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Finding a manufacturer · checked 11 November 2026

Send a one-page spec sheet to factories found on IndiaMART, through founder referrals and in your category's cluster, then order paid samples from three.

Judge a factory on paid samples compared blind, its GST registration and a visit or third-party audit, never on its website. Expect at least three sample rounds, sign and seal a golden sample every batch is measured against, and treat a demand for 100% advance as a red flag; legitimate factories are comfortable with a 30% deposit. A high MOQ is usually set by the packaging, so pilot in generic packaging with a branded sticker.

The steps 17 answers

  1. How do I actually find a manufacturer to make my product in India? D2C
  2. How do I actually go from a rough idea to a working prototype? D2C
  3. What should I actually put in a product brief or spec sheet before I approach a manufacturer? D2C
  4. How many rounds of samples should I expect before something's actually production-ready? D2C
  5. Should I hire a product designer, or can I figure this out myself? D2C
  6. How do I know when a sample is good enough that I'd actually put my name on it? D2C
  7. The MOQ is way too high for me. How do I lower it or start with a small batch? D2C
  8. How do I vet a factory before I trust them with a real order? D2C
  9. How do I avoid getting scammed by a supplier? D2C
  10. What contracts, NDAs and quality agreements do I actually need with a manufacturer? D2C
  11. Where in India is my product category actually made? D2C
  12. The MOQ is way too high for me, how do I actually get it lowered? D2C
  13. What's a 'golden sample' and why does it matter so much? D2C
  14. How many sample rounds should I go through before approving a design for production? D2C
  15. What is AQL and how do I actually use it to inspect a batch before it ships? D2C
  16. Should I hire a third-party quality inspector, or can I trust the factory's own QC? D2C
  17. What's 'quality fade' and how do I stop my product getting worse after the first good batch? D2C

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