Resources · Blog
Sourcing notes
Shorter pieces on the decisions that decide whether a sock range works — written when we have something useful to say rather than to fill a content calendar.
Recent notes
Every piece links to the page it belongs to, so you can go from the idea to the detail.
Why a 500-pair MOQ is not a sales trick
The arithmetic behind a minimum order quantity, and why a supplier who says yes to 100 pairs is telling you something.
Read →The size grade is your biggest returns lever
More than yarn, more than packaging. Half a size out is invisible on a spec sheet and expensive on a marketplace.
Read →Where the money in a sock actually goes
Six cost lines, the ranges they produce, and which decisions save money without making a worse product.
Read →Bamboo, merino, recycled: what each yarn buys you
A practical view of the yarn range, including where each one is the wrong choice.
Read →Where the weeks in your schedule actually go
Most first orders miss their date because of a late input, not slow production. A realistic timeline.
Read →How to plan a first range without over-committing
Eight steps and the five mistakes that cost a season.
Read →Packaging: the line that decides your schedule
Why packaging decided late delays an order every time, and how much shelf presence actually costs.
Read →Getting to the volume tier without over-ordering
How the price ladder works and how to use two quotes to decide on your next step up.
Read →What AQL 2.5 means — and when it means nothing
An inspection standard is only meaningful if the defect definitions are agreed in advance.
Read →How this blog works
Written when there is something to say
We do not publish on a schedule. If there is nothing useful to add that week, we do not add anything.
Written by the people doing the work
Every note comes out of a real enquiry, a real order or a real failure — not from a keyword tool.
Linked to the page that matters
Each note links to the product, service or guide page it belongs to, so reading does not dead-end.
Frequently asked questions
What is your MOQ?
500 pairs per design & colourway for knitted styles and 1,000 pairs for sublimation-printed styles. Mixed sizes count towards the same design. Volume basics such as a combed cotton everyday crew sit at 3,000 pairs per colour because the price point needs a longer run.
How fast are samples and what do they cost?
Pre-production samples ship 7–10 days after tech-pack approval, by express, with a spec sheet. The sample fee is quoted per style and refunded in full once the bulk order is placed. Revisions are free until you approve the sample.
What do you need from me to start?
Vector artwork (AI, PDF or EPS) works best, with Pantone codes for exact colour matching. Plus target quantity, delivery market and target price if you have one. A reference photo or a sketch is enough to open the conversation — roughly 70% of our buyers start without a tech pack.
Do you own the factory that produces our order?
No — and we are deliberately clear about it. SOXMILL is the brand and the sourcing entity of Beijing Haifu Supply Chain Co., Ltd. Production runs through a network of partner mills in China that we audit and qualify before a single order is placed. We hold the specification, the QC chain, the documentation and the commercial responsibility. That is the part most buyers actually care about: somebody accountable when something goes wrong.
Have a question we have not written about?
Ask it directly. If it is a question other buyers have too, it usually becomes the next note.