How to Find a Good Socks Supplier
We’re all facing the same questions when trying to find a suitable sock supplier. Where should we find them? What are the factors to be considered? Here we created this guide to help you sort things out and get started!
Decide Where to Look for Socks Supplier
Domestic Sock Supplier
If you are living in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada…etc, the benefits that come with it are high quality, well-regulated labor standards, and less shipping time. In the short term, it is easier to find qualified socks suppliers domestically. As for the long term, sourcing your full range of products would be more expensive. Also, there could be limited choices of products compared to overseas manufacturers.
Overseas Sock Supplier
The suppliers are often from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The supplier has its own factory and the prices are usually unbeatable, which allows you to price your products competitively. It could be a bit of a hassle when reaching an overseas supplier. But in the long run, the process is going to be smoother. Here we listed some frequently encountered problems.
- Communication
Most Chinese socks vendors don’t speak English. The working hours in different time zones could lead to a long communication process.
- Minimum order quantity
Many sock factories don’t take a small quantity of custom sock orders. The minimum order quantity could be higher than expected most of the time.
- Quality control
It could be challenging to manage the consistent quality of each production. It is the most basic requirement for the final product to maintain the same quality as the confirmed sample.
- Consultancy
Many socks manufacturers do not provide professional feasibility assessments and suggestions with marketing concepts in response to the design needs and design ideas.
How to Find Suitable Socks Manufacturer
Industry Meetups (Exhibition or Online)
Attending local events and trade shows allow you to see samples and vendors all at once, saving communication time. Due to Covid-19, many exhibitions have changed to the form of appointments for online meetings. The customers and wholesale sock suppliers can match up more accurately in a limited time.
Networking in the Industry
It is the old fashion way of researching but remains its value. Go ask people in the industry for advice. You may get to know more details about what services to be provided and gain more trust by referrals. Using LinkedIn to track vendors who continuously update and provide valuable information is also a trustworthy way.
Search Engine
An online search could be a quick start nowadays. Like Foursource, Global Source, or other platforms, it vets all of its suppliers and provides useful information needed to evaluate the supplier.
EDM Collection
We all hate advertising emails and throw them into spam. But considering arrange those emails and save them for the future. When there’s a sudden need for a specific item, you now have a few manufacturers to make inquiries.
How to Evaluate the Socks Supplier
● Price and Quality
Choose the supplier who can provide the highest quality products within your budget. The cost of logistic fee and customized packing should also be included.
● Yarn sourcing and Needles Machine
According to the demands of the socks’ design, function, and budget, there are plenty of corresponding yarn materials and needle-count machines that provide different knitting gauges.
● Shipping Time
Find a supplier that provides a reasonable lead time with a good reputation for on-time delivery. If the customer wishes to compare shipping fees, we offer the prices of different couriers to choose from.
● Payment Method
According to the amount and transaction fee, flexible payment methods like Telegraphic Transfer (T/T), Credit Card, PayPal and so on would be required while choosing a qualified vendor.
● Experience
Work with the supplier that owns solid experience and good reviews from customers to make sure they can deliver on your requests.
Ideally, face-to-face communication is best preferred. First, you show them how serious you are purchasing with the supplier. Secondly, you can see the manufacturer’s expertise in specific products and check the quality. Thirdly, you get to know them on a personal level, so you have more confidence in a long-term cooperation. But in the circumstances of COVID like nowadays, online channels, making a video call or simply calling could also be alternatives to learn more details and build trust.
Your Best Socks Supplier
If you are interested in finding an overseas socks supplier, feel more than welcome to contact us. We are Paultex, a sock manufacturer based in Taiwan for more than 20+ years. Both English and Mandarin consulting services are available. We also offer flexible conditions for start-up companies and wish to be your reliable manufacturing partner.
