MOQ, Lead Time and Pricing — The Numbers Buyers Ask For First
Sourcing pages in this category tend to say “low MOQ, fast delivery, competitive price” and leave it there, which tells a buyer nothing and wastes a week of emails. This page is the opposite: the actual minimums, the actual lead times, the capacity behind them, and what genuinely moves the unit price once you start changing the specification.
Order and production terms
One table, one source. These same figures appear on every commercial page of this site, because a number that changes between two pages of the same supplier is a number no buyer will trust.
These are the standing figures, not an opening position. Where your specification moves one of them — a fill size we do not stock, a carton format that changes the units per box — the quotation says so rather than quietly re-pricing against a number you already read here.
Trade terms
What actually moves the unit price
In descending order of impact. Buyers frequently optimise the wrong one — chasing a lower fill size to cut cost, when the order quantity sitting above it matters several times more.
1. Order quantity
The largest single lever by some distance. Volume tiers exist and the step between them is meaningful — worth asking what the next tier is before you fix your first order.
2. How much packaging is custom
Your label on our jar is cheap. Your carton is moderate. Your own jar tooling is the expensive end, because print and container runs carry minimums independent of your unit count.
3. Fill size
Matters less than buyers expect. The jar, the carton, the label and the handling cost roughly the same at 5 g as at 15 g — the cream itself is a modest share of unit cost.
4. Formula adjustment
The standard base is the cheapest option because it is already in production. An adjusted botanical ratio or texture adds formulation and testing work before the first unit is made.
What we need in order to quote properly
Destination market
Drives the regulatory requirement, the label language and the shipping component of your landed cost.
Programme level
Stock packaging, private label on our format, or full OEM. Each has a different floor and a different timeline.
Fill size
The stock format is 5 g. Tell us if your market expects something different.
First-order quantity
An approximation is fine. It decides which volume tier the quotation is built on.
Reference product
Common questions
What is the MOQ for your nail care cream?
It depends on the programme. In our stock jar and carton the minimum is 1 unit — you can buy a single piece to evaluate. Private label, meaning your brand on our existing format, starts at 500 units. Full OEM with a custom jar, carton and insert starts at 2,000 units, because printing and container runs carry their own minimums regardless of how many you take.
Why is the stock MOQ only 1 unit?
Because the product already exists in that packaging, so there is nothing to set up. It matters more than it sounds: much of this category asks for a 600 kg batch or a few hundred pieces before you have held the jar. You can evaluate ours for the price of one, then decide whether to commit to 500 or 2,000.
What drives the unit price?
Four things, roughly in order of impact: order quantity, how much of the packaging is custom, fill size, and whether the formula is the standard base or an adjusted one. A larger order on stock packaging is the cheapest per unit by a wide margin. A small order with a custom jar is the most expensive, because tooling and print runs have their own minimums regardless of how many units you take.
How long does production take?
A proof sample made to your specification takes 15 working days. A bulk order in stock packaging ships 7 working days after deposit. A full OEM run takes 30 working days, most of the difference being artwork proofing rather than production time. Monthly capacity is 100,000 units.
Do you charge for samples?
Sample orders are accepted before any bulk commitment. Sample cost and shipping are quoted at the time of the request, because the shipping component varies far more by destination than the product does.
What do you need from me to quote?
Four things: destination market, programme level (stock, private label or OEM), fill size, and an approximate first-order quantity. With those we quote properly. Without them any number we give you is a guess, and a guess that later moves is worse for both of us than a day's wait.
Can I get an exclusive territory?
Exclusivity is available to committed partners and is negotiated against volume, not requested upfront. The distributor programme page covers how that works.
Four lines and you get a real quotation
Market, programme level, fill size, first-order quantity. Send those and the reply carries MOQ, unit price, lead time and sample cost — normally inside 24 hours on a business day.
Sourcing this product for your brand?
We are the factory. The pages below cover manufacturing terms rather than consumer advice — minimum quantities, customisation, formulation and distribution.
Looking for a herbal toenail fungus cream?
Our herbal nail care formula is available for sample orders, wholesale supply, OEM packaging and distributor cooperation. Contact us to get started.