China Sourcing RFQ Checklist: How to Prepare a Product Brief

What should a sourcing brief include?

Give each product its own reference number. Include these details in the same document:

• Product and use: what it is, who will use it, and how it will be sold or used.
• Reference material: drawings, photographs, a tech pack, a dieline or an existing sample. Identify which details are for inspiration and which must be reproduced.
• Specification: materials, dimensions, colors, construction, decoration and packaging. State units and tolerances where known.
• Quantity: total units and the breakdown by style, size, color, artwork or other variant. Separate a first order from a possible repeat order.
• Sample review: which features need approval before production and who will approve them.
• Commercial target: budget, currency and what you expect that budget to include. Mark estimates clearly.
• Destination and timing: delivery location, target arrival date, and whether that date is flexible.
• Required documentation: documents or product claims your team needs to review before approving the order.

Do not fill gaps with guesses. An unanswered specification is something to resolve; an incorrect specification can become the basis of a quotation.

What is different for clothing and textiles?

For a garment, include front and back drawings, a size chart, fabric composition and weight, color references, stitching, trims, labels and decoration placement. Break quantities down by size and color. Say whether a reference garment represents the fit, the fabric, the finish, or all three.

For a tote bag or another textile item, dimensions, construction, intended use and decoration may matter more than a garment size chart. A reference photo alone rarely describes every detail needed for production.

The apparel tech pack and MOQ guide explains how to discuss materials and order quantities. See the clothing and textile sourcing page for the product scope.

What is different for custom packaging?

Start with the product being packed. Include its dimensions, weight, fragility, presentation needs and intended packing method. Specify whether box measurements are internal or external. If you have a dieline, include its revision and the artwork files associated with it.

Describe the structure, material, print, finish, inserts and closure. State whether different artwork versions share the same structure. Ask for a sample that lets you check product fit as well as appearance.

Explore custom packaging sourcing, private label packaging and the packaging MOQ guide.

How do you compare product quotations?

Compare proposals against the same brief and revision. For each quotation, record the unit price, quantity, included materials and finishes, sample charges, setup or tooling costs, payment terms, quotation validity and delivery basis.

Ask what is excluded. Check whether an alternative material, different quantity or simpler finish explains a price difference. Keep proposed substitutions separate from the original specification until you approve them.

Sample timing, production timing and transport timing should be identified separately. A production estimate alone does not confirm the date goods will arrive at your destination. For a cost worksheet, use the landed-cost planning guide.

What should be confirmed before production?

Keep an approval record linking the final specification, approved sample, quantity breakdown and commercial terms. Identify the production checkpoints, how changes will be approved and who is responsible for each delivery step. Requirements for testing, documentation or import review depend on the exact product and should be settled with the appropriate parties before the order proceeds.

A quotation request is the start of a conversation. It is not an order confirmation, a fixed price or a guarantee that a product can be supplied.

How will Sourcing Lab USA use your brief?

Sourcing Lab USA accepts China sourcing projects now, with invoicing from France or China as identified in the quotation. Clothing, textiles and packaging are the core specialties; other products are assessed on request through an established independent China sourcing partnership.

The quotation identifies the company in France or China purchasing, supplying and invoicing the products, along with the commercial terms. The brief helps define what can be proposed, sampled and agreed before an order. Read about China-to-U.S. product sourcing and supply, or send your project brief.

If you are still deciding who to work with, what a sourcing agent does and how buying and supplying differs covers the arrangements on offer before you send a brief.