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Sourcing Desk

Every sourcing stage wired to real Bangladesh, India and China contacts, on a 16-week calendar with a working checklist — free of charge.

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Who to contact, in which week, for each stage

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The sourcing guide teaches the ten stages. This desk turns them into work: for each stage you get the real organisations to approach in Bangladesh, India and China from the free NOSK.space directory, the week of a 16-week order calendar the stage belongs to, and a checklist you can tick as you go. Contact details come from each organisation's own public website — always confirm them there before you rely on them. This is educational material, not legal, financial or trade advice.

Bangladesh

Large-scale cut-make-trim capacity in knit, denim and basic woven, with growing local mill and trims supply around Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram.

Working week Sunday to Thursday, UTC+6. English is standard in export correspondence. Plan 60–90 days from order confirmation to shipment for knit basics, longer where fabric is imported.

India

Deep vertical fabric base — spinning, weaving, denim, processing and home textiles — plus strong woven shirting, embroidery and value-added finishing.

Working week Monday to Saturday, UTC+5:30. Fabric and garment units are often in different states, so build internal transit time into every fabric date.

China

Fastest development and sampling cycles, widest fabric and trims range, and the main global source of sewing machinery, automation and zippers.

Working week Monday to Friday, UTC+8. Confirm public-holiday shutdowns (Spring Festival, October holiday) before committing to any delivery date.

16-week sourcing calendar

A realistic first-order calendar. Weeks overlap on purpose — fabric, trims and capacity are booked in parallel, and the only dates that matter are the ones both sides put in writing.

Sourcing stages mapped to weeks, milestones and the counterpart you chase
WeeksStageMilestone in writingYou chase
1–2Fabric and fibre selectionFabric specification frozen and lab dips sent to the millMill / fabric sourcing
2–3Pattern, marker and fabric consumptionGraded pattern set and marker efficiency report approvedFactory CAD room
3–4Cost estimation and quotation build-upCosted sheet agreed line by line, not as one FOB numberMerchandiser
4–5Machinery, needles, thread and trimsTrims cards approved and special attachments confirmed on the lineTrims suppliers
4–6Factory capability and order flowBooked capacity window confirmed in writing with line numbersFactory planning
6–7Contract and purchase order draftingPurchase order signed with quantities, prices, dates and tolerancesCommercial team
7–8Payment terms and trade financePayment instrument opened and Incoterm fixed against the shipping planBank / finance
8–10Sustainability and complianceCertificates, audit dates and chemical compliance evidence on fileCompliance
12–16Quality standards and inspectionInline and final inspections passed, shipment documents releasedQA / third-party inspection
14–16Exporters, buyers and market entryShipping documents, market paperwork and repeat-order plan agreedExporter / buyer

Stage-by-stage contacts

Stage 1Weeks 1–2

Fabric and fibre selection

Fix the construction and test requirements before you ask for a price.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · Which loom or knitting machine and finishing route will this quality run on?
  • · What GSM tolerance and width tolerance do you commit to in bulk?
  • · Can you share a recent third-party test report for the same construction?

Red flags

  • · A quotation that lists only "cotton jersey" with no count, gauge or GSM
  • · Test reports issued for a different colour, batch or construction than the one offered
  • · Shrinkage figures quoted without the wash cycle and drying method used
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 2Weeks 2–3

Pattern, marker and fabric consumption

Know your real fabric cost before you negotiate a garment price.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · What marker efficiency does this consumption assume, and at what fabric width?
  • · Which CAD system produced the marker, and can you send the plot for review?
  • · How is consumption recalculated if the size ratio or fabric width changes?

Red flags

  • · Consumption quoted with no fabric width stated
  • · The same consumption figure reused across very different size ratios
  • · Wastage allowance bundled invisibly into the garment price
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 3Weeks 3–4

Cost estimation and quotation build-up

Rebuild the quoted price line by line so you know what you are actually paying for.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · Can you send the cost sheet broken into fabric, trims, CM, finishing, packing and freight?
  • · What standard minute value and cost per minute did you use for this style?
  • · Which lines change if the quantity, size ratio or fabric width changes, and by how much?

Red flags

  • · A single FOB number with no build-up behind it
  • · Fabric cost that cannot be reconciled with the agreed consumption and mill price
  • · Testing, packing or freight quietly absorbed into CM so it cannot be compared
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 4Weeks 4–5

Machinery, needles, thread and trims

Match the seam engineering to the machines and trims that actually exist on the line.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · Which machines will run each operation, and how many are available for my order?
  • · Which needle point and thread ticket do you recommend for this fabric, and why?
  • · Are the nominated trims held in stock locally or imported for each order?

Red flags

  • · Trim lead times longer than the remaining production window
  • · Needle and thread choices left to the operator with no written standard
  • · Sample sewn on different machinery from the one bulk will use
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 5Weeks 4–6

Factory capability and order flow

Check the factory can actually run your product, at your quantity, on your dates.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · What is your committed daily output for this style, on which line?
  • · Which stage of your order-to-shipment flow is most likely to slip, and who escalates it?
  • · Can I see the pilot-run report before bulk cutting starts?

Red flags

  • · Capacity quoted as a factory total rather than a booked line commitment
  • · No pre-production meeting or pilot run in the plan
  • · Subcontracting mentioned only after the order is placed
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 6Weeks 6–7

Contract and purchase order drafting

Write down every technical decision you have made so it is enforceable, not remembered.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · Will you accept the fabric specification, measurement chart and AQL level as binding annexes?
  • · Do you subcontract any operation on this order, and will you disclose the units in writing?
  • · Who on your side is authorised to approve a specification or date change?

Red flags

  • · A purchase order that states only style, quantity and price
  • · Refusal to put the agreed delivery date or inspection standard in the document
  • · Specification changes agreed verbally or over chat with no written amendment
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 7Weeks 7–8

Payment terms and trade finance

Agree who carries the risk at each step, and tie every payment to a verifiable event.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · Which payment instrument and Incoterm do you work on for a first order?
  • · Which milestone does each instalment release against, and who verifies it?
  • · Who pays bank charges, and how are currency movements handled between order and shipment?

Red flags

  • · Large advance payment demanded before any specification is signed
  • · Bank details sent by email late in the process, or changed at the last moment
  • · Payment due on shipment date rather than on passed inspection and correct documents
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 8Weeks 12–16

Quality standards and inspection

Agree the pass or fail rule before the first carton is packed.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · Which inline checks do you run, at what frequency, and who records them?
  • · How are measurement checks sampled across sizes and colours?
  • · What happens, contractually, when a final inspection fails?

Red flags

  • · No AQL level named anywhere in the order documents
  • · Measurement checks performed only at final inspection
  • · Inline check records that are all filled in with identical readings
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 9Weeks 8–10

Sustainability and compliance

Verify environmental and traceability claims with evidence, not marketing.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · Which mill and dyehouse actually processed this material, and are they in the certificate scope?
  • · Can you supply transaction certificates for the exact batch shipped to me?
  • · What water, energy and chemical data do you report, and to whom?

Red flags

  • · Certificates presented for a group rather than the producing unit
  • · Recycled content claimed with no transaction certificate trail
  • · Wet-processing subcontracted to an undisclosed unit
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide
Stage 10Weeks 14–16

Exporters, buyers and market entry

Match your product to the right export partner or buyer channel.

Bangladesh

India

China

Ask them

  • · What is your vendor onboarding process and typical timeline?
  • · Which product categories and price bands are you actively adding capacity in?
  • · Which audits or certifications must be in place before a first order?

Red flags

  • · Any request for a fee to be listed, introduced or shortlisted
  • · Orders offered with no code of conduct or audit requirement at all
  • · Buyer contact only through an intermediary who will not name the brand
Read the full stage in the sourcing guide

Sourcing checklist

Tick each stage output as you complete it. The checklist is free, needs no account and is saved in this browser only — nothing is uploaded and nothing is tracked.

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1. Fabric and fibre selection

2. Pattern, marker and fabric consumption

3. Cost estimation and quotation build-up

4. Machinery, needles, thread and trims

5. Factory capability and order flow

6. Contract and purchase order drafting

7. Payment terms and trade finance

8. Quality standards and inspection

9. Sustainability and compliance

10. Exporters, buyers and market entry

Ready to ask for prices?

The free inquiries and quotes desk drafts a request for quotation to any of these real organisations, then compares the quotes you receive against the target cost from the free sourcing calculator. No login, no fees, no commission.

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