Anyone can send a good sweater and a low quote. As the US importer of record, you carry the compliance and the risk — so vetting a factory is about more than the garment. These are the US-specific things to confirm before you commit a bulk PO.
Price and a nice sample aren't enough for a US importer. Here are the checks that actually predict whether a factory will work out — and the red flags that don't.
Anyone can send a good sweater and a low quote. As the US importer of record, you carry the compliance and the risk — so vetting a factory is about more than the garment. These are the US-specific things to confirm before you commit a bulk PO.
Can they document where the cotton was grown and show non-Xinjiang sourcing? If they can't answer the UFLPA question, that's your problem at the port.
FTC fiber and care labeling, CPSIA for kids, Prop 65 awareness, RN handling. Have they shipped to US importers before, or will you be their training run?
Clean commercial invoices, packing lists and certificates in English keep customs entries smooth. Sloppy paperwork is slow paperwork.
Are you talking to the people who run the machines, or a trading layer marking up an unseen factory? It changes accountability, speed and price.
Does their minimum fit your runway? Can they repeat the approved sample at bulk, and reorder it next season the same way?
Walk carefully when a supplier can't trace the yarn, gets vague on compliance, won't show the actual production floor, quotes only DDP to hide the unit price, or pressures you past a proper sampling round. None of these are dealbreakers on their own — but together they predict trouble.
A direct line to the factory, honest answers about where they win and where they don't, documented yarn sourcing, a real sampling process, and pricing you can break down. You shouldn't have to take any of it on faith — ask for the documents and the floor.
Send your styles and your questions. You'll deal directly with the founder, with traceable yarns and US-ready documentation — no agency in the middle.
