Quick answer. Two underwear quotations rarely differ across the whole offer — when they are broken down line by line, most of the gap usually sits in two or three lines. The purpose of a line-by-line comparison is to find which two or three, because those are the lines that carry the whole price difference and the whole risk.
1. Why a single unit price cannot be compared
- The figure hides the garment. Without fibre, blend ratio and weight, the price describes no particular cloth.
- The figure hides the scope. One quotation may include the development cost and the other may not.
- The figure hides the term. FOB and DDP prices are different scopes of work, not different prices for the same one.
- The figure hides the basis. A minimum per style and colour and a minimum per order produce very different total commitments.
2. The fourteen comparison lines
- 1. Fabric. Fibre, blend ratio and weight in g/m².
- 2. Waistband. Construction method and recovery at low tension.
- 3. Seams. Type and stitch density at the leg opening and waistband.
- 4. Gusset and lining. Its own fibre and construction, on its own line.
- 5. Measurements and grade. Points of measure, the size set and the tolerances.
- 6. Colourways. Which colours, and the fastness requirement for each.
- 7. Minimum. Per style and colour, with the trial price shown separately.
- 8. Development cost. One-time, and whether a pattern is included.
- 9. Trade term. FOB and the port, stated rather than assumed.
- 10. Lead time. Sampling, bulk and freight, separately rather than as one figure.
- 11. Validity. How long the figures stand.
- 12. Payment structure. The parts and their triggers.
- 13. Compliance. Which testing and certification the price includes.
- 14. Pack. The pack format and whether it is included.
3. How to run the comparison
- Put the lines in rows and the suppliers in columns. A grid forces each line to be answered rather than summarised.
- Mark the blanks. A blank line is a question rather than a zero, and it is the most useful output of the exercise.
- Convert the terms before comparing. Two figures on different Incoterms are not comparable until they are on the same one.
- Separate one-time from recurring. The development cost sits on the first order and not on the reorder, so mixing them distorts both.
- Note the tolerance, not the figure. A measurement stated exactly rather than within a tolerance is not a specification.
4. Reading the result
- A wide gap on one line. Usually the fabric weight or the waistband, and it explains most of the price difference on its own.
- A wide gap across all lines. Often a different scope rather than a cheaper supplier — check whether development and testing are inside the figure.
- Blanks on the same line across suppliers. That line is under-specified in your own brief rather than missing from their offer.
- Two suppliers converging on every line except one. The outlier is the line to ask about before deciding on price.
5. What to settle before comparing
- Write the brief once. A single specification sent to every supplier, so the answers line up.
- Ask for the same document. A quotation in a fixed format is comparable; one in free prose is not.
- State the term. Ask for FOB and the port, so nothing has to be converted later.
- State the quantity basis. Per style and colour, with the trial quantity shown separately.
6. Common errors
- Comparing totals. The total is the last thing to compare, after the lines agree.
- Filling in blanks with assumptions. The blank is the question, not an invitation to estimate.
- Comparing across trade terms. It understates one quotation and overstates the other.
- Mixing one-time and recurring cost. It makes a first order and a reorder look comparable when they are not.
- Accepting an exact measurement. A grade needs a tolerance, and an exact figure is not one.
- Choosing on the grid alone. The grid tells you what differs, not whether the difference matters — that judgement stays with the buyer.
7. A worked comparison
Take two quotations and read them down the same list.
- If the fabric weight differs. The two quotations price different garments, and the gap is the weight rather than the supplier’s efficiency.
- If the waistband differs. The gap is a construction difference, and it will show in wear rather than on the sample.
- If only the development cost differs. The unit prices are comparable and the first order is where the difference sits.
- If only the minimum differs. The unit prices are comparable and the commitment is what differs.
- If only the term differs. Convert one to the other, then compare — the price difference usually disappears into the freight and duty lines.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
| Supplier | Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China. |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | Fabric — fibre, blend ratio and weight in g/m² |
| Line 2 | Waistband — construction and recovery at low tension |
| Line 3 | Seams — type and stitch density at the stress points |
| Line 4 | Gusset and lining — on its own line |
| Line 5 | Measurements and grade — points of measure, size set, tolerances |
| Line 6 | Colourways — which colours, and the fastness requirement |
| Line 7 | Minimum — per style and colour, with the trial price separately |
| Line 8 | Development cost — one-time, and whether a pattern is included |
| Line 9 | Trade term — FOB and the port, stated |
| Line 10 | Lead time — sampling, bulk and freight, separately |
| Line 11 | Validity — how long the figures stand |
| Line 12 | Payment structure — the parts and their triggers |
| Line 13 | Compliance — which testing and certification are included |
| Line 14 | Pack — the pack format and whether it is included |
Buyer checklist
- Write the brief once and send the same specification to every supplier.
- Ask for the quotations in the same format.
- State the trade term so nothing has to be converted later.
- State the quantity basis per style and colour.
- Fill the grid line by line rather than comparing totals.
- Mark every blank as a question rather than filling it with an assumption.
- Convert one quotation to the other term before comparing.
- Separate the one-time development cost from the recurring unit price.
- Note the tolerance rather than an exact measurement.
- Ask about the outlier line before deciding on price.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.)
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.