MOQ planning

Working back from a GWP launch date: the real lead time

25 Oct 2026

Answer first: the only date that matters is the day the bags must be in hand, and it is built from three blocks — sampling, bulk production and freight. Two of the three are ours and fixed; the third is quoted per destination and only exists once a port and an address are named.

The three blocks

Sampling runs about 7 working days per round. Bulk production runs about 25 days from sign-off on the sample and the artwork. Freight has no general number: transit depends on the destination port, the sailing and the mode, so freight time is quoted separately per destination rather than assumed. That is the whole model — add the blocks in reverse from the date in hand and every other date in the programme falls out of it.

A worked example

Using only the two numbers that are ours:

• Sample approved and artwork signed off: 1 March.
• Bulk complete: 1 March plus about 25 days, so around 26 March.
• Bags in the warehouse: 26 March plus the freight time quoted for that destination port — the one figure to get in writing before a launch date is announced.

If it still lands a comfortable margin before the launch, the programme is safe; if it does not, the only blocks left to compress are the 7 days of sampling and the 25 days of bulk, and neither compresses honestly.

Where GWP programmes slip

The two fixed blocks rarely move. The things around them do.

• Artwork approval. Foil and deboss need a die, screen print needs a screen, and each waits on a final file. A logo revised after the sample is printed restarts a 7 working day round.
• Material stock. A colour outside the stocked range is a material order ahead of the bulk run; staying inside stock is also what keeps 1,000 pcs per colour splits possible under the 3,000 pcs order minimum.
• Second sample round. Two rounds is common on a new structure — 7 working days each, so plan 14 unless the first round is already right.
• Kitting and labelling. Bottle-and-bag assembly, market labels and gift-box packing all happen after the bags exist.

What to fix in the calendar

Fix three things before the launch date is public: the date the bags must be in hand, the freight quote for that exact destination port, and an artwork file that will not change. Everything else — 7 working days of sampling, 25 days of bulk — is arithmetic you can do on a napkin.

Behind the 25 days: our Dongguan plant runs 2,000 m² with four lines and about 100 people, roughly 100,000 pcs a month, with cutting, sewing, assembly and the logo process in-house under ISO 9001. Payment is 30% deposit with the 70% balance before shipment, EXW by default, with FOB, CIF or DDP quoted per project.

Send the bottle height, the logo size and the date you need the bags in hand, and we will tell you which structure and which logo method survive all three. Send the brief.