberry silk. The cost for the dresses seemed to be very reasonable as well. Unfortunately, they did not see any actual samples or confirm samples of the actual orders prior to placing a bulk order of 500 dresses. When the company received the order, they found that the fabric was not mulberry silk at all, but a synthetic material. The synthetic material was rough and pilled very quickly, and the color was completely different than what had been shown in the sample photo (off white), as they received a dress that was closer to a yellowish color. This order was a complete loss for the company and they had to liquidate the inventory at a large loss ($4800) just to get rid of it.

Tips to avoid pitfalls

Regardless of how well the manufacturer speaks on your behalf, it is advisable for you to verify your “bulk sample” prior to placing your purchase orders, as opposed to looking at the first sample only. We advise you to request one or two bulk samples from the manufacturer in order to properly examine the cloth, trim and cutting, color variation and workmanship. In the most ideal situation, you would want a test report of the material to ensure you do not receive imported dresses which are inconsistent with the description supplied when place the order. At Mengruolan Garment Factory, we not only send our bulk samples, but also provide fabric testing reports in advance for all dress orders, thereby assuring buyers of their purchases.

Mistake 2: Ignoring sizing standards and copying domestic sizing standards

key data

Dress sizes vary widely from one country/region to another and European dress sizes are one to two sizes larger than Chinese dress sizes and American sizes of dresses are generally looser than European dress sizes while dress sizes from Southeast Asia are about one size smaller than Chinese dress sizes. The average dress return rate is 42% after we remove the dress size variations and of those returns 35% remain unsold due to the dress size.

Tips to avoid pitfalls

Get correct size details from your overseas clothing manufacturer using the different measurements of the garment like the bust, the waist, the hem, and garment length, when requesting for custom orders rather than using standard sizes such as XS, S, M or L. If your apparel will be made according to the custom order then include your own sizing chart in the order so that the manufacturer can create the clothing as per your sizing chart. For example, Mengruolan Clothing Factory will automatically change their sizing standards in response to where you will be selling (Europe, America or Southeast Asia). In addition, we will also provide a size fitting report to ensure there will not be any mistakes in sizing.

Mistake 3: Blindly cooperating without understanding the problems of Chinese garment factories.

Common problems in Chinese garment factories

Many international buyers have no idea about how business works in China on garment manufacturing factories; this is a possible breeding ground for unseen issues. First of all, smaller factories do not hold the required production licenses, and therefore, they cannot provide you with the proper documentation to help clear your goods at customs. Another example would be the small factory will call your fabric “80% cotton”, but it is actually only 50% cotton. A third example of a problem is that the garment factory uses substandard production processes (e.g., poor sewing) and will supply you with a large production order containing skipped stitches, loose seams, etc. When a garment manufacturer in China has all these problems, the buyer may have an inferior product, and will have an initial risk of bringing in the goods and an additional risk of clearing them through customs.

Tips to avoid pitfalls

Before working together, it is important to check the credentials of the Chinese clothing manufacturer you wish to partner with (eg. Business License; Production License; and Export Qualification, etc.) Then you can also ask the manufacturer to provide you with a video of themselves at their facility so that you can see what their production scale is and what kind of quality controls they have in place. For example, Meng Ruolan Garments Factory has all of the necessary qualifications to export garments, has a production workshop that is open to the public, and we use three separate quality control checks for each batch of dresses we produce. In addition, all of our processes, from the purchase of raw materials to the shipment of finished goods, are fully traceable so that we eliminate many of the typical issues that occur with Chinese Clothing Manufacturers, ensuring peace of mind to our International Customers.

Mistake 4: Choosing unqualified overseas clothing suppliers due to low prices.

Trap warning

When it comes to apparel procurement, greed for low prices is the most deadly pitfall. Many overseas apparel suppliers that are not legally eligible to supply buyers with apparel use extremely low pricing as a tool for attracting buyers who have no experience buying direct from factories or manufacturers overseas. As an example, a legitimate factory can quote $18 per piece for the same dress, while an unqualified supplier can quote only $12 per piece. However, this low cost can also bring about a number of risks when importing dresses. The fabric might be sub-par, therefore failing the inspection of your targeted market, and in turn being held until the next season. A supplier might even disappear after they receive full payment or the deposit for your products while another supplier could potentially delay delivery until after your peak selling season.

Tips to avoid pitfalls

Where a supplier’s prices are greater than 20% below the market average, then proceed with caution would be a good idea. In this regard, if you are researching for an apparel supplier from overseas it is prudent to assess the supplier’s credentials, reputation, and success stories prior to evaluating the price. Mengruolan Apparel Factory provides transparent and competitive terms to its customers. Our prices are not designed to attract customers nor do they compromise on quality. We have over 80 buyers from overseas have a good reputation. Therefore, you can be assured that Mengruolan is a wonderful and reliable apparel supplier of Dresses from overseas.

Error 5: Unclear contract terms make it impossible to protect your rights in subsequent disputes.

Common vulnerabilities

When placing orders, many buyers establish only verbal agreements with their suppliers. Furthermore, the terms and conditions of their contracts are vague, and include, without provision for clear delivery dates, Quality Standards, Loss Ratios, or After-Sales Guarantees. When a problem arises, Suppliers usually blame Buyers for the problems, thereby leaving Buyers no means of recourse Regarding the earlier case of a European Buyer that entered the Purchase Contract with the Supplier to ship the goods within thirty days, but did not state in the contract that the supplier would be responsible for delivering the goods late. Consequently, the Supplier delivered the goods late by twenty days, causing the Buyer to miss the local peak sales season, and suffer significant losses, without compensation.

Tips to avoid pitfalls

Wait to request your order to be delivered until you have a signed contract which outlines expressly: delivery date with liability for delay, quality standard, fabric specification, wastage rate must be under 3% if possible, after sales guarantee and the provision of customs clearance documents. Avoid working with any supplier that does not execute a contract with you that sets forth clear terms. All orders from Mengruolan will be supported by a formal contract that sets forth investor’s rights and responsibilities as well as will designate Delivery Managers who will remain available throughout the delivery process to resolve issues that may arise in order for you to enjoy your purchase experience.

III. Summary: Find the right supplier and avoid all pitfalls

Purchasing international dresses without a clear understanding of associated risks results in substandard dress sales for many customers. It’s also very common for them to choose incorrect international dress suppliers, fail to adequately research reputable international clothing factory or garment manufacturing facility in China, etc. If a buyer avoids the five key mistakes and finds a supplier that is fully qualified to supply the product they want to purchase, as well as providing them with full credibility and quality-assurance on all their purchased products, the transaction will proceed successfully without any loss.

If you are a global apparel buyer and you are looking for a reliable supplier of dresses and would like to avoid all of the difficulties associated with dress sourcing, please contact us, Meng Ruolan Garment Factory. We are a professional global supplier of apparel in addition to producing and exporting dresses for over 10 years. We know about sizing standards and customs clearance regulations throughout many different countries so we would be able to completely avoid the issues that come with Chinese garment factories and the risks that go along with importing dresses. We control every order’s quality very closely, and ship orders on time and provide top-notch after-sales support. You can order large numbers of products, create custom designs, or try a few samples.

Reach out to us ASAP to receive complimentary dress samples and size charts, exclusive discounts on purchases to lower your procurement expenses, and to avoid all of the associated risks that come with purchasing clothing; in addition to easily expanding your presence in international markets!

Contact Details:
Dongguan Meng Ruolan Clothing Factory
WhatsApp 86 18825766882