Apparel Sourcing from China: How to Compare Fabric, Sizing and MOQ Across Suppliers
Start with one specification, then compare suppliers
A supplier’s photograph can help you shortlist a garment, but it cannot tell you whether two offers are equivalent. Similar-looking shirts may use different fabric, follow different size charts or require different color packs. Those differences affect what you can sell and how much stock you must hold.
I’m Luna from the Richitoo team. For apparel sourcing, my starting point is a written requirement that every supplier can answer. Compare fabric, finished garment measurements and minimum order quantity together. A low minimum is less useful if it forces you to buy sizes your customers rarely need.
Define the garment before requesting quotes
Choose a reference style and separate essential features from preferences. A product link is useful, but add written details so suppliers do not silently substitute a different material or construction.
- Product: garment type, intended use, reference images and construction details.
- Fabric: fiber composition, knit or woven structure, target weight and required finish.
- Fit: finished garment measurements, measurement method and acceptable tolerances.
- Order mix: total quantity broken down by style, color and size.
- Customization: printing, embroidery, labels and packaging.
- Destination: country, desired arrival date and whether samples or independent inspection are needed.
Mark each point as required or flexible. If you can accept an existing fabric color but need a specific sleeve length, say so. This helps suppliers suggest workable options without changing your priorities.
Compare fabric beyond the description
Ask what the fabric actually contains
Words such as “soft,” “premium” and “cotton feel” do not establish composition. Request the stated fiber percentages and fabric construction for the exact garment being quoted. Also ask whether that description applies to the body, lining, ribbing and other panels.
Record fabric weight in grams per square meter, often written as GSM, where relevant. Weight helps distinguish offers, but heavier fabric is not automatically better. The right choice depends on the garment’s use, drape and feel.
Separate appearance from performance
Photos can show color, texture and visible construction. They cannot reliably establish shrinkage, colorfastness, pilling resistance or composition. Ask suppliers what evidence supports their descriptions, and identify any testing you need before committing to bulk production.
A physical sample lets you assess opacity, stretch, recovery and comfort more directly. Wash it using the intended care method, record measurements before and afterward, and inspect the seams and surface. Treat this as a practical comparison, not proof that every production unit will perform identically.
For custom orders, ask whether the sample uses the proposed bulk fabric. If it uses a substitute, list the differences and decide what must be approved again before procurement.
Compare measurements, not size letters
A medium from one supplier may differ from a medium elsewhere. Ask for finished garment measurements rather than relying only on labels or suggested wearer height and weight.
Use the same measurement instructions across suppliers. For a T-shirt, useful points include chest width measured flat, body length, shoulder width and sleeve length. For trousers, include waist measurement, rise, inseam and thigh width. Specify whether measurements are taken relaxed or stretched.
- Clarify the chart: does it describe the body or the finished garment?
- Confirm units: keep all supplier measurements in the same unit.
- Agree tolerances: state the acceptable variation at each important measurement point.
- Check the size range: review how measurements change between sizes.
- Check after washing: consider whether shrinkage could change the intended fit.
Match the chart to a reference garment you can measure consistently. If fit matters across several sizes, consider requesting samples across the range. One approved size does not establish the fit of every other size.
Break MOQ into its separate conditions
Minimum order quantity, or MOQ, is often more complicated than one number. Ask what the minimum applies to: the whole order, each style, each color, each size or each customization process.
Ready-stock garments may come in fixed size and color packs. A supplier might accept your total quantity while requiring a mix that does not suit your customers. Request the exact pack breakdown and check whether substitutions are allowed.
For customized apparel, investigate fabric, dyeing, printing, embroidery and label minimums separately. An existing fabric with a custom print may have different conditions from a specially developed fabric. Ask which part of your specification creates each minimum.
Then have every supplier quote the same size and color mix. If a supplier cannot meet it, show the proposed alternative separately. Do not compare an exact-match offer with an unwanted assortment as though they were equivalent. No universal apparel minimum should be assumed.
Build a comparison sheet that exposes exceptions
Use one row per requirement and one column per supplier. Include composition, construction, fabric weight, measurements, tolerances, size mix, color mix, customization, MOQ conditions, sample details and quoted scope.
Add a separate row for unresolved questions. “Supplier has not confirmed” is more useful than leaving a blank that someone might mistake for agreement. Ask suppliers to identify substitutions explicitly.
Compare the complete purchasing commitment as well as the garment quote. Samples, packaging, domestic transport, inspection and other separate costs can affect the decision. Confirm availability and production arrangements for the exact specification before approving an order.
Agree checks and responsibilities before payment
Turn the approved specification into a checklist. Identify what can be checked visually, what requires measurement and what needs testing or independent inspection. Agree how discrepancies will be handled before placing the order.
Richitoo’s basic photo checks cover packaging, quantity, specifications, colors and visible damage. For apparel, photo-check attention can include size charts, fabric descriptions, stitching and labels. Photo checks are not a full inspection. An independent report requires third-party inspection, with the inspection fee collected first.
Before purchase, confirm destination rules, labeling, certificates and product classification with the buyer’s importer or customs broker. The document set depends on the goods and shipping route. Buyers shipping to the United States can also review our apparel sourcing page for United States buyers.
Send a request suppliers can answer consistently
Richitoo uses at least two sourcing routes in parallel, drawn from 1688, Alibaba.com, Yiwu or Guangzhou wholesale markets, and direct factories. The service fee is 3% of the goods value, minimum US$49, and the quote is one all-in price delivered to your door: goods, service fee, international freight and customs clearance.
Quotes are free. You pay the 3% service fee only after you approve the quote and place the order.
Samples and third-party inspection reports are quoted separately if you ask for them, and import duties and local taxes are estimated and listed separately on your quote; fully duty-paid (DDP) delivery is available on request. Procurement begins only after quote approval and verified payment.
Ready to compare your options? Send a sourcing request with your garment references, fabric specification, measurement chart, size and color quantities, destination and desired arrival date. Include any sample or independent inspection needs so the comparison addresses the decisions you actually need to make.
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Free PDF: The China Sourcing Checklist, 12 mistakes to avoid before you pay →