Make your product

From a sample you'd put your name on to a factory that will actually make it.

What founders use for make your product, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. Industry survey data confirming what most founders learn the hard way: protection beats sustainability beats appearance, in... packworld.com Video Annual Outlook Report Survey: Protection Still King for E-Comm & D2C Packaging Packaging World In 2 answers
  2. Video Landed Cost and Margin Spreadsheet Tutorial YouTube
  3. Video How To Find A Good And Reliable Manufacturer Or Supplier For Your Product Idea Shopify
  4. Video Fuelling a D2C Brand's Growth Engine with Supply Chain Supply Chain Digital Dialogues
  5. Video How To Develop A D2C Product? Shopify

The questions

Developing your product 6

From idea to a sample you'd put your name on.

How do I actually go from a rough idea to a working prototype? 4 → What should I actually put in a product brief or spec sheet before I approach a manufacturer? 3 → How many rounds of samples should I expect before something's actually production-ready? 3 → Should I hire a product designer, or can I figure this out myself? 3 → How do I know people actually want this before I spend on tooling or bulk development? 3 → All 6 questions in Developing your product →
Finding manufacturers in India 7

Find the factory that will actually make your product.

How do I actually find a manufacturer to make my product in India? 5 → Should I go private label or contract (custom) manufacturing? 4 → The MOQ is way too high for me. How do I lower it or start with a small batch? 4 → How do I vet a factory before I trust them with a real order? 4 → How do I avoid getting scammed by a supplier? 3 → All 7 questions in Finding manufacturers in India →
Importing & global sourcing 6

Source from China & abroad without getting burned.

How do I actually import a product from China as a small D2C brand with no existing supply chain? 2 → What's actually different between working direct with a factory, buying off Alibaba, and hiring a sourcing agent? 2 → What do I legally need in India to import goods, IEC, GST, anything else? 3 → How do I estimate my true landed cost before I commit to an order? 4 → What are the classic ways first-time importers get scammed or burned? 3 → All 6 questions in Importing & global sourcing →
Private label vs white label vs own mfg 6

Pick the make-model that fits your margins.

What's actually the difference between private label, white label and full contract manufacturing? 3 → I'm just testing an idea, should I start with white label or private label? 3 → When does it actually make sense to move to contract manufacturing with my own formula? 3 → If I go private label, do I actually own my formulation, or does the factory? 3 → Where do I find private label manufacturers in India for cosmetics, food or supplements? 3 → All 6 questions in Private label vs white label vs own mfg →
MOQs, samples & quality control 6

Small first orders, samples that match, QC that holds.

The MOQ is way too high for me, how do I actually get it lowered? 4 → What's a 'golden sample' and why does it matter so much? 3 → How many sample rounds should I go through before approving a design for production? 3 → What is AQL and how do I actually use it to inspect a batch before it ships? 3 → Should I hire a third-party quality inspector, or can I trust the factory's own QC? 3 → All 6 questions in MOQs, samples & quality control →
Packaging design & development 6

Packaging that survives shipping and sells the product.

What's the difference between primary and secondary packaging, and do I need to nail both from day one? 3 → How do I design packaging that survives shipping without blowing up my cost per unit? 3 → How do I create an unboxing experience without blowing my packaging budget? 4 → Where do I get custom packaging made in India, boxes, mailers, pouches, at a low MOQ? 3 → What labelling is legally mandatory on my packaging in India? 2 → All 6 questions in Packaging design & development →
Product costing & COGS 6

Know your landed cost to the last rupee.

What's the actual difference between COGS and landed cost, and why does mixing them up wreck my margins? 3 → How do I calculate my true landed cost per unit, including duty, freight and GST? 3 → What import duty and GST will I actually pay bringing goods into India? 3 → How do I set my price once I actually know my costs, what margin should I be targeting? 3 → What free tools or calculators can I use to model landed cost before I place an order? 3 → All 6 questions in Product costing & COGS →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →