7 Questions to Ask Before Ordering Slippers from China

You're about to send an inquiry to a slipper supplier. Most importers ask one question: "What's your price?" That's the wrong first question. Price without context is just a number — and the cheapest number on a quote sheet often becomes the most expensive number on your landed cost calculation. Here are the seven questions to ask instead, in the order that matters. Ask all seven before you wire a deposit. A supplier who answers them clearly is worth working with. A supplier who can't — isn't.

1. What Material Are the Slippers Made From?

Don't accept "EVA" or" PVC" as an answer. Ask the next question: "Virgin or recycled?"

Virgin EVA and virgin PVC come with material datasheets — hardness rating, density, tensile strength, heat stability. A factory using 100% virgin material can produce these documents. A factory using recycled material typically can't — or won't. The difference shows up months after your customer starts wearing the slipper. Virgin material holds its color, flex, and surface finish. Recycled material fades faster, feels inconsistent, and cracks sooner.

Also ask about the grade. Within PVC, there are different hardness levels measured in Shore A. A slipper sole at 65 Shore A feels softer than one at 75 Shore A. The grade that works for indoor use may not work for outdoor daily wear. The factory should know which grade they're using — and why. If they can't tell you the Shore A rating of the material in your samples, they didn't spec the material — they used whatever was available.

2. What Is the MOQ — and Why?

Don't just ask for the number. Ask why that number. A factory that can explain their MOQ logic — mold cost amortization, machine cycle time, material batch minimum, container utilization — understands their costs. A factory that just says "1,800 pairs, company policy" may have pulled the number from a competitor's website.

Also ask the MOQ sub-questions that matter for your order: Can I mix colors within the MOQ? Can I mix sizes? The standard answer for factory-direct production is 1 size range plus 3 colors per 1,800-pair MOQ. That gives you enough variety to test a market without fragmenting production. If they allow unlimited mixing with no MOQ increase, be skeptical — either they're not really producing to order, or they're a trading company aggregating inventory from multiple small factories.

3. Can I Order Samples First?

The right answer to this question isn't just "yes." It's "yes, here's how our sample process works."

A proper sample order involves 3 to 5 pairs produced specifically for your review — not random pairs pulled from existing stock. These are pre-production samples made with your specified material, your chosen colors, and your logo positioning if applicable. They take 5 to 10 days and cost a sample fee. Free samples are rarely representative of production quality because the factory has no incentive to produce them carefully.

Ask whether the sample you receive will match the production pairs. Then ask what happens if it doesn't. A factory with a real QC process will guarantee sample-to-production consistency — and will fix or replace pairs that don't match. One that hedges on this question is telling you something about their production consistency.

4. What Is the Production Lead Time?

"15 to 25 days" is the standard answer. The information you actually need is: when does the clock start, and what affects it?

The clock starts when the deposit is received, not when the inquiry is sent. Clarify this. And ask what extends lead time: custom colors, new mold development, peak season (September through December for most factories), order complexity. A factory that volunteers these variables before you ask understands production scheduling. One that says "always 15 days" regardless of your specifications hasn't thought about your specific order.

Also ask: "Can you check your current production schedule and confirm whether 15 to 25 days is realistic right now?" A factory that pauses to verify before answering is managing their capacity. One that answers instantly isn't.

5. What Customization Options Are Available?

Customization isn't one question — it's five. Ask each one separately:

If the answer to every customization question is "yes, no problem" without specifics, the factory is agreeing to things they haven't thought through. A good supplier says "yes, here's how" or "that will require X, which means Y."

6. How Does the Factory Control Quality?

Every factory says they have quality control. The word is meaningless. Ask for the process instead.

Specifically: "At which stages do you inspect?" The answer should cover four checkpoints — raw material inspection before production, in-production sampling every 2 hours or 200 pairs, finished product inspection on every pair, and pre-shipment inspection on random cartons. Fewer than four stages means something is skipped.

Then ask: "What's your defect rate, and how do you calculate it?" Get a number and a method. "Below 1%" with no explanation of how it's measured is a guess. "0.5%, calculated as defective pairs divided by total produced, tracked per batch" is a process.

Finally: "Can I receive pre-shipment inspection photos before the container leaves?" The right answer is yes — without hesitation. Photos of actual cartons, actual contents, actual labeling. A factory that won't provide these has a reason. It's rarely a good one.

7. What Information Should I Provide to Get an Accurate Quote?

This question reveals how professional the supplier is. A factory that knows what they need will ask you for: product type and style reference, material preference, size range, color requirements, packaging preference, target market, and estimated order quantity. A factory that quotes based on a single photo and "how much?" hasn't thought about your order enough to price it accurately.

An accurate quote should include: unit price by material, mold cost if applicable, sample cost, estimated carton count and container size, production lead time, and payment terms. If the quote is one number in a WhatsApp message, ask for the breakdown. A supplier who can't provide one either doesn't understand their costs or doesn't want you to understand them.

What the Answers Tell You

Seven questions. They take 15 minutes over WhatsApp or email. The answers tell you more about a supplier than 100 product photos. A factory that handles these questions well will handle your order well. One that doesn't — won't.

Written by Guangdong Chongdi Slippers Factory, Wuchuan, China. We've answered these same seven questions thousands of times. The answers haven't changed in 20 years — because the factory hasn't either.