Office Chair MOQ from China: How Low Can You Really Go?
Office Chair MOQ from China: How Low Can You Really Go?
MOQ — minimum order quantity — is the number that decides whether a deal even starts. New buyers assume it is fixed and walk away too early; experienced ones know it is a starting position. Here is how office-chair MOQ really works with China factories, and how low you can actually go.
The typical numbers
For a stock office-chair model in a standard color, most China factories quote 100 to 300 pieces. Add your logo or a custom color and it usually moves to 300 to 500. Ask for a brand-new mold or a fully custom build and you are into 1,000-plus, because the factory has to justify tooling that runs into the thousands of dollars.
Why the MOQ exists
It is not arbitrary. A factory sets up a line, orders components in batches, and runs a color or material in a single pass. Below a certain quantity the setup cost per chair makes the order unprofitable. So when you ask for less, you are really asking the factory to eat setup cost — which they will sometimes do, for a price.
How to get a lower MOQ
- Take a stock colorway. No custom color means no extra material batch, so factories flex more on quantity.
- Mix models from one factory. Three models at 100 each is easier to accept than one at 100, because the container and the relationship justify it.
- Pay a small per-unit premium. Offering 10 to 15 percent more to run 80 instead of 200 is often a yes.
- Start the relationship. First orders are about trust. A factory that sees a repeat buyer will drop the MOQ next time.
The first-order strategy
For a trial, skip custom tooling entirely. Pick an existing mold, take a stock or near-stock color, and order the smallest run the factory will accept at a fair price. You validate quality and the relationship without locking thousands of dollars into a mold you might not reorder.
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