Frequently asked The questions buyers ask
The questions buyers ask
before they send a brief.
Minimums, lead times, where things are made and what we are audited to. If yours is not here, ask — a person answers every enquiry.
- What is your minimum order quantity?
- It depends on the programme. Sublimated caps start at 144 pieces per colour, and stock blanks — our held inventory with your logo on it — also start at 144. Fully custom programmes, where you specify fabric and construction, start at 1,000 pieces. Plush starts at 1,000.
- Which countries do you manufacture in?
- China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. All three sit under one purchase order, which means we can quote the same item from more than one origin and you can move production when import duty changes, without qualifying a new supplier.
- How quickly do I get a quote?
- A costed recommendation — country, MOQ and lead time against your quantity — comes back within 24 to 48 hours. A person writes every one of them.
- What are your lead times?
- Stock blanks decorated to order ship in about 30 days for caps and 45 days for fleece. Custom programmes on stock fabric run 3 to 4 weeks for fabric, with custom-dye programmes longer. Plush is sampled in 2 to 3 weeks.
- Do you work with first-time or small brands?
- Yes, and there is a programme built for it. First Run is a paid one-hour working session for projects between 250 and 1,000 units — spec review, costed estimate across our three countries, realistic MOQ and timeline in writing. It costs $299 and is credited as $500 against your first order.
- What certifications and audits do you hold?
- Our facilities are audited to amfori BSCI and Sedex standards, and our Vietnam partner facility holds WRAP Gold and SA8000. Our floors have also passed the retailer audit programmes run by Walmart and McDonald's, and our products are tested by Intertek, SGS and Bureau Veritas. In practice that means onboarding with a large buyer does not start from zero — the audit most of them require has already been done.
- How do you handle quality control?
- AQL inspection on the factory floor, with our own QC staff rather than a third party, and a 100% replacement guarantee on defects. Decoration runs in our own factories on our own machines — it is never subcontracted.
- How do US import tariffs affect what I pay?
- Duty is charged on the value of the goods and varies by country of origin, so the same item can land at different costs depending on where it is made. Our tariffs page carries the current headline rates by origin with a comparator for your annual volume, and states the date each rate was last verified against USTR and CBP sources. We are manufacturers, not customs brokers — confirm final duty with yours before committing volume.
- What can you actually make?
- Headwear, apparel, bags, plush, drinkware and hard goods. Caps, beanies and bucket hats; t-shirts, hoodies, fleece, outerwear and uniforms; backpacks, totes and cooler bags; soft toys, mascots and keychains; bottles and drinkware; and promotional hard goods.
- Can I see the factory before I commit?
- Yes. There is a library of short films shot on our own production floors, with new ones added two to three times a week. We will also schedule a live video walk of the floor with the country manager who runs it.
- Do you sell finished products directly?
- No. Headwind is a contract manufacturer — everything is made to a customer's specification, so there is no cart and no public price list for custom work. Stock blanks are the exception: those carry published per-piece pricing.
- How long has Headwind been operating?
- Since 1981. It is family-run, headquartered in Hong Kong, and produces roughly 910,000 caps and 2 million garment pieces a month across its facilities.