Below is what actually happens, roughly how long each part takes, and what you end up with when it is done. If something gets skipped on your order, you will notice — because you will be missing a document.
You send a drawing, a photo, a sample, a spec, or three sentences. I read it, ask the things a factory is going to ask you anyway, and write back saying what I think you want.
Shortlist, visits, samples, quotes. Each quote is broken down: what the product costs, what the tooling costs, what we charge.
Options next to each other: price, minimum, lead time, what kind of factory it is. Anything that comes in very cheap gets a note saying why, and what was probably taken out to get there.
Order placed, deposit released when you say so. I follow production, photographs with dates. If it starts drifting from the sample, you hear about it while it can still be fixed.
Goods checked against the sealed sample and the spec we wrote. Report and photos sent. The balance doesn't move until you have read it.
Received into the warehouse, counted, packed, loaded. Papers checked for model, standard and date. One set of shipping documents, one person to call until it lands.
The actual test. Reorders run against the same spec, the same sealed sample, the same factory — so the second batch is the first batch, not a fresh gamble.
Asking in the middle of a project costs less than finding out at the end. Questions are free, and changing your mind early costs nothing either.
Documents, not reassurance.
Your requirement, written back to you in plain language before anyone quotes. You tell me where I got it wrong.
Unit price, tooling, packaging, our fee — separated. Comparable across factories without arithmetic.
What I saw at each factory, what they told me, and where those two things didn't line up.
Dated, uncropped, tagged with your order number. Not a gallery of the best angles.
Measurements against the spec, and a verdict: pass, fail, or pass with conditions.
Certificates, test reports and shipping papers checked against the actual goods.
One person who can approve a sample and release a payment. Projects stall when three people each own a third of the decision.
Target price, target quantity, target delivery date. If the target is not realistic, we would rather say so on day one than discover it on week nine.
What the product has to do, not only what it has to look like. The use case changes the material, the standard and the price.
The specification stage feels slow and looks like nothing is happening. It is the cheapest stage to get right — and the most expensive one to skip.
您发来一张图、一张照片、一个样品、一份规格，或者就三句话。我读一遍，把工厂迟早要问的问题先问一遍，然后写回给您：我认为您要的是什么。
筛厂、跑厂、拿样、报价。每份报价都拆开写：产品多少钱、模具多少钱、我们收多少。
几家摆在一起看：价格、起订量、交期、什么类型的厂。哪家便宜得反常，附一段说明：为什么便宜，以及大概减掉了什么。
您说下单就下单，定金按您的指示放。我盯生产，照片带日期。一开始跟样品有偏差，趁还改得动的时候就告诉您。
对着封样和我们写过的规格逐项查，报告和照片发您。您看完，尾款才动。
收货、点数、打包、装柜。单据核型号、标准、日期。一套单据，到港之前只有一个电话可打。
真正的考验。返单还是同一份规格、同一只封样、同一家厂——第二批就是第一批，不是重新赌一次。
项目中间问一句，比最后发现一件事便宜得多。问不收钱，早点改主意也不收钱。
拿文件，不拿保证。
在任何人报价之前，用大白话把您的要求写回给您。哪里理解错了，您告诉我。
单价、模具、包装、我们的服务费，分开列。几份报价之间不用自己算，直接可比。
每家厂我看到了什么、他跟我说了什么，以及这两件事哪里对不上。
带日期、不裁切、对得上您的订单号。不是一本挑选过的角度合集。
对照规格的实测数据，加一个结论：合格、不合格，或者有条件通过。
证书、检测报告、出运单据，都与实际这批货核对过。
一个能确认样品、能放款的人。三个人各拿三分之一决定权，项目就停在那里。
目标价、目标量、目标交期。如果目标不现实，我们宁愿第一天说，也不想第九周才发现。
这东西要用在哪里，不只是看起来像什么。用途决定材质、标准和价格。
规格阶段看起来慢，像什么都没发生。这是最便宜的一段——也是最贵的一段，如果您跳过它。