Buying · 5 min read
The questions that make two quotes comparable
Before you sign anything
Two quotes for a squad of eighteen can differ by a factor of two and both be honest, because they are quoting different garments, different methods and different levels of after-sale support. The price is the last thing to compare, not the first.
These are the questions that surface the differences. None of them is a trick, and a good supplier will answer all of them without hesitating.
About the garment
Is this cut and sewn, or a blank with decoration?
It is the biggest single difference between two quotes and it is rarely stated. Both are legitimate; they are not the same product.
What is the fabric weight, in gsm?
"Premium polyester" is not a specification. A number is.
Which decoration method, and why that one?
A supplier who only offers one method will recommend it for everything. Ask what they would use if they had all of them.
Is the fit graded across sizes, or scaled?
Scaling one block up and down is cheaper and fits a wide squad noticeably worse.
About the process
What is the lead time from approval, not from enquiry?
Those are very different numbers and only one of them is under the supplier’s control.
Is the mockup free, and how many revisions?
Charging for revisions is a way of discouraging the corrections that make a kit right.
Who owns the artwork afterwards?
If you paid for a redraw of your own crest, the answer should be you.
What happens if a size is wrong on arrival?
Ask before you need to know. The answer separates suppliers more than any other question here.
And three about next season
Ask what a reorder costs and how long it takes, because you will place one. A supplier who keeps your artwork, your grading and your colour references on file turns a mid-season addition into a production slot rather than a new project, which is the thinking behind how we handle adding to a kit you already own.
Ask whether the fabric will still exist in two years. Fabrics get discontinued, and finding out when you need six more shirts is worse than knowing now.
Ask who you will actually be speaking to. On an order that runs eight weeks with three decision points, the answer matters more than most people expect at the quoting stage.
Four answers that should end the conversation
Not every vague answer is a warning. These four are.
"We work with a factory."
Everyone does, including resellers who have never seen one. The question is whether they can tell you which factory, where it is, and what it makes when it is not making their orders. An answer that cannot get more specific than the word factory is a reseller answer.
"Yes, we can match any colour."
Nobody can match any colour. Fabrics take dye differently and some references are outside the achievable range on some materials. A supplier who says yes to everything has not looked at the reference yet.
"Sizing is standard."
There is no standard. Sizing is per pattern and per sport, and a football jersey worn over pads is not the same large as a soccer shirt. This answer means they are selling from a catalogue rather than making to a pattern.
"We will send a proof after production."
A proof after production is a photograph of your mistake. The proof exists so you can stop the run, which requires it to arrive before the run starts.
The question behind all eleven
Every question on the list is really the same question asked from a different angle: how far is this supplier from the machine? Distance is not automatically bad — some excellent kit is sold by people who do not own a factory — but it determines what they can actually promise.
A supplier close to production can change a specification, hold a fabric batch, reprint a rejected panel and tell you honestly why something will take four weeks. A supplier three steps away can pass your question along and pass an answer back, and every one of those answers arrives with a delay you will experience as silence.
That distance is also what decides whether a reorder in March matches a first order in September, which is a bigger practical problem than most programs anticipate. We wrote about it separately in how a reorder actually stays matched.
Quick answers
Should we always take the cheapest quote?
Only after establishing that it is for the same thing. A blank-plus-vinyl quote will nearly always beat a cut-and-sew quote on price, and it is a different product with a different life.
Is a sample worth paying for?
For a first order with a supplier you have not used, usually yes. It answers the fabric, fit and colour questions all at once.
Is it a problem if a supplier does not own a factory?
Not automatically — plenty of good kit is sold by people who do not. What it changes is what they can promise. A reseller can pass your question along and pass an answer back, and every one of those answers reaches you with a delay you experience as silence.
How do I tell a manufacturer from a reseller?
Ask which factory, where, and what it makes when it is not making their orders. A manufacturer answers in specifics without hesitating. A reseller cannot get more precise than the word factory.
Should I be suspicious of a supplier who says yes to everything?
Yes. Nobody can match every colour on every fabric, hit every deadline, or make every construction. A supplier who has not yet said no to anything has not looked closely at your job.
What should a proof include?
The actual design on the actual garment shape, with the colours named rather than merely shown, and it should arrive before production rather than after. A proof after the run is a photograph of your mistake.
Is a low minimum order always a good sign?
It is a good sign for a small program and a neutral one otherwise. What matters more is whether the minimum is per garment or blanket, because a reversible jersey and a set of pants are not comparable pieces of work.
What is a reasonable answer on lead time?
A specific one, with the stages named. "Three to four weeks" with no breakdown is a guess. A supplier who tells you which parts are fixed and which depend on your approval speed is telling you how it actually works.
Should I ask about reorders before the first order?
It is one of the most useful questions on the list and almost nobody asks it. What you want to hear is that the specification is stored — fabric batch, pattern, print calibration — because that is what makes a reorder in March match an order from September.
What if a supplier will not answer some of these?
A supplier who cannot answer is not necessarily hiding something; they may genuinely not know, which tells you where they sit in the chain. A supplier who will not answer is a different matter, and the questions are cheap enough to ask several suppliers at once.