This guide is the map for a first wholesale jewelry order: what suppliers expect, what each cost line means, and the calendar from enquiry to delivery. Work through it before your first proforma and you will avoid the three classic first-order failures: underestimating lead time, comparing incompatible quotes and accepting an MOQ structure you cannot re-order.
Step 1: Define the programme before the enquiry
Write one page before contacting suppliers: product families, target FOB band, quantity per style, target market and compliance needs. Suppliers quote seriously against structure and ignore vague enquiries, because a vague enquiry is a price-shopper.
Step 2: Shortlist by capability, not by price
Five suppliers is the workable number: two in your target category, two adjacent, one backup. Filter by product family match first; a stainless chain factory and a CZ-set silver workshop are different businesses that share a word.
- The wholesale buying workflow
- Sample enquiry|Send the one-page brief plus references; ask for catalogue styles in your band first.
- Sample evaluation|Order 2–3 samples per shortlisted factory; check plating weight, stone setting and clasp action physically.
- Quotation|Request itemised proformasunit price tiers at three quantities, MOQ, tooling, lead time start point.
- Pre-production sample|Approve a golden sample and seal it in writing; it becomes the QC reference.
- Production|Confirm deposit; require a mid-line photo report at 40 percent completion.
- Inspection|Third-party AQL 2.5 inspection before balance payment; measure against the sealed sample.
- Shipping|Book freight against the agreed incoterm; verify documents match the invoice exactly.
- Re-order|Negotiate re-order MOQ and lead time while the relationship is warm, not when you need it.
The three numbers to negotiate hardest
| Number | Why it matters | Typical win |
|---|---|---|
| MOQ per design | Determines assortment depth | 30–50% down via catalogue styles or longer lead time |
| Re-order MOQ | Decides if a programme is sustainable | Half of first-run MOQ |
| Lead time start point | Prevents calendar disputes | Defined as sample approval, in writing |
Payment and inspection as a pair
Standard terms are 30/70 against bill of lading copy. Buy the safety with an AQL inspection clause: balance payment releases only against a passed inspection. Suppliers who refuse both better terms and inspections are telling you which quote to discard.
Before you wire the deposit
- MOQ per design and per order confirmed in the proforma
- Plating spec (microns, e-coat) written on the order
- Golden sample sealed and referenced by number
- Lead time start point defined
- Inspection standard and inspector named
- Payment terms matched to inspection release
Frequently asked questions
30 to 50 pieces per style for plated brass, 100 pieces when the plating colour is custom, and 10 to 20 pieces for silver pieces cast from existing moulds.
Two to three samples per shortlisted factory, from two to three factories. Order paid samples: free samples correlate with template replies. Evaluate against a written rubric, plating weight, stone setting, clasp cycles, finish, not impressions. The sample round is also a communication test; silence now predicts silence mid-production.
Sometimes. Factories usually count MOQ per design because moulds, colour matching and setting jigs are per-design costs. What is commonly mixable: colours and finishes of the same design, sizes within a size run, and catalogue styles already in production. Ask specifically: is the MOQ per design or per order, and what is the re-order MOQ? Those two lines decide whether a programme is workable.
