Compare hoodie manufacturing quotes on the same scope

Start with one quotation revision

A low unit price is not yet a comparable offer. One quotation may describe a decorated stock body while another includes a new pattern. One may cover a front print while another assumes embroidery. For a US clothing brand receiving overseas offers, our recommendation is to establish one request-for-quotation file before asking which supplier is cheaper.

Give that file a style code, revision date and list of attachments. Include front and back drawings, measurement points, colour references, artwork dimensions and the quantity split by colour and size. Ask each supplier to identify the exact revision priced. Record alternatives separately instead of letting an attractive substitute silently become the comparison baseline.

Treat the comparison sheet as an approval record, not a manufacturer ranking. It should reveal unanswered questions and proposed deviations. It cannot establish factory capability or garment quality without the relevant evidence and physical sample review.

Make the fabric and garment the same product

CottonWorks distinguishes unnapped French terry from fleece whose interior yarns are brushed or napped. It also describes fleece in cotton, cotton/polyester blends and synthetic fibres. Consequently, the single word fleece is not a sufficiently specific quotation description.

Our suggested fabric row names fibre composition, knit construction, target weight, interior finish, colour route and the swatch reference to be approved. Ask how the supplier describes each item and where it differs from your request. Do not assume that two fabrics with the same stated weight have the same construction or finishing.

Add separate rows for the body pattern, hood construction, pocket, rib trims, zip if present, and finished measurements. State the decoration method, artwork revision, position and dimensions. A supplier may propose an alternative, but keep its price in a different column until you have deliberately accepted that change.

Sources: CottonWorks / Cotton Incorporated

Separate development from repeatable bulk costs

As an original buying worksheet, divide each offer into development, bulk production, one-time charges and delivery. Ask whether pattern work, fabric development, physical samples, decoration trials and sample courier charges are included or charged separately. Record the number and purpose of samples rather than writing sampling included without a defined scope.

For bulk, use the identical colour and size allocation in every enquiry. Ask for the price basis, currency, quantity basis and quotation validity. Put label development, artwork preparation or other identified setup charges on their own lines. These are questions to settle with the supplier, not a claim that every factory charges the same way.

If a sample charge may be credited against an order, record the actual written conditions. Do not subtract a possible credit from every scenario automatically. Likewise, keep any optional upgrade separate from the base comparison so that the apparent total does not hide a changed garment.

Describe delivery beyond shipping included

The US International Trade Administration explains that Incoterms allocate responsibilities for logistics tasks, costs and risks. Its overview identifies named places and distinguishes rules by transport mode. A quotation comparison therefore needs a stated delivery rule, its version and the relevant named location, rather than an undefined shipping promise.

For a US delivery, our recommendation is to state the destination and ask who arranges transport, insurance where applicable, clearance and the relevant charges. Ask the supplier to make inclusions and exclusions explicit. Do not infer a duty amount or an import arrangement from a generic delivered price; establish the actual shipment scope before adding competing offers together.

ICC Academy's guest commentary also cautions that these rules do not replace payment and quality terms in a sales contract. Keep payment milestones, garment specifications, acceptance evidence and delivery responsibilities as separate agreement fields. This is a quotation-control checklist, not advice on the legal suitability of a particular trade term.

Sources: International Trade Administration · ICC Academy — guest author Baldev Bhinder

Use a scope-status worksheet before doing arithmetic

For each row, record the requested requirement, the supplier's response, whether it matches, the price treatment and the unresolved question. Use clear statuses such as confirmed included, separately priced, proposed alternative and not confirmed. A blank answer belongs in not confirmed; it is not a zero-cost inclusion.

Suggested rows are fabric identity, fit and measurements, decoration, trims, labels, individual packing, sample purpose, setup charges, bulk allocation, delivery basis and approval milestones. Keep the original supplier quotation attached. If you normalize currencies or allocations, show your assumptions beside the calculation and retain the original figures.

Consider a hypothetical comparison: Supplier A prices the requested brushed body and front print but excludes sample courier delivery. Supplier B includes courier delivery but proposes French terry. Neither headline total answers the same request. Ask A to price the missing delivery line and B to quote the requested body, or approve B's material as a separate option. Only then compare the aligned totals.

Release the decision with its open questions closed

Before selecting an offer, ask for written confirmation of every accepted deviation and revised price. Keep the final garment revision, sample reference, quantity allocation and commercial terms together. Our recommendation is to identify which approval starts each proposed production milestone, rather than treating an estimated duration as a guaranteed arrival date.

If a requirement remains unresolved, hold that part of the buying decision. A complete comparison may show that more sampling or clarification is needed; it does not have to produce an immediate winner. The useful output is a traceable explanation of what you are buying and what evidence will be reviewed before bulk approval.

To discuss a hoodie project with Kylie Industry, send the drawings, fabric reference, decoration files, colour and size allocation, and delivery destination through the enquiry page. Ask for a quotation against that exact file. Agree any price, minimum quantity, sample scope and delivery promise in the project quotation rather than assuming this guide supplies them.

Continue your brief

• Define your custom hoodie specification
• Compare French terry and brushed fleece
• Prepare a sample request