Lead time
Lead time: Days from confirmed order to goods ready.
- Because it carries tooling, sample approval and a first-article check that a repeat order does not.
- Work backwards from the shelf date.
Days from confirmed order to goods ready.
What it changes for you
The repeat-order figure matters more than the first-order estimate.
In practice
Lead time is the number of days from a confirmed order to goods ready. The repeat-order figure is the one that matters for planning: a first order includes tooling and first-article approval, so it is longer and less repeatable. Our published timeline runs about 7 to 9 weeks from order to goods landed on existing tooling, and 10 to 14 weeks with new tooling, sea transit included.
Questions about Lead
Why is the first order slower than a repeat?
Because it carries tooling, sample approval and a first-article check that a repeat order does not. Planning on the first-order figure overstates the lead time for every order that follows.
When should I order for a spring season?
Work backwards from the shelf date. A new tooling programme takes about 10 to 14 weeks order-to-landed, so a northern-hemisphere spring programme is normally confirmed in the fourth quarter of the previous year.
Other terms
- FOB (Free On Board)Seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the named port; cost and risk transfer there.
- EXW (Ex Works)Buyer collects at the factory gate.
- MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)The smallest quantity a factory will run for one specification.
- Tooling costThe one-off cost of the injection mould, die or print plate.
- colorway toleranceThe measured range a factory will hold between sample and repeat production.
- AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit)The sampling standard (ISO 2859-1) defining allowed defects per inspected lot.