Ask three factories, "How much to make a hoodie?" and you will get back three numbers that cannot honestly be compared. One includes the fabric, one does not. One counts labels and packing, one quietly leaves them out. None of them is lying, exactly — each factory has simply guessed at a different garment. The problem is not the factories. It is the question.
That is why we built our new Apparel RFQ Guide & Quote Request Builder. It walks you through writing a request for quotation that suppliers can actually price, and it builds the draft with you, right in your browser, so the finished request is ready to copy, download, and send yourself.
What an RFQ actually is
An RFQ — a request for quotation — asks a supplier to price a defined product under stated quantities, responsibilities, timing, and commercial terms. In apparel, that might be full production of a style, cut-make-trim sewing only, fabric, trims, or development work. What makes it useful is the definition. Instead of asking for "a T-shirt price," you describe the garment, the quantities per style, color, and size, who supplies what, and when you need it. A supplier reading a clear RFQ can tell what it is pricing — and just as important, can tell you what is still unresolved.
Match the request to where you honestly are. If all you have is a concept, ask about capability, development support, and a preliminary estimate, and label your assumptions as assumptions. A factory can answer a rough question roughly; trouble starts when a rough answer gets treated like a firm price.
What a complete request asks the supplier to confirm
The guide's draft asks suppliers to respond to the same set of points every time, so replies arrive in a shape you can line up side by side: the unit price with its currency and quantity basis; exactly which materials, trims, labels, packing, and services are included or excluded; minimums by style, color, or size; sampling and setup charges, and whether any are credited later; lead times and what has to happen before the clock starts; the delivery basis; payment terms; how long the quote stays valid and what could change it; and any substitutions or subcontracting the supplier proposes. You will also want the supplier's legal identity, production location, and one named contact for questions.
CMT and full-package are scopes, not prices
Two quotes can differ simply because they describe different arrangements. Under CMT — cut, make, trim — you typically supply the fabric and materials, and the factory provides the sewing labor and trims; you can explore that route through our CMT factory resources. Under a full-package arrangement, the supplier sources materials and manages far more of the work. Neither label guarantees a fixed list of duties, though, which is why the guide insists you spell out who supplies the patterns, grading, materials, trims, labels, packing, and testing instead of trusting the label alone. Delivery terms are a separate question again — they say where goods change hands and who carries which costs and risks, not who sews what.
The cheapest quote may not be quoting the same garment
A vague request does not get you a bargain; it gets you three numbers that cannot be compared. The lowest unit price in the pile often belongs to the quote that quietly left the most out — the trims, the sampling, the testing, the packing, the freight. A higher number may simply be the honest one, priced on a different quantity or delivery basis. Before you compare totals, normalize the scope: line up inclusions, exclusions, minimums, and timing until each quote describes the same job. Our companion guide on how to compare factory quotes goes deeper on that step, and it is worth reading before you award anything — because a spreadsheet total should never be the whole decision. Capability, sample quality, communication, and realistic timing matter just as much.
How the builder and the worksheet help
The builder turns all of this into a short form. Fill in your product, quantities, scope, and questions, and it generates an editable draft — subject line and message — that you can copy or download as text. Two honest limits, stated plainly on the page: the tool does not send anything for you, and it accepts no file uploads. You review the draft, send it through your own email, and share your tech packs and files separately and deliberately, once you have verified the recipient. If you think better with a pen, the same page offers a blank RFQ worksheet you can print and fill in by hand.
When your request is ready, our apparel sourcing guide can help you think through materials, partners, and production responsibilities, and the Apparel Industry Tools directory gathers the costing, comparison, and planning tools that come next. A clear request will not guarantee a perfect production run — but it earns you quotes you can compare fairly, and that is where good production decisions start.
