Page 4 of 5. Things worth knowing before you place an order, written from the manufacturing side.
Fibre composition is the legal requirement. Care symbols, importer details and size are commercial necessities that get mistaken for law. The difference matters, and so does who carries the obligation.
United KingdomA logo on a blank is merchandise. What separates the tee people choose to wear from the one that stays in a drawer — and the details that do the work.
A medium is not a medium. The same letter means different measurements in different markets, and a tech pack that does not state the system gets you whichever one the factory usually runs.
United KingdomIncoterms decide who arranges freight, who carries the risk and who clears customs. What FOB, CIF and DDP actually mean for an apparel importer, and why two quotes on different terms are not comparable.
United StatesFrom South India the East Coast is usually the shorter route, which is the opposite of the Far East pattern most US importers are used to. What decides the choice, and what to check before you nominate.
United StatesLess changed for goods from Asia than people assume, and more changed for goods from the EU. What a UK apparel importer actually needs now, and what to hand to a customs broker.
United KingdomBoth handle the India trade and transit times are close. The decision is really about where your warehouse is, what your forwarder's lane performance looks like, and how much slack you have built in.
United KingdomFive documents and three facts. Get them prepared alongside the shipment rather than chased after it sails, and clearance stops being the part of importing that goes wrong.
United KingdomClothing carries meaningful duty into South Africa and the paperwork is unforgiving. What your clearing agent needs, what NRCS is concerned with, and what to get from your supplier before the container sails.
South AfricaDurban is the short route from South India and usually the right default. When Cape Town or Port Elizabeth is the better answer, and the days that never appear on a sailing schedule.
South AfricaSend a tech pack, a reference garment, or just a photo and a quantity. We come back with a quote and an honest lead time — usually within one working day.
