Sealed Sample → First Bulk Handoff: What Shops Send Next
Sealed Sample → First Bulk Handoff: What Shops Send Next
A sealed sample is not a purchase order. The gap between “photos look good” and bulk from 50 is a handoff package: seal reference, graded sizes, colourway qty, and labels. This is not a sample-fee credit redo and not a “reorder the same sample” post — it is what shops send after seal to open first bulk.
Suggested image: sealed sample hangtag next to a printed size chart and colourway qty list. Alt: "Handoff checklist from sealed sample to first bulk from 50 at China suit factory."
Seal vs soft approval
Signal Counts as seal? Bulk ready? “Looks nice” on WhatsApp No No Written seal + photo-set ref + date Yes Handoff can start Remake note on fit No — new sample path No Asking price for 200 pcs with open construction No Fix construction first
Keep MTM from 1 for client / trial work. First stock or private-label run is bulk from 50 only after seal.
Handoff checklist (sealed → first bulk)
Copy into WhatsApp when the sample is sealed:
Seal ref: [date] + [photo-set / message link]
Track: open bulk from 50 (not MTM from 1)
Size chart: attached (graded)
Colourway × qty: …
Cloth lock: same as seal / note change → new sample
Construction lock: same as seal
Labels / packing: art attached
Need-by (soft): …
Freight: we book / ask quote separately
Do not reopen lapel width or canvas level inside the bulk message unless you intentionally want a new sample clock (7–14 after new locks).
What the factory does with the package
Item Factory action Seal ref Ties bulk to the approved garment Graded chart Cutting plan for bulk from 50+ Colourway qty Cloth & trim pull Labels Branding only if art locked Production 14–21 days after bulk locks
Production ≠ delivery. Book freight outside those production days.
Contrast: still need MTM from 1?
Some shops keep a parallel track: client orders stay MTM from 1; house stock uses bulk from 50. Say which track each PO uses. Mixing a client measurement PDF into a bulk PO is how size runs go wrong.
Ops links for the handoff folder
Sample rules & seal expectations: sample policy
Factory / capacity context: suit factory china
Entity
Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd. · Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin · acumenwear.com · WhatsApp +65 8013 8838. Not 仕原 / Baokang Rd / tjshiyuan.com. Overseas shops only.
Brief us on WhatsApp
Send country, monthly volume, and bulk from 50 with your seal ref.
FAQ
Q: Can first bulk be under 50?
A: Our bulk track opens at bulk from 50. Below that, stay on MTM from 1 or discuss a written exception — do not assume.
Q: We sealed last season — still valid?
A: Confirm cloth and construction still match. Cloth change or canvas change usually means a new sample before bulk.
Q: Does production 14–21 include shipping to our shop?
A: No. Those are production days after locks. Delivery is freight.
Worked example (hypothetical)
A Melbourne boutique sealed a half-canvas charcoal on WhatsApp photo-set. Next message used the checklist: graded chart, two colourways × qty, woven label art. Production sat in 14–21; air freight added calendar days outside that window. They kept weekend client jobs on MTM from 1.
Handoff mistakes that reset the clock
Soft approval treated as seal.
New cloth code inside “same as sample” bulk.
Size chart missing grade rules.
Label art arriving mid-cut.
Why handoff fails more often than sewing
Most first-bulk delays are package delays: missing grades, colourway qty written as “TBD later,” or label art arriving after cutting started. The sewing floor cannot invent a size run from a sealed sample photo alone.
Seal photo-set hygiene
When you seal, keep the photo-set in the same WhatsApp thread as the seal sentence. Later handoff should cite that message date. If your team changes phones, export the seal thread before you open bulk from 50.
Colourway discipline
First bulk should usually stay close to the sealed cloth story. New cloth = new sample path (7–14 after locks). Stretching “same as sample” across a different mill code is how shops get surprised.
Parallel tracks after first bulk
Many boutiques:
Keep VIP / odd-size clients on MTM from 1
Run 1–2 house colourways on bulk from 50
Label each PO. Do not paste client measurements into a bulk order form.
What we will ask back
Expect lock confirmation: size chart received, colourway qty totals, construction unchanged, cloth unchanged, labels locked or TBD. When those are yes, production 14–21 can start. Freight booking is your side unless you ask for a separate logistics quote.
Sample-fee note (pointer only)
Fee credit rules for samples vs later bulk are a separate written confirm — see sample-policy pages / prior sample-fee posts. This handoff post assumes seal already happened; it does not renegotiate fees.
Closing discipline
One seal message. One handoff message. Do not merge remake debates into the bulk PO. If something failed on the sealed sample, remake on the sample path before you talk bulk from 50.
Production ticket vs WhatsApp chat
Cutting follows a production ticket built from the handoff checklist — not from scrolling chat history hoping the latest emoji meant approval. When your team is large, nominate one person to send the handoff message so size charts do not fork.
Freight and QC window
Ask for packing photos or a short QC checklist before the carton leaves if your programme needs it. That request belongs in the handoff message, not three days after production 14–21 already finished. Delivery days remain separate from production days.
When to stay on MTM instead
If you only need twelve jackets for a trunk show and sizes are odd, MTM from 1 may still be cleaner than forcing a tiny “bulk.” Our bulk open is bulk from 50. Do not stretch definitions to avoid a sample seal.
Handoff message length
Short is fine. The checklist fields matter more than a thank-you paragraph. Attach the chart and label art in the same bubble thread as the seal ref so nothing lives only in email.
Next step
WhatsApp your sealed → bulk handoff · houzhenying226@gmail.com
Seal first. Handoff second. Then bulk from 50 on a clean production clock.
