First order guide

Short Answer

A first order through AXTIMES is managed as one coordinated project. The buyer does not need to separately manage factory outreach, product translation, sample feedback, commercial documents, production follow-up, and logistics communication. AXTIMES connects these workstreams and keeps the Client, Export Company, and Factory aligned.

The same workflow applies to different order types: ready-made catalogue products, wholesale orders of existing SKUs, light customization, branded or OEMCustom production for another brand. production, and new product development. The standard roadmap has eight stages: product brief, factory verification, samples, quotation structure, contract and payment, packaging and production, readiness control, and logistics handover. Exact MOQMinimum quantity accepted per order., lead timeTime from order approval to readiness., payment milestones, certificates, and import requirements are confirmed for each project rather than assumed in advance.

The delivery basis — governed by the applicable Incoterms® 2020 rules — determines which costs and responsibilities fall on each party, and must be agreed before the commercial offer is finalised.

What the Full Service Covers

• matching a suitable factory or reviewing a supplier already found by the client;
• converting the client's product idea into a factory-ready brief;
• arranging samples and structuring feedback;
• combining product, packaging, and commercial scope into one comparable offer;
• coordinating contracts, invoices, and payment milestones;
• following packaging, production, and project checkpoints;
• arranging or coordinating the logistics solution;
• checking cargo readiness and the available export document set;
• providing one responsible contact and consolidated project updates.

The Step-by-Step Roadmap

The table below shows what each party is responsible for at each stage. For the full buyer guide on how to execute each stage independently — including brief structure, factory evaluation criteria, sample management and quotation comparison — see How to Source Private Label Candy from China.

What the Client Should Prepare

• a photo, physical reference, or clear product concept;
• category, flavor, shape, texture, and non-negotiable product features;
• consumer pack weight and packaging format;
• destination markets or sales channels;
• expected first-order volume and repeat-order outlook;
• target launch timing with room for development and production;
• known document or market requirements.

What Professional Service Looks Like

Professional coordination is not the forwarding of factory messages. The client receives one communication channel, concise status updates, a list of open decisions, early risk alerts, and written confirmation of important changes.

AXTIMES separates confirmed facts from pending checks: what the factory has approved, what still requires verification, and what decision is required from the client. This is critical on a first order because product, packaging, payment, production, and logistics are interdependent.

Common First-Order Mistakes

• Requesting a final price before the product and packaging scope is defined.
• Assuming a stock sample fully represents the future mass-production item.
• Allowing several people to send parallel or conflicting instructions to the factory.
• Delaying artwork while assuming production has already started.
• Comparing quotations with different IncotermsRules dividing delivery responsibilities and costs. or different included costs.
• Booking transport before the cargo dimensions, weight, and ready date are confirmed.
• Treating the order as ready before filling, packing, carton count, and document checks are complete.

From Our Sourcing Practice

On a first order, the eight-stage roadmap above is not theoretical — it reflects the actual sequence of decisions we manage for every new buyer, whether they are a European retail chain placing a 5,000 kg gummy order or a US marketplace seller starting with 500 kg of sour belts. The bottleneck is almost never the factory's capability. It is the gap between what the buyer thinks has been agreed and what the factory has actually committed to in writing.

In one project for a German distributor sourcing mixed gummy assortments from a Dongguan factory, the buyer believed the artwork had been approved and production was running. In reality, the factory was waiting on a corrected dieline for one of the three pack formats — a detail that had been mentioned in a chat message but never formally confirmed. We now build a decision log into every project from day one: every open item has an owner, a deadline and a confirmation method. When we hand over a first order to a new client, they can see exactly which decisions remain open and what the consequences of delay are.

For buyers importing into the US, it is also worth confirming early whether FDA Prior Notice requirements for imported food apply to the product category — particularly for novel formats such as freeze-dried candy — as these affect the document timeline and cannot be resolved at the last minute.

— Amanda XUN, Head of Sourcing, AXTIMES

Recommended Next Step

Send AXTIMES your product reference, packaging format, destination market, and expected volume. We will convert the idea into an initial brief, identify missing information, and prepare the first project map covering the product, factory, samples, commercial stages, payment, and logistics.