How to Order Wholesale Jewelry from China: MOQ, Samples, and Shipping

The first wholesale order from a new supplier is where most of the pain lives: minimums you did not expect, samples that look nothing like the photos, and shipping quotes that double at the dock. None of that is bad luck — it is a process with known traps. Here is the process, in the order you should actually run it.

Step 1: Samples before everything

Never skip this, even for a small trial order. One physical piece answers questions no listing can: the weight in your hand, how the stones are set, whether the plating color matches the photos. Ask the supplier to send the exact SKU from current stock, not a “showroom sample.” Most suppliers charge for samples or ask you to cover shipping; that is normal. What is not normal: a supplier who dodges sample requests entirely.

Step 2: MOQ — ask what the number actually means

MOQ (minimum order quantity) comes in two flavors, and mixing them up wastes everyone’s time. Per-SKU minimums mean each design needs, say, dozens of pieces. Per-order minimums mean you can mix styles freely as long as the total adds up. If you run a small boutique or an online shop, mixed-style orders are usually the practical path — you stock breadth, not depth.

Ask one question: “Is your minimum per design or per order, and can styles be mixed?” A clear answer here is a better supplier signal than any catalog.

Step 3: The three questions about plating

Plated jewelry is the honest, affordable way to get the gold and silver looks — but the quality lives in details buyers rarely ask about:

• What is the base metal? Ours is copper. Ask for one clear sentence about any supplier’s base.
• What tone and finish? Silver tone, gold tone, rose tone — color words, not metal claims. A listing that says “gold” instead of “gold-tone” is already editing the truth.
• How is batch consistency kept? Your reorder in three months should match this order. That comes from a controlled plating process, not luck.

What the stones are matters too — and a supplier who names their stones plainly (cubic zirconia, rhinestone, lab-created opal) is telling you how they will communicate when something goes wrong. We break this down further in Wholesale Cubic Zirconia Jewelry: What to Check Before You Place an Order.

Step 4: Shipping and arrival costs

Two numbers decide your landed cost: the freight quote and the customs side. Ask whether the quote is to your door or to a port — “to the port” quotes look cheaper and arrive with a bill. Confirm who handles import clearance in your country and roughly what duties apply for jewelry in your market. If you are in the United States or Asia, note that we ship to both and handle the paperwork questions up front rather than at the border. Our shipping principles are on the shipping policy page.

Step 5: Payment that protects both sides

For cross-border wholesale, bank transfer (T/T) is the standard — it is how factories everywhere operate, and it keeps costs down compared to card processing built for retail. What protects you is not the payment method; it is the paper trail: a written quote, confirmed specs (base metal, tone, stones, quantities), and agreed terms before any money moves. If a supplier resists putting specs in writing, that is your answer about the supplier.

Ready to run the process with us?

Our wholesale inquiry page asks the short version of every question above: who you are, what lines you want, and your quantity range. You get a straight reply within one business day — including the things we cannot do, because knowing those early saves us both a bad order.

Not sure what a finished piece looks like from us? The blue opal double leaf pendant is one we supply on a wholesale basis — copper base, silver-tone finish, lab-created opal. Same build we quote against. The Silver-Tone Snowflake Drop Earrings are another — silver-tone copper with a blue CZ center and clear CZ pavé, built the same way.