Wholesale sourcing goes wrong in predictable places. Not in the product — in the assumptions made before it exists: that the sample will match production, that the price will hold, that the compliance paperwork will arrive with the shipment rather than before it.
This page answers the questions importers ask first, in the order they ask them. It is deliberately plain. Everything below is also stated in our ordering terms.
First, decide what you are buying
There are two different things a supplier can sell you, and the distinction decides everything about price, speed and flexibility:
- Stock — a product that already exists, shipped from inventory. Days, not weeks.
- Production — your design, your tooling, your finish. Weeks, and a genuine different proposition.
Our lead times apply to production. If what you need is a catalogue item this week, that is a legitimate purchase and we will tell you honestly whether it is in stock — we are a manufacturer, not a warehouse, and we would rather route you correctly than sell you the wrong thing.
Minimum order quantities, stated plainly
- Stainless steel jewelry — 100 pieces per design. It flexes with the piece: new brands can start with a smaller trial batch, established brands reorder at volume.
- Jewelry boxes & organizers — 500 pieces per single style and single colour, and this is a hard floor. Each box needs a custom cutting die, and material suppliers sell by volume. We do not accept sample or prototype orders below it.
- Bead strands (six styles) are strung rather than cast or plated, so they are quoted on their own basis.
The organizer minimum is the one that catches buyers out, so here is the honest reason: why jewelry boxes have a 500-piece MOQ. If it is a blocker for your program, tell us early rather than discovering it in week three — there may be a route around it, and there may not.
Lead times: what the numbers mean
- Samples — about 15 days.
- Bulk production — about 45 days for the metal jewelry and jewelry box lines.
- Bead strands — about 25 days for bulk production.
- Every inquiry gets a reply within 24 hours.
Those figures cover production, not freight, customs or holiday shutdowns. They stack on top of transit.
A 45-day figure invites the comparison with suppliers quoting two or three weeks. The honest answer is in why bulk jewelry production takes 45 days: some suppliers are selling stock, and some are quoting a simpler build. Ours applies to your design, made once. We would rather explain that than pretend the number is short.
Sampling: the stage that protects everything else
About 15 days for a sample, and the bulk clock starts when you approve it. Most of that window is tooling, material, and the finishing cure — not someone cutting a piece on a Tuesday.
What shortens it is almost entirely up to you: a complete brief, a precise finish spec, and approval on the day the sample lands. What happens during those 15 days walks through the sequence, and how to brief a manufacturer is the checklist to send with your RFQ.
Compliance, before production
If you sell into the EU, EN 1811 nickel release and the 0.2 µg/cm²/week REACH limit apply to the finished article. If you do not know that sentence yet, your retailer will teach you, and it will be after the order.
We verify nickel release per batch and issue per-order documentation rather than publishing pass/fail numbers, because a generic certificate is not evidence for your product. The full explanation is on compliance and testing, and EU vs US compliance covers the difference between the two markets.
Quotes: what moves the number
Unit price is set by tooling, material, process steps and volume. Setup is charged once per design and then amortised, which is why reordering is cheaper than the first order looks.
We would rather you understand the number than be surprised by it: what actually moves a jewelry supplier's quote.
Before you pay anything
- Confirm the spec in writing — dimensions, materials, finish, logo method, packaging.
- Approve a physical sample, not a photo.
- Establish who owns the tooling when you reorder.
- Get the schedule with milestone dates, not a single estimate.
- Ask for an NDA if your design is not public — IP and tooling belong to you.
- Confirm the payment method before you pay anything. T/T is the default; a letter of credit is not something we can process, and finding that out after the deposit is the expensive place to find it.
The checklist is on what to check before paying a supplier deposit, and the audit questions are in a buyer's checklist for auditing a China supplier.
How the goods leave, and what comes with them
Two shipping terms, and the difference is worth understanding before you compare quotations.
- EXW Shenzhen. Your price covers production, packing and export clearance. You collect, or you name a forwarder and we hand over at the factory gate. If you are running several suppliers in the same city, this is the term that keeps the freight honest.
- DDP. Your price covers production, delivery to the address you give us, import clearance and duty. The shipment moves without you appointing a local importer of record, which matters if you are not established in the destination country yet.
FOB and CIF are not terms we quote. Both move the freight onto a figure you cannot see at the point of comparison, which is the opposite of what a first order needs.
What ships with the goods, issued per order against the batch:
- Commercial invoice and packing list, with carton dimensions and gross weights.
- Bill of lading for sea freight, air waybill for air and courier.
- Certificate of origin, including the preferential form your market qualifies for where one exists.
- The test reports for the batch: EN 1811 and EN 12472 nickel release, ASTM B117 salt spray, PVD coating thickness by XRF or cross-section.
Freight is quoted against actual carton count and destination port, not estimated from the production price. If you are budgeting a landed cost, the number to ask for is the one from wholesale shipping, customs and what buyers miss.
What a first order actually costs
Seven things that move the number, in the order you will ask about them.
- MOQ explained for custom jewelry boxes — where the minimum comes from, per component rather than per product.
- Why custom jewelry boxes have a 500-piece MOQ — the die and the material order behind the floor.
- Scaling from 100 pieces to 5,000 — which costs fall away as volume comes up, and which do not.
- What actually moves a jewelry supplier's quote — tooling, material, process steps, volume.
- OEM vs ODM vs private label — which route fits where your brand currently is.
- Wholesale 316L stainless steel jewelry — the metal line as catalogue rather than as custom.
- Wholesale jewelry boxes: MOQ, materials, sourcing — the box line on the same basis.
Time and freight, in the order they bite
Nine questions about the clock, starting with the one every importer asks first.
- What happens during the 15 days of a jewelry sample — what the sample window is actually doing.
- How long an order takes from RFQ to shipment — the whole clock, not the production part of it.
- What a lead time number leaves out — freight, customs and shutdowns sit outside the figure.
- How a bulk order slips past its lead time — the four points where a schedule goes.
- How long a rush order actually takes — what a rush buys you, and what it does not.
- How long it takes to develop a new jewelry box — tooling time, before production starts.
- Seasonal delivery deadlines for jewelry importers — the Chinese New Year window and what to book around it.
- Sea vs air freight for jewelry imports — the two modes, cost against transit.
- Wholesale shipping, customs and what buyers miss — the costs that turn up after the quote.
Checking the supplier before you commit
- How to brief a manufacturer so you get what you pictured — the checklist to send with the RFQ.
- A buyer's checklist for auditing a jewelry supplier — what to ask before the first visit, remote or otherwise.
- What to check before paying a supplier deposit — the deposit decision, in the order it matters.
Getting started
Tell us which line it is, your volume, and your destination market. We will quote per style so you can see where setup fees land, state the schedule with milestones named, and tell you what documentation your order can carry.
- Stainless steel jewelry — rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anklets, sets
- Jewelry boxes & organizers — multi-layer, velvet, travel, wooden, display
- Ordering terms and FAQ · Request a quote
FAQ
What is your minimum order quantity?
100 pieces per design for stainless steel jewelry, 500 pieces per style and colour for jewelry boxes and organizers. The organizer figure is a hard floor.
How fast can I get a sample?
About 15 days. The bulk clock starts once you approve the sample.
What is the bulk production lead time?
About 45 days for the metal and box lines, about 25 days for bead strands. Production only — freight and customs sit on top.
Are customs duties included?
No. Our quotes cover manufacturing and China export clearance. Duties are set by your country and your importer of record. The mechanics are in wholesale shipping and customs.
Can you ship to my 3PL?
Yes. Under EXW we can address cartons to your warehouse or a third-party logistics provider, and under DDP we deliver to the address you give us.
Do you sell stock items for immediate shipment?
We are a manufacturer, not a warehouse. If you need catalogue stock on a short clock, ask and we will tell you honestly what can move quickly.
Will my reorder cost the same as my first order?
It costs less, because the tooling is already made. Material and process remain, so it is not automatically identical.
Can I visit the factory?
Yes. Bring your spec sheet and check the measurements against the actual product.
What this means for your order
If you are still deciding, one thing decides this for you: your unit cost turns on three variables only - quantity, box and finish specification, and destination market - and none of them are negotiable independently. Everything else on a quote page is presentation.
Where this falls short you need catalogue stock shipping this week we are not the right stop, because we make what you ask for rather than what we hold.
What to send us your SKU count, quantities and destination port, and we will come back with a lead time per step.