Do I need my own mould to start a lure brand?

No, and starting with a stock mould is usually the better first move. A stock mould means no tooling charge, a shorter first order and a lower cash outlay. What you give up is exclusivity on the form. Most first ranges are built on stock moulds with a private label pack, and the tooling decision comes after the brand has a customer.

How much does it cost to start?

We publish no figure for a programme, because it depends entirely on the form and the volume. What we can tell you is where the money goes: the sampled listings on this site carry reference bands from US$0.07 per hook to US$132.55 per rod, and your first-order cash value is the unit price multiplied by the MOQ on the row you choose. Those two numbers are in the catalog, per listing, with the unit stated.

Can I put my logo on a lure?

On the pack, almost always. On the product itself it depends on the form: a printed PVC body or a rod's wrap and decal can carry artwork, while a plain moulded worm usually cannot without a second process. Ask which of the two a factory is quoting before you design packaging around it.

What is the difference between OEM and ODM?

OEM means the factory builds to your specification; ODM means the factory brings the design and you brand it. For a first brand the difference matters less than it sounds — either way you still have to write the specification that decides whether a repeat order matches the first one. Our glossary entry on OEM covers the distinction in the terms a quotation uses.

How long does it take?

A stock mould runs on the factory's normal schedule; a new mould adds tooling and a sample round before production. We do not publish a single lead-time number, because a single number would be wrong for one of the two cases. The timeline page in this column sets out where the time actually goes.

How to Start a Private Label Lure Brand

The four decisions, and why the order matters

Almost every abandoned first lure order fails the same way: the buyer starts with a supplier and works backwards. The decisions have a natural order, and each one narrows the next.

Order	Decision	Why it has to come first
1	Which form	"Soft lure" is not a product. Our own sample covers fork tails, paddle tails, needle tails and pre-rigged sabiki rigs under that one name — four moulds, one word.
2	Which mould	A stock mould means no tooling charge and a faster first order. A new mould means you own an asset, and it is the decision that cannot be revisited cheaply.
3	Which specification	Length, hardness, salt loading, color standard, pack count. This is what makes a repeat order match the first one.
4	Which pack	Retail card, blister, pouch or bulk. The pack is what the customer sees first and the last thing most buyers decide.

Step 1: choose the form, not the category

The catalog on this site is filed by type — soft lures, hard lures, metal jigs, hooks and eight more. A type is a starting point, not a specification. Each type brief in the Opportunities column shows what the spread inside one type actually costs, and why.

If you are still choosing between types, the catalog guide sets out which field decides the price in each family.

Step 2: choose the mould, and decide who owns it

This is the decision that separates a cheap first order from a programme.

A stock mould costs nothing up front. The form already exists, the minimum is whatever the factory has set, and the first order can be small.
A new mould is tooling you pay for once. It buys exclusivity on the form, and it means the mould is an asset — with the question of who owns it and what happens to it if the relationship ends.

The sample data shows what the second choice costs in time: across the metal jig and hard lure types, the products differ mainly by mould geometry, and a change to the bill or the shape is a new tool rather than an adjustment.

Step 3: write the specification

A sample cannot replace a specification. It can only confirm one. Before you approve anything, the fields below have to be written down, because they are the ones a repeat order drifts on.

Field group	What to name	Where the detail sits
Dimensions	Length in mm and inches, body thickness, weight in grams	Any type brief
Material	Hardness in shore, buoyancy class, salt or scent loading	Soft lure brief
color	colorways, flake, and the light the standard is checked under	Any type brief
Hardware	Hook pattern, gauge, gap, coating, salt-spray hours	Hook brief
Pack	Count per pack, format, printed unit	Any type brief

The specification builder turns those fields into a sheet you can send.

Step 4: choose the pack, then price the whole thing

Private label is usually a packaging decision first. A printed card, a branded bag or a sticker needs no tooling; stamping a brand into a hook does. Ask which of the two a factory is quoting.

Once the four decisions are made, the arithmetic is simple and it is all in the catalog: unit price × MOQ = first-order cash value. Our sample spans MOQ 20 on rods to 2,000 on hooks — and in type after type, the lowest unit price sits on the row with the largest MOQ. Choosing between them is a cash decision, not a price decision.

What to do before you send the first enquiry

[ ] The form is named, not the category
[ ] You know whether you are buying a stock mould or tooling a new one
[ ] Length, weight, material, color standard and pack count are written down
[ ] You know the unit price and the MOQ on the row you are asking about
[ ] You know whether the logo goes on the pack or on the product

Send those five things and a factory can quote. Send a photograph and it can only guess — which is the subject of the next page in this route.

Where to go next

What a first order actually involves, step by step
How to compare two factory quotations
What to do when a sample fails
The three working models — who holds the factory contract
Send a specification

Starting a private label lure brand