MOQ Math: Sizing Your First Wholesale Sofa Order

A factory minimum order quantity exists because production has fixed costs: cutting patterns, fabric rolls, foam batching, line setup and inspection. Those costs are spread across the units in your order — which is why the first question is not "what is your MOQ?" but "what do I need to test my market?" A first order should validate demand, surface your best sellers and generate reviews. It should not fill a warehouse.

The DIAS answer: no strict MOQ, small batches welcome. We deliberately keep our MOQ policy flexible. Different quantities carry different price points, but we accept small first orders — including mixed models at the same total quantity — so you can test several designs against one commitment instead of betting everything on a single SKU. This is how most of our e-commerce and distributor partnerships start, and how they grow into full-container programs.

Test with samples before you commit. A physical sample removes more risk than any spreadsheet. Regular samples take around 10 to 12 working days to produce, and the sample fee (plus international shipping) is refunded or deducted from your account when your bulk order reaches one 40HQ container. We also offer free custom logo labels — woven, printed, embroidery, rubber or silicone — so the sample you approve is the product your brand will ship.

Let the shipping math work for you. A 40' container of compressed sofas carries several times the units of the same container of rigid sofas. Your order quantity in sets is the same; your landed cost per set is not. Because our products ship vacuum-compressed (60–80% less packed volume, restoring within 48–72 hours), small first orders can still fill a container economically — and if your market test says "go bigger," the second order scales without changing suppliers.

The commercial terms behind the numbers. Quotations are typically returned within 3–10 hours. Production runs 30–40 working days for bulk orders after sample approval. We support EXW, FOB Shenzhen, CIF/CFR and DDP/DDU door-to-door, with payment by T/T, credit card or Alibaba Trade Assurance — and as an Alibaba verified supplier, escrow protection applies until your order completes.

Before you sign a first order, ask three questions. What is included at this quantity (can models be mixed)? What does the QC report cover? And what happens if a defect arrives — what is the after-sales process? At DIAS the answers are: models can be mixed, every order passes 4+3 inspection stages with 100% pre-shipment checking and a documented report, and all products carry a one-year warranty with free replacement of defective units.

Plan the second order while the first is in production. Factories quote their best terms to predictable demand — and predictability is built one repeat order at a time. A buyer who treats the first order as the start of a relationship, communicates volume forecasts and pays on schedule gets faster samples, better price tiers and priority production slots. That is worth more than any negotiated discount on order one.

Explore our sofas, beds and mattresses, understand our OEM & ODM process, and check the import compliance checklist before your first container ships.

Written by the DIAS export team.