The direct answer: compare the same garment and the same scope
A lower sweater unit price is useful only when the offers cover equivalent specifications, quantities and delivery responsibilities. For overseas brands, wholesalers and importers comparing a bulk order, issue one versioned request for quotation, ask each supplier to mark inclusions and exclusions, then calculate the comparable order total. Keep unconfirmed items visible instead of assigning them a zero cost. This guide addresses the decision between supplier offers for an existing brief; it does not provide WTBF prices or promise that the cheapest offer will meet your requirements.
Freeze the specification before comparing prices
Give every supplier the same style reference and tech-pack revision, fibre composition, yarn specification, knit construction, size measurements, finishing, trims, labels and packing brief. State the garment-weight basis and the size mix: a weight for one reference size is not automatically the order average. Require a supplier to list proposed alternatives separately, with their specification changes and approval needs. If one offer uses a different yarn, lighter garment, simpler linking or another finishing process, record it as an alternative rather than treating it as an equivalent saving. A sample or trial may still be needed to establish the final price.
- Identify the reference sample or drawing and specification revision.
- Use one quantity matrix by style, colour and size for all quotations.
- Ask suppliers to state material availability and any unresolved technical assumptions.
Create an inclusion matrix rather than comparing the headline number
Ask for a written included, excluded or pending decision for each cost item, and identify the responsible party. A separately charged label is not necessarily a disadvantage if another supplier has already included it in the garment price. Compare the combined scope once, without counting the same item again. Use the following questions as a buyer checklist, not as claims about any supplier’s standard offer.
| Cost or requirement | Confirm in writing | Comparison treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Garment production | Approved yarn, construction, finishing and trims | Compare the same specification and size mix |
| Brand labels and packing | Which labels, bags, cartons and packing operations are included | Add only separately charged items |
| Development and setup | Sample rounds, programming, setup and any production credit | Keep one-time charges separate |
| Testing and inspection | Required scope, provider, booking and payment responsibility | Flag unpriced requirements as pending |
| Shipment and destination | Named delivery point, freight and buyer-paid services | Align the delivery scope before totaling |
Separate unit costs from one-time charges and credits
Calculate garment cost as the agreed quantity multiplied by the relevant unit price for each style or price tier. Add separately payable development, setup, labels, packing or agreed services only where excluded from that price. Confirm whether a sample charge is credited against production, under what order conditions and when the credit appears. For a first order, allocate genuinely one-time charges across that firm order to understand the effective cost per piece. For a possible repeat, show a separate scenario; do not assume setup is free or amortise a firm expense over an uncommitted forecast. Agree what happens if quantities change or the order is cancelled.
Use a transparent total with hypothetical figures
The following arithmetic is an illustration only, in generic cost units: it is not a WTBF quotation, market benchmark or shipping estimate. For the same hypothetical 6,000-piece order and equivalent garment and packing scope, offer A is 10 units per piece plus 600 in one-time charges: 60,600 total, or 10.10 per piece. Offer B is 9.80 per piece plus 600 in one-time charges and 0.40 per piece for packing excluded from its unit price: 61,800 total, or 10.30 per piece. The lower headline unit price has the higher total within this defined scope. These totals exclude transport, destination charges, duties and taxes; they are not landed costs. Before a real decision, reconcile every other requirement and replace the illustration with current written offers.
| Item | Offer A: cost units | Offer B: cost units |
|---|---|---|
| 6,000 garments | 60,000 | 58,800 |
| One-time charges | 600 | 600 |
| Packing charged separately | 0 — included | 2,400 |
| Comparable total in this scope | 60,600 | 61,800 |
| Effective cost per garment | 10.10 | 10.30 |
Align delivery terms without assuming a landed cost
State the quotation currency, the agreed delivery rule and its version, and the precise named place or point. ICC describes Incoterms® 2020 as allocating cost, risk and obligations between buyer and seller. Use that framework to clarify the offer’s scope; do not treat a short label such as “shipping included” as a complete allocation. Ask your forwarder or appointed import adviser to identify buyer-paid transport, insurance, clearance and destination charges for the actual route, and verify duties and taxes for the actual product and market. Add only costs outside the supplier’s offer. Date the estimates, identify who supplied them and keep uncertain items separate. A factory-level comparison and a delivered-cost estimate answer different purchasing questions.
Reference: ICC — Incoterms® 2020 and allocation of costs, risk and obligations
Check the conditions that make the quoted price executable
Record offer validity, currency, payment milestones, minimum quantities per style or colour, agreed quantity tolerances, sample approval and material availability. Ask whether the quoted price requires one shipment or permits staged releases, and whether splitting the order adds handling or storage charges. A price tier for a larger total is not automatically available for a smaller firm release. Confirm which specification or quantity changes trigger a new quotation. Review the production schedule separately: a material reservation does not necessarily secure capacity, and a dispatch date is not an arrival date. Request an agreed response if an approval is late or a material becomes unavailable; do not assume a remedy or fee that has not been confirmed.
Send WTBF a brief that supports a comparable bulk quote
Send your reference style or approved tech pack, the quantity matrix, material priorities, mandatory quality requirements, labels and packing, delivery country and required arrival date. If you have a target price, include its currency and delivery scope. Ask WTBF to identify assumptions, separately charged items and the approvals needed to confirm the offer. WTBF accepts bulk knitwear projects from 1,000 to 1,000,000 pieces, with the practical quantity and schedule confirmed for the order; 50–100-piece small orders remain available. Eligible projects may have three-day sampling or seven-day dispatch after requirements and materials are confirmed. Large orders require capacity-based scheduling, and international arrival needs a separate transport plan.
- Attach one specification revision and quantity breakdown.
- List mandatory inclusions and optional alternatives separately.
- Provide currency, target-price scope and destination requirements.
- Request quote validity, approval milestones and a capacity-based schedule.