Private label in China means a factory makes a product to your order and puts your logo on it, and you sell it on Kaspi, Wildberries, Ozon, Amazon or wholesale under your own brand. It isn't only for big companies: a seller moving a few hundred units a month can order a branded batch too. But the factory sets a minimum order quantity (MOQ), samples take several rounds, and first inquiry to shipment usually runs two to three months. If messaging a factory in Chinese, paying in yuan and inspecting the batch aren't for you, hand them to ChinaGoGlobal, a sourcing agent in China.
OEM, ODM and white label: what's the difference
The terms are often mixed up, yet the choice affects your budget, timeline and how much the product is really yours.
| Model | What the factory does | What you prepare | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| White label | Adds your logo to a stock product or its packaging | Logo, packaging design | A small budget: accessories, home goods, cosmetics on existing formulas |
| ODM | Adapts its existing model: color, material, bundle, features, packaging | A brief for the changes, logo, packaging | Your own product without developing it from scratch |
| OEM | Manufactures to your design: drawings, formulas, molds, specification | Full documentation, often payment for molds | A unique product, large volumes |
Which one to start with
Most sellers on Kaspi, Wildberries and Ozon should start with white label or ODM: you get a branded product quickly, test demand on a small batch and only then invest in development. OEM makes sense once sales are running and you know what should differ from competitors.
What MOQ factories ask for
MOQ (minimum order quantity) is the smallest batch a factory will take on. It depends on the category, customization and how busy the factory is; the ranges below are averages.
| Category | Stock product with logo | ODM / OEM |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel and textiles | usually 100–300 pcs per style | 300–1,000 pcs, often with a minimum per color and size |
| Cosmetics and personal care | 500–1,000 pcs per SKU | 1,000–5,000 pcs per formula |
| Home goods, accessories | 100–500 pcs | 500–2,000 pcs |
| Electronics and gadgets | 200–500 pcs | 500–1,000 pcs and up, plus molds for the casing |
| Printed packaging (boxes, tubes) | — | typically from 1,000–3,000 pcs per run |
Watch out for the hidden second minimum — packaging. Even if a factory agrees to 200 units, the print shop will ask for 1,000 boxes or more; leftovers can be stored at the factory for the next batch.
How to bring the MOQ down
Factories lower the minimum more readily if you take a standard color and material, pay a slightly higher unit price for a trial order, or commit to a repeat order. It's easier when a buying agent negotiates in Chinese: through ChinaGoGlobal, a manager requests terms from several factories and shows you where the minimum is lower.
Samples: where private label in China really starts
Never launch a batch without a sample, however good the factory's photos look. The usual sequence:
- Stock sample. A finished item without your logo, to judge quality, materials and mechanisms. 3–7 days plus shipping.
- Pre-production sample. With your logo, color and packaging. 7–20 days, depending on how much changes.
- Golden sample. The approved sample, signed off by both sides; the batch is checked against it later. One copy stays at the factory, one with you or your agent.
Samples are usually paid for — above the batch unit price, plus shipping; some factories refund the cost once you order. An agent can collect samples from several factories at one of its warehouses in China and ship one parcel instead of several.
What to check in a sample
- Dimensions, weight and materials against the spec sheet — measure them yourself.
- Logo: sharpness, Pantone match, resistance to abrasion.
- Packaging: no movement in the box; the box survives a 1.5–2 m stack on a pallet.
- Function: charging, buttons, zippers, seams under load — everything customers will complain about.
Packaging, logo and labeling
Packaging is often the longest part of the project: you design, the print shop prints, the factory packs. Prepare in advance:
- A vector logo (AI, PDF, SVG) and Pantone colors — a JPEG from your website won't do.
- The box dieline — the print shop sends it once you've chosen the box type and product dimensions.
- The logo method: screen printing, embossing, laser engraving, embroidery, a sewn-in label. Each has its own minimum and unit cost.
- Label text. In Kazakhstan the label generally has to be in Kazakh and Russian: name, composition, manufacturer, importer, shelf life; in Russia in Russian, and some categories need Chestny ZNAK marking codes.
- An EAN-13 barcode and marketplace SKUs if printed on the packaging.
Certification for the EAEU. Most consumer goods for Kazakhstan and Russia need an EAEU declaration or certificate of conformity (the EAC mark); cosmetics, children's products, electronics and textiles are checked more strictly. Help with certification and documents is part of turnkey delivery — ask a manager what your category needs.
Lead times: how long a launch takes
A realistic plan from first inquiry to goods at a warehouse in Kazakhstan or Russia is two to four months:
| Stage | Typical time | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Finding and vetting a factory | 1–3 weeks | Category, number of inquiries, response speed |
| Samples and approval | 2–4 weeks | Number of revisions, whether a second sample is needed |
| Deposit and production start | 1–3 days | Speed of the yuan transfer |
| Batch production | 25–45 days | MOQ, season, molds, packaging |
| Quality control and packing | 2–5 days | Inspection result, whether rework is needed |
| Factory to the nearest ChinaGoGlobal warehouse | 1–5 days | Where the factory is located |
| Delivery to Kazakhstan / Russia | air 2–3 days, road 7–10, truck 10–14, rail 20–30 days | Shipping method; counted from dispatch at the China warehouse |
Build Chinese holidays into the plan. Chinese New Year (late January to February) shuts factories for 2–4 weeks, with overloaded production before and after; Golden Week in early October costs another week. The Canton Fair in April and October doesn't stop factories, but suppliers reply more slowly then. For the November sales on Kaspi and Wildberries, start production no later than July or August.
Payment, contract and brand protection
How factories are usually paid
The standard arrangement is a 30% deposit at launch and 70% after inspection, before shipment; for a first order factories sometimes ask 50/50, and on repeat orders they often defer the balance. Payment is usually a yuan transfer to the company's account, or Alipay or WeChat Pay for small amounts — see how to pay a supplier in China. If sending money to China yourself is a hassle, a buyout service through an intermediary solves it: you pay the agent, and the agent settles with the factory.
What the contract and spec sheet should contain
- A spec sheet with dimensions, materials, Pantone colors, weight, tolerances and photos of the golden sample — the batch is accepted against it.
- Payment terms, lead time and a late-delivery penalty, even a token one.
- An acceptance standard: for example, AQL 2.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor ones, and what happens if it's exceeded.
- Defect terms: rework, replacement, discount — and who pays for shipping.
- Draft it in Chinese and English (or Russian), with the Chinese version prevailing in a Chinese court.
Protecting your trademark and design
China is a first-to-file country
A trademark in China belongs to whoever registers it first, not whoever used it first. Factories and intermediaries have been known to register a client's brand and then block shipments. File with CNIPA (China's IP office) before you send your logo to a factory: registration usually takes 9–12 months, but priority runs from the filing date. Register it in Kazakhstan and Russia in parallel too.
Instead of a regular NDA, China uses an NNN agreement (non-disclosure, non-use, non-circumvention): the factory may not disclose or use your designs for others or approach your customers directly. It must be in Chinese and under Chinese jurisdiction, or it stays a formality. For a unique product, register the design too. If you paid for the molds, state in the contract that they're yours and can't be used for other clients.
Quality control before shipment
The main risk with private label is a batch that differs from the golden sample: a different shade, a misaligned logo, cheap hardware. Nothing can be fixed after shipment, so check at the factory before paying the balance:
- During production (DUPRO) — at 20–30% done, so a material error is caught before it's repeated across the run.
- Pre-shipment (PSI) — at 80–100% packed. A sample is checked against AQL: dimensions, weight, function, logo, packaging, labeling.
- Loading supervision — for container shipments: carton count and cargo condition.
ChinaGoGlobal performs quality control with a photo and video report: you see the actual goods, packaging and measurements before the batch leaves the factory, and decide whether to pay the balance. More in quality control in China.
Where to start and what to delegate
Step-by-step plan
- Choose a model: white label or ODM to test demand, OEM once you have sales and a clear product.
- File a trademark application in China and in your own country.
- Write a brief: product, materials, colors, logo, packaging, quantity and budget.
- Request terms from 3–5 factories and order samples from the best two.
- Approve the golden sample and spec sheet, sign the contract, pay the deposit.
- Inspect the batch before shipment — only then pay the balance.
- Ship: estimate delivery time and cost in the calculator.
What a sourcing agent takes off your plate
ChinaGoGlobal is a sourcing agent in China, working since 2024 with marketplace sellers, wholesalers and manufacturers from Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries. On a private label project we take care of:
- Finding factories for your brief and requesting price, MOQ, lead time and logo options from several suppliers.
- Factory verification — documents, whether production is real, an on-site visit; see how to verify a factory in China.
- Ordering and consolidating samples at one of our warehouses in China (Foshan, Guangzhou, Yiwu, Khorgos), messaging the factory in Chinese, agreeing the spec sheet and packaging.
- Buyout: we pay the factory in yuan — no Alipay or Chinese bank account needed.
- Quality control during production and before shipment, with a photo and video report.
- Delivery from our warehouses in China by air, road, truck, rail or sea, customs clearance, documents and certification help. Cargo can be insured for 2% of the goods' value. If insured cargo is damaged, the loss is compensated under the insurance terms.
Pricing depends on the task and is quoted on request. Message a ChinaGoGlobal manager on WhatsApp with what you want to produce, the volume and where you'll sell — they'll quote terms. More on the private label production page.