Guides
How to guides
39 guides on how to for apparel importers.
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Duty-free · How to
How to verify a supplier’s REX number (and what the result tells you)
Check any supplier’s REX number on the European Commission’s free validation page before paying a deposit: the steps, what the result means, red flags.
Updated · 6 min read
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Duty-free · How to
Statement on origin wording, explained line by line
The EU GSP statement on origin from Annex 22-07, line by line: what to write in each gap for Nepal-made garments and the errors that cost 0% duty.
Updated · 7 min read
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Duty-free · How to
UK DCTS origin declaration vs EU REX: what’s different for garment importers
How the UK’s DCTS origin declaration differs from the EU REX statement on origin, the UK wording, and what a Nepali exporter supplies for each market.
Updated · 7 min read
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Duty-free · How to
What is a REX number? A plain guide for EU importers
What an EU REX number is, what it looks like, and how to check one for free on the European Commission’s validation page before you rely on 0% duty.
Updated · 7 min read
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Trust · How to
30/70 payment terms explained: deposits, balances, and what “against B/L” means
What 30/70 payment means in garment sourcing: why factories ask a 30% deposit, why 70% before shipment is risky, and the safer 70% against B/L.
Updated · 3 min read
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Sourcing · How to
CMT vs FPP: which garment manufacturing model fits your brand?
CMT or full-package production? How each model works, what it costs, who carries which risk, and how to compare quotes across the two.
Updated · 3 min read
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Quality · How to
Combed vs carded cotton: why it decides print quality and pilling
Learn what combing removes from cotton, why combed tees print sharper and pill less, how it pairs with ring spinning, and when carded is good enough.
Updated · 2 min read
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Quality · How to
How much do cotton t-shirts shrink? Shrinkage, compacting, and the spec that prevents it
Why cotton knits shrink, what compacting does, how shrinkage is tested, the tolerance for your spec, and what to do if bulk fabric fails the test.
Updated · 8 min read
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Pricing · How to
Garment costing sheets explained, with a real cost breakdown from our factory
See how a factory builds your price line by line, with a worked t-shirt example, the levers that really move cost, and how to read a quote.
Updated · 2 min read
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How to · Logistics
Proforma vs commercial invoice, and every other document in your garment shipment
Learn what each garment shipping document is for and who issues it, from proforma invoice to B/L and origin papers, and the errors that hold cargo.
Updated · 2 min read
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Quality · How to
Hoodie GSM guide: fleece weights from 250 to 450+, from the factory floor
Learn what hoodie GSM means, the weight bands from 250 to 450+, what hoodies weigh, brushed vs loopback at each weight, and which GSM suits your market.
Updated · 3 min read
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How to · Logistics
How much does a t-shirt weigh? Real numbers for shipping and freight
See real t-shirt weights by size and GSM from a factory that weighs them, singles to cartons, plus a method to estimate any garment’s shipping weight.
Updated · 2 min read
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Duty-free · How to
HS codes for knitwear imports: 6109, 6110 & 6105 explained, with duty rates by market
Learn which HS codes cover knit tees (6109), hoodies (6110) and polos (6105), the cotton-vs-synthetic US duty split, and rates by market and origin.
Updated · 3 min read
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Quality · How to
The pre-shipment inspection checklist for garment orders (use it or lose it)
Learn what a final inspection checks before garments ship, from quantity, AQL and measurements to labels and packing, and what to do if a lot fails.
Updated · 2 min read
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Quality · How to
Ring-spun vs open-end cotton: the yarn decision that decides your tee
Learn how ring-spun and open-end cotton are made, what each does to softness, printing, pilling and price, and which to specify for your programme.
Updated · 2 min read
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Sourcing · How to
Choosing a school uniform manufacturer: the buyer’s guide
Learn what separates a good school uniform manufacturer from a risky one: colour continuity, fabrics, built-in childrenswear safety and realistic minimums.
Updated · 4 min read
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How to · Quality
Size charts and grading: what your factory actually needs from you
Learn what your factory needs for sizing: a base-size spec, grade rules, points of measure and tolerances, plus the sizing traps that cause returns.
Updated · 2 min read
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Sourcing · How to
Buying agents, buying houses & sourcing offices: how apparel middlemen work
Learn how apparel buying agents and buying houses work, what they really cost, when a middleman earns the fee, and when factory-direct is smarter.
Updated · 4 min read
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Compliance · How to
Children’s clothing manufacturing: the safety rules that actually apply
The safety rules for kidswear: cords and drawstrings, small parts, chemical limits, flammability and US CPSIA testing, and how a factory designs them in.
Updated · 5 min read
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Sourcing · How to
Corporate uniform programmes: a sourcing guide for hotels, restaurants & fleets
How hotel, restaurant and fleet uniform programmes are bought, why matching colours and sizes over years is the hard part, and when factory-direct helps.
Updated · 4 min read
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Quality · How to
The most expensive email in apparel: “approved, go ahead”
Bulk copies your sample, mistakes included. Learn why buyers approve too fast, and the checklist that catches problems while they still cost nothing.
Updated · 3 min read
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How to · Sourcing
FOB, CMT, MOQ, AQL: a plain-English garment sourcing glossary
Learn the vocabulary of garment sourcing, from FOB, CMT, MOQ and AQL to trade paperwork, each term in one plain sentence with links to deeper guides.
Updated · 5 min read
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Trust · How to
How to verify a factory you’ll never visit: remote due diligence that actually works
How to verify an overseas factory you'll never visit: how sourcing scams work, why a live video walk is so hard to fake, and a triangulation method.
Updated · 4 min read
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Compliance · How to
OEKO-TEX, GOTS, SMETA, BSCI: what apparel certifications actually cover
Learn what OEKO-TEX, GOTS, SMETA and BSCI actually certify, which to ask a supplier for in which situation, and where we stand, stated plainly.
Updated · 4 min read
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Sourcing · How to
Apparel production lead time & buying calendar: when to place your order
Learn how long a garment order really takes, from sampling and fabric to bulk, QC and freight, and count back to know when to place your order.
Updated · 2 min read
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Compliance · How to
Clothing label & care-label requirements for the EU, UK, US & Canada
Textile labelling requirements and care label regulations for the EU, UK, US and Canada: fibre content, care symbols, origin and manufacturer ID.
Updated · 7 min read
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Fabric · How to
Cotton vs. CVC vs. poly-cotton: which blend for your t-shirt?
How 100% cotton, CVC and poly-cotton compare on feel, shrinkage, colour, print and import duty, and the spec lines to send your factory for a t-shirt.
Updated · 7 min read
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How to · Startups
A first-time importer’s guide to working with a garment factory
The whole path of a first garment import: what to prepare, how to brief and compare quotes, sampling, payment, inspection, freight, customs and mistakes.
Updated · 8 min read
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How to · Quality
Garment QC and AQL inspection: an importer’s guide
Learn how garment QC and AQL inspection work: defect classes, inspection stages, a copy-and-use QC checklist, and how to inspect an order before it ships.
Updated · 2 min read
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Fabric · How to
GSM explained: what 180, 200 and 240 GSM mean for t-shirts and polos
What GSM means on a t-shirt, what 180, 200, 220 and 240 GSM feel like, the best GSM for tees and polos, and how to write it into your spec.
Updated · 7 min read
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Sourcing · How to
How to import clothing from Nepal: a step-by-step buyer’s guide
Learn how to import garments from Nepal step by step, from first inquiry to delivery, including duty-free access, export paperwork, freight and payment.
Updated · 3 min read
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Startups · How to
How to start a clothing brand: from idea to your first production run
A roadmap from clothing idea to first production run: blanks or cut-and-sew, your first capsule, tech pack, size split, sampling, payment and timing.
Updated · 8 min read
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Logistics · How to
Incoterms for apparel imports: EXW, FOB & CIF from Nepal explained
Learn what EXW, FOB and CIF mean for importing garments, who pays for freight and carries the risk at each stage, and how landlocked Nepal ships.
Updated · 2 min read
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Private label · How to
Private-label branding & retail-ready packaging for your knitwear
What a private-label knitwear pack contains, from labels and barcodes to polybags and cartons, who supplies what, the artwork needed, and common mistakes.
Updated · 8 min read
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How to · Sourcing
Private label vs. white label vs. OEM vs. ODM: which do you actually need?
What private label, white label, OEM and ODM mean for clothing brands: who owns the design, and what each does to MOQ, cost, lead time and exclusivity.
Updated · 7 min read
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How to · Startups
Sample to bulk: what to expect on your first clothing production order
The stages from first sample to shipped bulk order, what you approve at each, a realistic timeline, and what can change between sample and bulk.
Updated · 7 min read
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How to · Fabric
Screen print vs. DTG vs. embroidery: decorating your apparel
How screen print, DTG and embroidery compare on run size, colours, fabric, feel, durability and cost, with artwork files, pitfalls and a decision guide.
Updated · 8 min read
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Duty-free · How to
Single vs. double transformation rules of origin, explained for apparel importers
Single vs double transformation, with the actual EU, UK, Canadian and Japanese rules for knitwear, a worked duty example and the post-graduation outlook.
Updated · 8 min read
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How to · Startups
What is a tech pack — and what your factory needs to quote your order
What goes in a tech pack, a sample measurement table with tolerances, the details that change your HS code, and the minimum a factory needs to quote.
Updated · 7 min read
Namaste — let’s talk
Tell us what you want to make.
Send a tech pack, a photo or just an idea. You’ll hear back from the people who run the floor — usually within 24 hours, Nepal time.
No WhatsApp and rather not email? Request a call-back and we’ll phone you.