Services · Small MOQ & Fast Sampling
Start at 50 Pairs, Mixed Sizes
Most factory minimums are written for running production. A pilot order is written for learning: does the style sell, at what price, in which sizes — before a container is committed. That is what the small-MOQ track on this site exists to do.
Who a pilot order is for
Four buyers this track was built around
Boutique brands
Quality-led assortments with limited depth per style. A 50–100 pair run per style keeps the range wide and the stock honest — no leftover cartons at season end.
E-commerce sellers testing SKUs
Online retail is a testing discipline. A pilot run prices the SKU, proves the size curve and generates the sell-through data that justifies the next, larger order.
Retailers launching private label
A first own-label drop carries real brand risk. The pilot order puts your logo, your box and your specification on the floor in small depth, so the concept is tested at retail before it is scaled.
Established brands testing a new line
A new category, a new material grade or a new price point does not need a container to be evaluated. The pilot order answers the market question at pilot cost, inside the same QC standard as running production.
Pilot program
The terms, in one table
The pilot track runs on the same partner factories and the same QC standard as full-scale programs — the only difference is depth.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Pilot order | 50–100 pairs per style, mixed sizes |
| Sampling lead time | 7–14 days on existing lasts |
| Sample fee | US$50–100 per style, credited on bulk confirmation |
| Bulk lead time after confirmation | 30–45 days ex-factory |
Indicative figures for planning purposes — binding quotation upon specification.
From pilot to scale
Three depths, one program
The pilot is not a separate product with a separate standard — it is the first tier of the same program. When a style proves itself, the same specification moves up the depth ladder without being rebuilt.
| Tier | Order size | Sampling | Bulk lead time | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | 50–100 pairs per style, mixed sizes | 7–14 days | 30–45 days ex-factory | Test a style, a price and a market |
| Standard | 300 pairs per style per color | 7–14 days on existing lasts | 30–45 days ex-factory | Running a proven core assortment |
| Scale | 500+ pairs for new-development styles | 7–14 days; +15–20 days for a new last | 30–45 days ex-factory | New development committed to volume |
Indicative figures for planning purposes — binding quotation upon specification.
Why this works — and what it costs
A small MOQ is not a favor. It is what a cluster makes possible.
A small MOQ is possible here for one reason: every order, however small, is placed inside a working production cluster where materials, components and line capacity sit minutes apart. The material list behind a style — upper, lining, sole, findings — is booked the same day across the district's hide and shoe-material markets, so a 50-pair pilot does not wait on a provincial procurement chain. It is not because factories are idle. The same scheduling logic, the same cutting tables and the same inspection standard apply at a 50-pair pilot exactly as at a running production order. The full list, component by component: Components & Soles.
The trade-off is stated plainly: smaller runs carry a higher unit price than running production. Setup, marking and handling spread over fewer pairs, and the per-pair cost reflects it. The pilot program exists because the information a pilot buys — sell-through, fit, market response — is usually worth more than the difference in unit price. The unit price narrows as depth moves up the tiers above.
Read a worked example
The case studies page walks three illustrative orders end to end — brief, sampling, production, shipment — so the pilot-to-scale path can be seen in full before you commit.
Test the style before the container
Send a style reference and a target market. We reply with a pilot specification, a sampling plan and indicative pilot costs — sample fees credited on bulk confirmation.