Private label means the bag carries your brand, not ours. You choose the style, the material, the hardware and the labelling; we manufacture it, and it arrives with your name on it. The question every buyer asks is what that actually looks like at different order sizes.
This is a straight answer to that question, based on how we run production at our Guangzhou factory. Our minimum order is 50 pieces per style, so the numbers below start where most factories stop considering the order at all.
Private label, white label and OEM: what the words mean
The terms get used loosely, so here is how we use them:
- White label — you buy an existing style as it is, with at most a logo added. Fastest and cheapest, least control.
- Private label — an existing style modified for you: your logo, your hardware colour, your lining, your packaging. This is where most brands start.
- OEM — a design made to your specification, including new patterns and custom components.
- ODM — we develop the design based on your brief, and you brand it.
Most of the orders we ship are private label or ODM. Both are possible at 50 pieces; the difference is how much of the design work you want to own.
At 50 pieces: test the style without tying up cash
Fifty pieces is a test run, and it should be treated that way. The goal is not the lowest unit price — it is finding out whether real customers buy the design.
What you get at 50 pcs:
- Your logo on the bag, using any of the six standard methods
- Your choice of material from our existing range, in the colourways we hold
- Standard packaging, with a branded dust bag available
- A pre-production sample in 3 to 5 days before bulk production starts
What to expect:
- Unit cost is at its highest. Setup and sampling work is spread across a small number.
- Custom hardware, custom lining and new patterns are usually not economical yet.
- Lead time for bulk is at the short end, typically 15 to 20 days.
How to use it well: order 50 pieces in one colour, sell them through your best channel, and record which variant sells first. That data tells you what to repeat — and it is worth more than the money you saved by ordering 300 pieces blind.
At 100 pieces: the stage where customisation becomes practical
One hundred pieces is usually the point where a style has proven itself and you want it to look more like your brand and less like a stock item.
What opens up at 100 pcs:
- Two colourways, or one colourway with a variation (for example, two hardware finishes)
- Custom lining fabric, including a printed or branded lining
- Custom zipper pulls and branded hardware details
- Branded dust bags and branded poly bags
- Mixed logo placement — for example, embossed on the front and a metal plate on the strap
What to expect:
- Unit price drops noticeably compared with 50 pieces, because setup is now spread across twice the volume.
- You have enough units to supply more than one channel at once.
- Bulk lead time typically runs 18 to 25 days.
How to use it well: this is the right stage to spend on the details customers actually notice when they pick the bag up — the zip, the lining, the feel of the hardware. Those details do more for repeat purchase than a larger logo.
At 500 pieces: production planning, not sampling
At 500 pieces the conversation changes. You are no longer asking whether a style works; you are planning how to keep it in stock.
What changes at 500 pcs:
- Custom patterns and full OEM development become economical
- Custom hardware — your own buckle, your own zipper pull — is worth tooling at this volume
- Packaging can be fully custom: printed cartons, retail-ready boxes, inserts, hang tags
- Carton configuration and container loading become worth optimising, and the savings are real
- Reorders become faster, because tooling, patterns and specifications already exist
What to expect:
- The lowest unit cost of the three tiers
- Bulk lead time of 20 to 25 days, and longer if you introduce new tooling
- A production schedule rather than a one-off order, which is what you want
How to use it well: at this volume, ask your factory to hold the specification document on file and quote a reorder lead time. A supplier who can promise a repeatable 20-day reorder is worth more than one who quotes five per cent less on the first order.
What actually changes as volume grows
| 50 pcs | 100 pcs | 500 pcs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit cost | Highest | Lower | Lowest |
| Colourways | One | One to two | Multiple |
| Custom lining | Rarely economical | Yes | Yes, including printed |
| Custom hardware | No | Sometimes | Yes, worth tooling |
| Custom packaging | Standard, branded dust bag available | Branded bags and labels | Fully custom cartons and retail packaging |
| New patterns | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Bulk lead time | 15–20 days | 18–25 days | 20–25 days |
| Best used for | Testing a style | Building a real range | Keeping a proven line in stock |
What to prepare before you place any order
Whatever the volume, three things determine how smoothly the order goes:
- A vector logo file. Embossing and metal plates need vector artwork. A JPEG screenshot will cause problems at the mockup stage.
- A written specification. Material and the leather layer, dimensions, hardware colour and type, stitching expectations, lining, and packaging. Confirm it in writing before production, not after.
- Your destination country and channel. Packaging and carton labelling requirements differ between markets and between selling on your own store versus a marketplace.
Sort these out first and the first order usually runs without drama. Skip them and every stage takes an extra round of messages.
Frequently asked questions
Is 50 pieces really enough for a private label order? Yes. Your logo goes on the bag and you approve a pre-production sample first. The limit at 50 pieces is design freedom, not branding.
Can I mix styles in one order of 50 pieces? Our MOQ of 50 is per style, not per order. You can order several styles, each at 50 pieces.
How long does the whole process take? Quote within 24 hours, sample in 3 to 5 days, bulk production 15 to 25 days depending on quantity. Add shipping time for your destination.
What is the warranty? Every bag we manufacture carries a three-year warranty against defects in workmanship and materials.
Can you work from a photo of a bag I saw elsewhere? Send the photo and we will tell you what we can make, what it would cost, and where we would need to adjust the design to avoid copying a protected design.
Tell us your quantity and see the difference
Send us a photo of the style, the quantity you have in mind, and whether you need your logo on it. We will quote within 24 hours and show you what is possible at that volume.
Start from one of our existing ranges — tote bags, crossbody bags, laptop backpacks or leather handbags — or send us your own design.
For the wider picture on sourcing, see our complete buyer’s guide to sourcing leather bags from China.
For a sense of the range, look at waxed canvas briefcases, laptop backpacks, travel backpacks, crossbody bags and fanny packs.
Most private label orders start with deciding between OEM and ODM, then a sample.
