MOQ, sampling and lead time: how to plan a first order

The first order is not a purchasing decision, it is a test of the supplier. Plan it as one.

Start with the sample, not the price list

A quotation tells you what a supplier wants to sell. A sample tells you what they can actually make: moulding marks, button feel, the noise the motor makes at night. Pay for the sample and pay for the courier — free samples are usually the ones nobody has checked.

Set the first order at the smallest quantity that proves the process

That means enough units to fill one carton configuration and test your channel, not enough to fill a container. If the supplier cannot support a small first order, ask what the smallest configuration is that still uses their standard carton.

Four numbers to agree in writing

• MOQ per SKU, and whether it changes with custom packaging.
• Sample lead time and production lead time — separately.
• Inspection point: who checks, at what stage, against what AQL.
• What happens on a defect: replacement, credit, or return.

Then plan the second order

The second order is where suppliers fail. Ask, before the first order ships, how long a repeat takes and whether the specification is held on file. A supplier who cannot answer that is selling you a sample, not a product.