Are you a jeans manufacturer or a wholesaler?

We are a jeans manufacturer. We make everything in our own factories in China and Cambodia, and we supply bulk and wholesale orders directly to fashion brands and retailers, from an MOQ of 500 pieces.

Can small brands and startups order from you?

Yes. Our minimum order quantity is 500 pieces, so startups and small brands can order from us as well as established retailers. Sampling typically takes around 7 days, so you can approve a style before committing to bulk. Read the denim sampling guide: https://topmondial.net/en/guides/denim-sampling-explained/

Do you make private label jeans?

Yes. Through OEM we make your own designs to your specifications, and through ODM you choose from our existing styles and put your label and branding on them.

What types of garments do you manufacture?

Denim is our core specialism — jeans, jackets, shorts, dresses, and denim skirts across womenswear, menswear, and kidswear. We also manufacture casual trousers, tops, and non-denim outerwear. With long-term partnerships across 20+ fabric mills and in-house wash development, we support a wide range of fabrics, finishes, and construction types.

What is your minimum order quantity (MOQ)?

Our minimum order quantity is 500 pieces.

What are your typical production lead times?

Our average bulk production lead time is around 30 days, depending on the order size, product complexity, and material availability.

How long does the sampling process take?

It typically takes around 7 days to develop a sample and ship it to you. Timelines may vary depending on the design, fabric sourcing, development requirements and your location.

Where are your manufacturing facilities located?

Our manufacturing operations include one factory in Zhejiang, China, and two factories in Cambodia. This setup gives us greater production flexibility and stronger supply chain support.

What is the difference between OEM and ODM?

OEM means we manufacture based on your designs, specifications, and brand requirements. ODM means you can select from our existing designs and adapt them to fit your brand. We develop around 1,000 new styles in-house each year, so there is usually something close to what you need. By offering both, along with our own unique in-house designs, we give brands flexible support, faster development, and trusted manufacturing expertise. Read the OEM vs ODM denim manufacturing guide: https://topmondial.net/en/guides/oem-vs-odm-denim-manufacturing/

How do you ensure bulk production matches the approved sample?

Once you approve a sample, all specifications — fabric, construction, wash, and finish details — are locked into a detailed tech pack that governs the full production run. Our inline quality control team conducts regular checks throughout production, and each order undergoes a final audit before dispatch to verify it meets the approved standard.

How do I start a project with your team?

Getting started is simple. Share your product ideas, requirements, target order quantity, fabric preference, and any tech packs if available, and our team will guide you through the next steps from preparing a quote, to developing and sampling to production and delivery.

Guide

FOB vs CIF vs DDP:
shipping terms for clothing orders explained

Factories usually quote FOB. A first-time buyer then has to work out what still needs paying before the goods reach their warehouse.

This page explains EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP and DDP in plain words: who arranges, who pays and where risk passes. It also shows how to compare quotes on different terms.

It gives no duty rates. Those come from official customs sources. For when money changes hands, read payment terms explained.

20 OCTOBER 2026

What FOB, CIF and DDP mean on a clothing quote

These codes are Incoterms® rules, published by the International Chamber of Commerce. The current edition is Incoterms 2020. A quote should name the edition.

A term is always paired with a named place, for example "FOB [port of loading]" or "DDP [your warehouse]". Without the place, the term is incomplete.

A term decides four things:

who arranges and pays for main freight
who pays for insurance
who clears export and import, and who pays duty
where risk of loss or damage passes from seller to buyer

A term does not decide when you pay, who owns the goods or what the garments cost. Payment timing is a separate agreement. See payment terms explained.

This page covers garment orders shipped from a factory overseas to a brand in the UK or US.

EXW vs FOB vs CIF vs DAP vs DDP: who pays for what

The diagram shows who handles each step under each term. The list below says the same in words, from most buyer work to most seller work.

Comparison of EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP and DDP showing who pays each cost and where risk passes

EXW (Ex Works): you collect the goods at the factory. You arrange main freight, do export clearance, and pay insurance, import clearance and duty. Risk passes at the factory. Most work and risk sits with the buyer.
FOB (Free On Board): the seller clears export and loads the goods onto your nominated vessel at the port of loading. You book and pay ocean freight, insurance, import clearance, duty and delivery. Risk passes once the goods are on board.
CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight): the seller also pays ocean freight and minimum insurance to the destination port. Risk still passes on board at origin, the same point as FOB. You pay destination charges, import clearance, duty and delivery.
DAP (Delivered At Place): the seller delivers to a named place in your country, ready for unloading. You clear imports and pay duty and taxes. Risk passes at the named place.
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): the seller delivers to the named place, clears import and pays duty and import taxes. Risk passes at the named place. Most work and risk sits with the seller. You receive and unload.

FOB and CIF are sea-freight terms. For containerised or air shipments, the ICC's equivalents are FCA and CIP, so a quote may use those instead.

FOB or DDP: control or convenience

For a first order, the real choice is usually between FOB with your own forwarder and a delivered price (DDP). Neither is cheaper by default. Compare them on landed cost. How to compare quotes shows how.

FOB

The price covers the goods loaded onto the vessel at the port of loading.

You arrange

A freight forwarder
Freight booking
Cargo insurance
A customs broker
Delivery to your warehouse

Good for

Brands that want to choose the carrier
Seeing each cost line
Consolidating with other suppliers

Watch

More moving parts on a first order
You are the importer

DDP

The price covers delivery to your door, with duty paid.

Seller arranges

Freight
Insurance
Import clearance
Duty and import taxes

Good for

First orders
Small brands without a forwarder

Watch

Duty and freight are folded into one price, so you see less
Check who is the importer of record
Check what is excluded, such as unloading, storage or re-delivery
Not every factory offers it

Ask which terms we can quote

FOB vs CIF: why does a CIF quote look higher but not cover more risk?

CIF adds ocean freight and minimum insurance to the price. But you still carry the risk from the moment the goods are on board at origin.

The insurance is basic cover, chosen by the seller. Many buyers prefer FOB, with their own forwarder and their own insurance.

Is DAP the same as DDP?

No. Under DAP you still clear customs and pay duty and import taxes when the goods arrive. Under DDP the seller does that for you.

When does EXW make sense?

Only when you have a forwarder with an export agent at origin. A first-time buyer usually finds FOB simpler, because the seller handles export clearance.

Why garment factories quote FOB, and what you add on top

Factories quote FOB because it covers what they control: production, export packing, export clearance and loading at the port of origin. Freight rates, duty and destination costs depend on your country, your carrier and your timing.

FOB also keeps the garment price comparable across buyers and lets you use your own forwarder.

On top of an FOB price, you add:

main freight, by sea or air
cargo insurance
destination port or terminal charges
the customs broker fee
duty and import VAT or sales tax
last-mile delivery to your warehouse

The result is the landed cost per piece. That is the number to compare against your target price.

UK readers can find import basics in working with an overseas denim manufacturer from the UK.

Start your project

How to compare two clothing quotes on different shipping terms

Bring both quotes to the same point, usually your warehouse with duty paid. Then compare them per piece.

Building an FOB quote up to landed cost and comparing it with a DDP quote

Work through these steps for each quote:

Confirm the terms. Check the Incoterm, the named place and the edition on each quote.
Price the journey. Get a forwarder quote for freight, insurance, destination charges and broker fee, from the FOB or CIF point to your door.
Estimate duty and import taxes. Use official sources or your broker. This page gives no rates.
Add last-mile delivery. That is the leg from the port or terminal to your warehouse.
Divide by quantity. The answer is landed cost per piece.

Check that both quotes assume the same quantity, packing, carton count and volume, currency and quote validity. A lower price on a different quantity or currency is not a lower price.

Here is a worked example, using letters instead of prices:

Factory A, FOB: FOB price + freight + insurance + destination charges + broker fee + duty and taxes + delivery = landed cost A
Factory B, DDP: DDP price + anything it excludes, such as unloading, storage or re-delivery = landed cost B

The better quote is the one with the lower landed cost per piece, not the lower headline price.

When you give a factory a target price, say which delivery term it assumes. Clothing manufacturers for startups has more on briefing a first order.

Freight forwarders and customs brokers: what they do

Under EXW, FOB, CIF and DAP, the buyer needs at least one of them.

What a freight forwarder does

A freight forwarder books space with carriers and arranges collection from the port or factory. They consolidate cargo and handle shipping documents. They can also arrange insurance and delivery to your door.

What a customs broker does

A customs broker files the import declaration and classifies the goods by commodity (HS) code. They calculate and pay duty and taxes on the importer's behalf, and handle customs queries.

Many forwarders offer brokerage too.

When you need one

Under EXW, FOB and CIF you need a forwarder or carrier at destination, and a broker. Under DAP you need a broker. Under DDP the seller's side handles both, but check who is the importer of record.

Get a forwarder quote before you accept an FOB price.

Do you need cargo insurance?

Risk passes to you at the point the term sets: on board for FOB and CIF. Carrier liability is limited, so many buyers insure their goods from that point. Under CIF the seller buys only minimum cover. Your forwarder can arrange insurance for you.

How shipping terms fit with payment terms

Shipping terms set who moves the goods and where risk passes. Payment terms set when money moves. You agree them separately, but they run on the same timeline.

Nine steps a denim manufacturer follows from tech pack review to quality control

The diagram shows the production path from tech pack to quality control. Shipment under the agreed Incoterm starts after it.

On a new 30/70 T/T order, the balance is due before shipment. So you pay in full before the goods leave the factory. Under FOB or CIF, risk then passes once the goods are on board. Book your forwarder and insurance before the balance is due, so the shipment is not held up.

The pre-shipment inspection happens before the balance. See denim quality control and AQL.

For 30/70 T/T, open account and credit insurance, read payment terms explained.

Duty and import rules: use official sources

This guide gives no duty rates, thresholds or de minimis values. They change, and they depend on the product code, fibre content, origin and destination.

Duty is calculated from the importer's declaration. Country of origin usually follows where the garment is made, not where the fabric came from, but preferential-duty rules can differ, so confirm it with your broker. For Top Mondial's factories, see China vs Cambodia denim manufacturing.

For the UK, use gov.uk. For the US, use U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Ask your customs broker to confirm the commodity code before you order.

Under DDP the seller pays the duty, but it is still built into the price you pay.

Shipping terms with Top Mondial

For new customers, Top Mondial's typical structure is FOB, with a 30% deposit and the 70% balance paid before shipment. See payment terms explained.

We run three factories: one in Zhejiang, China and two in Cambodia. Our in-house warehouse handles order sorting, packing and shipment preparation. We ship to 20+ markets.

If you want a different term, such as EXW, CIF, DAP or DDP, ask. The quote confirms which Incoterm and named place apply to your order.

When you enquire, send: