Holding Quality When It Would Be Easier Not To
A repeat buyer who had been burned by suppliers before. In their own words, other suppliers had sent sub-standard items and hoped the issues would not be noticed. They came to us already expecting to have to police quality themselves.
The Challenge
Winning an order was never the problem. The problem was the second and third order, where a supplier under margin pressure quietly substitutes a cheaper fabric or lets stitching standards drift, and the buyer only finds out when customer returns start.
Customer Pain Points
- Previous suppliers shipped goods that did not match the approved sample
- Quality problems surfaced after arrival when they were expensive to fix
- The buyer had to spend their own time inspecting rather than selling
- Trust had to be rebuilt order by order rather than assumed
What We Did
We work from an approved sewn sample and an approved fabric swatch that stay as the reference for every repeat order, and we accept one hundred percent inspection by the customer or by an inspection company they appoint before goods leave. Nothing about that arrangement depends on the buyer trusting us in advance.
How the Work Was Run
Stage 1
Approved sample and swatch retained as the standing production reference
Stage 2
Bulk fabric checked against the approved swatch before cutting
Stage 3
Sewing by hand stitching teams with checks made during the run rather than only at the end
Stage 4
Component and count check at packing
Supply Chain
Because the sewing is done in our own factories in Zhejiang rather than placed with unknown subcontractors, the fabric that was approved is the fabric that gets cut.
Quality Control
In process checks during sewing, seam and finish inspection, and full pre shipment inspection by the customer or their appointed third party.
The Result
The client's own published comment: they know Joi has their best interests in mind, and they look forward to working with us on all of their products.
Unlike some other suppliers who will send you some sub-standard item just trying to get it out the door and hope you don't notice the issues with it. At least I know that Joi has our best interests in mind and that's why I look forward to working with them on all of our products.Sairy
Customer Benefit
The buyer stopped treating each order as a risk to be managed and started treating the supply as settled, which is the only condition under which a brand can plan a range.
Products Involved
About This Story
Is this a real client?
Yes. The quotation on this page was published by the client on our own website. The client name and order details are not published because they are commercially confidential.
Can you do the same for a first order?
The arrangement described here does not depend on a long relationship. A sewn sample, an approved swatch and inspection before shipment are available on a first order.
What is not shown on this page?
Quantities, prices, lead times and the client name. We do not publish another buyer commercial terms.
Bring Us the Problem You Have Now
Most of these relationships started with one product that another supplier had made badly. Send a photo of it and tell us what went wrong.