Full package — quoted FOB, sometimes called FPP — means the factory takes the whole job. Fabric sourcing, trim development, lab dips, cutting, sewing, finishing, packing, inspection and export documentation all sit with us, and you receive a single price per garment delivered onto the vessel at port.
The reason most brands should start here is not convenience, it is risk. Fabric is 38 to 52 percent of a garment's cost, and buying it well requires knowing which mills run consistently, what a reasonable dye-lot minimum looks like, and how to read a lab dip. A brand doing that for the first time from another continent is taking on the largest and least forgiving part of the job with the least information. Under full package, a fabric that comes out wrong is our problem to solve and our cost to absorb.
What you get for the price
- A dedicated merchandiser who owns your account end to end — not a shared inbox.
- Fabric and trim sourcing from mills we already run production through, with lab dips and bulk approvals before cutting.
- Proto, fit, size-set and pre-production samples until the fit is signed off.
- Inline, mid-line and final AQL 1.5 or 2.5 inspection, whichever your spec calls for.
- Full export documentation, and FOB, CIF or worldwide DDP terms.
What it costs
FOB pricing at moderate volume — roughly 1,000 to 5,000 pieces per style, standard fabrics, no heavy embellishment — runs about $2.40 to $4.20 for a basic 180 GSM cotton tee, $4.50 to $8.00 for a piqué polo, $7.50 to $13.00 for a 320 GSM fleece hoodie and $5.50 to $10.00 for a poplin woven shirt. Below the comfortable minimum, expect 15 to 30 percent more per unit, because setup costs land on fewer garments.
Budget separately for what FOB does not cover. Freight, duty, inspection and lab testing typically push landed cost 25 to 40 percent above the factory number by the time goods reach your warehouse. If you would rather not manage that at all, we quote DDP and deliver customs-cleared to your door.
“Require every quote broken into fabric, trims, CM and wash. A supplier who will not itemise is telling you something.”
When full package is the wrong choice
If you already own mill relationships, or your brand is built on a specific fabric you have developed yourself, paying us to source it adds a margin for no benefit — that is a CMT conversation. If your order is genuinely small, full package at 500 pieces may still be more than you want to commit, in which case low-MOQ production is the better route. We will tell you which of these you are in before quoting, not after.
Common questions
What exactly is included in an FOB price?
Materials, manufacturing, packing, export clearance and loading onto the vessel at Chittagong. That is the whole job until the goods are on board the vessel. It excludes ocean freight, insurance, import duty, customs clearance at your end and delivery from your port to your warehouse — which is why a landed cost typically runs 25 to 40 percent above the FOB figure on a first order. If you would rather not manage any of that, we quote DDP and the goods arrive customs-cleared at your door with one number and nothing left to chase.
Can I nominate the mill but still buy full package?
Yes — nominated-fabric full package is common. You specify the mill, or the exact fabric quality and supplier, and we still buy it, carry the material risk and quote you FOB. It costs slightly more than open sourcing because we cannot substitute a cheaper equivalent if the nominated mill's price moves, and lead time is tied to that mill's booking. It is the right choice when a specific hand-feel or certification is part of your brand and you do not want to run the purchasing yourself.
How is full package different from what a buying agent does?
An agent brokers access to capacity it does not own and takes a commission; the factory it places you with is the one accountable when something goes wrong, and you usually find out who that is late. Under full package with us, we are the counterparty on the purchase order, we hold the material risk, and the merchandiser on your account is ours. You have one name to call at eleven at night. That accountability is what the FOB margin actually buys, and it is the reason we will name the factory a style is running in rather than hide behind a network.
Questions that apply to every arrangement
What is the difference between FOB, CMT and full package?
They differ on who buys the materials, which changes everything else. Under CMT you supply the fabric and trims and pay only for cutting, making and trimming — the lowest headline rate, because it excludes the largest cost in the garment. Under full package, quoted FOB, we buy everything and hand you finished goods loaded onto the vessel, so you get one comparable number and one accountable party. FOB is what most brands should quote, particularly first-time importers, because fabric is 38 to 52 percent of a garment's cost and sourcing it badly from another continent is the most expensive mistake available. If you compare a CMT rate against someone's FOB price without adding your fabric cost back in, you are not comparing the same thing.
Which service should I choose?
If you do not have mill relationships in Asia, start with full package — it puts material sourcing on the party who does it daily. If your brand depends on a specific fabric you have developed or certified yourself, CMT or nominated fabric gives you that control. If you want to move fast from an idea to a sellable range, private label starts from proven blocks and cuts sampling rounds. If the product itself is your differentiator and needs to be legally yours, that is OEM. And if you cannot commit 500 pieces yet, start at 150 through Collective Studio and move up when a style proves out. Tell us your situation and we will tell you which of these fits, including when the answer is that we are not the right supplier.
Can I mix services across one order?
Yes, and it is more common than you would think. A range often runs full package on most styles with one nominated fabric where the brand has a specific mill relationship, or private label on the core basics with OEM on the one signature piece that has to be original. What matters is that the arrangement is written down per style before costing, because the price basis, the risk allocation and the lead time all differ. Ambiguity about which model a style is running under is where disputes start.
Do you charge for samples?
Yes — roughly $200 to $600 per style across development, fit and pre-production rounds, with much of it non-refundable, though we credit it against bulk on committed orders. Charging properly for sampling is deliberate. A free sample is paid for somewhere, usually in a rushed development cycle or a unit price you will not notice until later. Paying for a real sampling process is how a fit problem gets found on one garment rather than on two thousand, at which point it stops being a sampling cost and becomes rework, air freight and markdowns.