Frequently Asked Questions
Everything buyers ask us most, answered in one place and kept current. Where a question deserves a full article, the answer links onward to the relevant guide or glossary entry.
Buying & RFQs
How do I start sourcing on this platform?
Begin with either the product catalogue or the supplier directory, depending on whether you shop by style or by factory. Save the listings that fit your range, open the profiles behind them, and send a request for quotation to the factories you rate highest. The RFQ is a structured form, so a first-time buyer can complete it in minutes. The step-by-step walkthrough covers the whole journey from browsing to a sampled order.
What should my RFQ include to get accurate quotes?
Five things drive quote accuracy: the garment type, the quantity per style and colour, your size breakdown, the fabric you want — composition and weight, not just a name — and the date goods must ship. Add reference photos or a tech pack if one exists; factories price precisely when they can see the construction. Vague requests produce either padded numbers that protect the factory or optimistic ones that later get revised upward. Specific requests produce figures you can hold a supplier to.
Is the platform really free for buyers?
Yes, and permanently so. Browsing the catalogue, opening supplier profiles, sending RFQs and messaging factories carry no charge and no hidden markup on quoted prices. Revenue comes from optional membership plans that suppliers purchase for visibility and lead credits. Because no commission sits inside the transaction, a factory quotes you exactly what it would quote across a trade fair table.
How fast do factories reply to an RFQ?
Most engaged suppliers answer within one to three business days, and requests carrying full specifications tend to sit at the fast end of that band. A request routed to several matching factories usually draws its first reply within a day. If a supplier stays silent for a week, read that as data — a factory too busy to quote is worth discovering before your deposit is paid, not after.
Can I order samples before committing to bulk?
Always, and you should. Turkish factories expect sample requests and typically charge the piece at cost plus courier, with many crediting that fee back once a bulk order confirms. A sample answers what a listing photo cannot: the fabric hand, the stitching quality and whether measurements match the size chart. Our guide to the sampling process explains each stage from first proto to the sealed pre-production sample.
Pricing & MOQ
What does wholesale clothing from Turkey cost?
As a rough frame: basic tees and knit tops start around two to four dollars FOB, dresses and shirts occupy the mid single digits, and structured outerwear or heavy denim climbs into the teens — always driven by fabric, order size and finishing. Rather than publishing one misleading average, we maintain a live wholesale price guide with current FOB bands by category. Use it to sanity-check the quotes you receive, not to replace them.
What minimum order quantities are typical?
The common floor in Türkiye is 100 to 300 pieces per style, with knits often available from 50 and complex outerwear sometimes higher. Minimums exist because fabric mills and cutting markers have thresholds of their own, so the number varies more by fabric than by factory goodwill. Listings on the platform state the minimum up front. For what flexes in negotiation and what never does, read the MOQ guide or the glossary entry on MOQ.
Can I split an MOQ across colours or styles?
Frequently, yes — with conditions. Splitting one minimum across two or three colourways works when everything runs on the same fabric, because the mill minimum is what the factory is really protecting. Splitting across styles is harder unless they share cloth and similar construction. Expect a small surcharge per extra colour to cover dye lots and thread changes, and put the split in your RFQ from the start; factories respond better to a clear ask than to renegotiation after quoting.
Do quoted prices include shipping?
Usually not. Turkish factories quote FOB by default, meaning the price covers goods export-cleared and loaded at a Turkish terminal, while freight to your warehouse is yours to arrange. Some quotes arrive EXW — factory gate only — which looks cheaper but shifts more work onto you. Convert every offer to the same trade term before comparing suppliers; a two-dollar spread between an FOB and an EXW figure can vanish once freight is priced in.
Shipping & Payments
How long does delivery from Turkey take?
Road freight reaches most of continental Europe in three to six days from pickup, which is the headline advantage over Asian origins. The UK adds a little for the crossing and customs; the US and the Gulf typically move by air in two to five days or by sea in three to five weeks. Add those figures to bulk production time to plan a launch date, and for urgent drops ask whether the factory will part-ship the first size ratio by air.
Which trade terms do Turkish suppliers use?
Most quotes arrive as FOB Istanbul or another named terminal, with EXW the runner-up among smaller workshops. CIF and DDP appear when a supplier runs in-house logistics, but both bury freight inside the unit price, so request the breakdown. The glossary explains every term — start with Incoterms — and our shipping guide walks through which one suits a first order.
What is the safest way to pay a Turkish factory?
Bank transfer with staged payments is the industry standard: a 30 to 50 percent deposit to open the order and the balance against shipping documents or a passed final inspection. Letters of credit add bank-level protection on larger programmes at the cost of fees and paperwork. Whatever the method, verify account details by phone before the first wire and pay the company, never an individual. Our guide to paying suppliers safely covers escrow options and the red flags that matter.
Will I pay import duty on Turkish clothing?
EU buyers generally pay zero customs duty thanks to the EU–Türkiye Customs Union, which covers apparel — an advantage worth several percentage points against Asian origins. The UK applies preferential rates under its own trade agreement with Türkiye, while US buyers pay standard apparel tariffs. Import VAT applies at your border in every case. Confirm the rate against your product's HS code before locking retail prices.
What happens if goods arrive defective?
Your protection is arranged before shipment, not after arrival. Book a third-party final inspection against an agreed AQL level while goods are still at the factory, and tie the balance payment to a passed report. Reputable Turkish factories repair or remake failed lots because their business depends on reorders. If defects surface after delivery, document them immediately with photos against the sealed sample and raise the claim in writing — most cases settle with a discount or a credit on the next order.
Platform & Suppliers
What does the verified badge on a supplier mean?
It means three concrete checks passed: the company holds an active Turkish trade registration permitting garment manufacture and export, it demonstrated a record of international shipments, and a named person at the production site answered our questions directly rather than through a broker. The badge cannot guarantee any specific order outcome — no directory can — but it filters out the resellers and ghost listings that make cold sourcing risky.
Does the platform take a commission on orders?
No. Orders, payments and shipping are agreed directly between you and the manufacturer, and nothing is added to the factory price on the way through. The platform earns from optional supplier memberships instead, which also means we have no financial reason to steer you toward any particular factory — the comparison stays entirely yours.
Are all suppliers on the platform based in Türkiye?
Yes — the directory is deliberately single-origin. Every listed manufacturer produces in Türkiye, most commonly around Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir and Denizli, and our guides, price data and verification process are all built around that one supply base. Concentrating on a single country lets us check companies in their own language and legal system instead of skimming a global database nobody can verify.
How does a manufacturer join the directory?
Turkish garment makers apply through the registration page — also available in Turkish via the üretici başvuru sayfası — with company details, production categories and minimums. Applications are reviewed manually, and the verification badge follows once trade registration and export evidence check out. Listing is free; optional paid plans add catalogue space, visibility and RFQ lead credits.
Question not on the list?
Ask a factory directly through a free quote request, or send the question to our team and we will chase the answer down.