Mixed-model orders from 10 pieces each
A single factory applies its minimum order quantity per model. Want five designs? That is five factory minimums — whether you need them or not. Mixed-model ordering exists to solve exactly this.
| Single factory | Mixed-model with us | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum applies to | Each model separately | The whole order |
| Order total for 5 designs | 5 × factory minimum | 1,000 pcs |
| Per-model entry point | Factory minimum | 10 pcs single colour / 100 pcs per model |
| Inventory you did not ask for | High | 0 pcs |
| Who decides the plant | One plant, all models | Best line per model |
Hongcheng runs production across partner factories in Foshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Jiangmen. We split a single purchase order across several plants, run them in parallel, and consolidate everything into one shipment. The practical result: you can launch five products at a few hundred pieces each instead of committing to five factory minimums.
Why factory MOQ is calculated per model
Most factories run a mould setup for each model. Changing from one model to another means changing the mould on the injection line, re-setting colours, and restarting the print or packing station. Each switch costs the factory money in downtime.
So they protect themselves with a minimum: below it, the setup cost is not recoverable. This is a reasonable decision on their side, and it works well for buyers who plan to sell thousands of pieces of a single design.
It does not work for a different situation. If you are launching into a new market, you do not know which of five designs will sell. Committing to a factory minimum on each means carrying several times the inventory you actually need, funded months before you learn which product works.
The usual responses are all compromises:
- Pick one design and go big. Fast, but you learn nothing about the other four, and you are exposed if the one you picked fails.
- Find a factory that will accept smaller runs. Some do, for a unit price that quietly reflects the risk you are asking them to take.
- Drop the extra designs. Your catalogue stays thin, and you lose the chance to test.
How mixed-model ordering works
When you place a mixed-model order with us, here is what happens:
1 · You send a product list
Models, materials, quantities and target prices. Photographs or a competitor's case are enough — you do not need drawings.
2 · We match each model to a plant
Our network covers separate lines for TPU, PC, leather-texture, magnetic and accessories. Each model goes to whichever plant runs it best.
3 · You get one consolidated quotation
One document, one total, one currency. You are not comparing four factory price lists.
4 · Production runs in parallel
Every plant starts at the same time rather than in sequence, so a five-model order takes about as long as a one-model order.
5 · We inspect and consolidate
Each plant photos and videos the packed cartons. Everything comes together, is checked against one specification, and loads as a single shipment.
6 · You receive one delivery
All models arrive together at your warehouse or FBA facility, with one packing list.
Parallel production is the part buyers value most and rarely hear about. Sequential production — one factory, one model at a time — is why a five-model order from a single factory can take 40 days. Run in parallel across our network, the same order takes 15 to 20 days.
What it actually costs
A comparison for a common scenario: five phone models, 200 pieces each — 1,000 pieces total.
| Single factory | Mixed-model with us | |
|---|---|---|
| Pieces required per model | [FACTORY_MIN] pcs | 200 pcs |
| Total order | 5,000 pcs | 1,000 pcs |
| Goods value | [AMOUNT_A] pcs | [AMOUNT_B] pcs |
| Logistics | Single dispatch | Multi-plant + consolidation |
| Inventory you did not ask for | 4,000 pcs | 0 pcs |
Insert your real numbers: the factory minimum you are comparing against, and actual quoted unit prices for both routes. Buyers take these figures to other suppliers — if they don't match reality, the whole page loses credibility.
Two things are worth noting in that table.
The unit price is higher. You are buying flexibility, not volume. The question is whether that premium is worth avoiding thousands of pieces of unsold inventory.
Logistics cost more. Shipping from several plants costs more than shipping from one. We have not hidden this in a higher unit price, because you would find it anyway at the point of comparison.
What mixed ordering cannot do
Worth being clear about the limits, because you will hit them:
- It does not make a factory-quality order cheaper. If your real volume is 10,000 pieces of one model, go to a factory. We will tell you that.
- Models must share compatible specifications. Your cases should target the same phone generation and similar dimensions. Mixing a phone case and a tablet case complicates packing and freight.
- Colour consistency is per model, not across the order. Each model comes from one plant, so colour within a model is consistent. Different models may differ slightly in tone.
- New mould development is quoted separately. A brand-new structure means moulding costs and a longer lead time.
- Not every model goes to the same plant. That is the point — but it also means you cannot demand one factory's mould be used across all models.
For stand cases, we hold tooling for many mainstream phone models, so the per-model entry point there is as low as 10 pieces rather than 200. The limitation above applies to models outside our tooling — not to stand cases generally.
Timelines
| Order type | Production | Consolidation | Total before shipping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock models, no customisation | 3–7 days | 2–3 days | 5–10 days |
| Stock models + logo printing | 7–10 days | 3–4 days | 10–14 days |
| Custom colour or packaging | 15–20 days | 4–5 days | 19–25 days |
| New mould development | 18–35 days | 4–5 days | 22–40 days |
Shipping on top of that: 3–7 days by express, 7–12 by air, 20–40 by sea. For mixed orders we can quote EXW, FOB, CIF or DDP, and we can ship direct to an FBA facility in the US, EU or Middle East.
When this is not the right answer
To be straightforward about where a production partner does not help:
- One model, high volume, and you know exactly what you want. Thousands of pieces of a design that has already worked — a factory will beat us on price and there is no coordination overhead worth paying for.
- You are far above the 1,000-piece total minimum on a single model. At that point you qualify for factory pricing on your own.
- The design itself is your competitive advantage. A specific geometry no catalogue offers needs your own tooling, and you should be negotiating with whoever makes it.
- Tight deadlines with no flexibility. Parallel production needs coordination time. If you need goods in ten days, a factory with material in stock is faster.
If we are not the right fit for what you need, we will tell you before you spend time on a quotation.
Questions about mixed orders
The four things buyers ask most, answered without hedging.
The 1,000-piece minimum applies to your total order and can be split across as many models as you like. Within that total:
- Stocked models: 10 pieces in a single colour, or 100 pieces for one phone model
- Selected models: 50 pieces per colour, or 100–300 pieces per model
Custom packaging and new moulds are quoted separately.
Yes, typically by 5–20% on stocked models — because you are buying flexibility rather than volume. What you gain is avoiding inventory you did not order.
If you are confident in a single design, it is not worth it and you should order direct. We will tell you that in the quotation.
Within a single model, quality is consistent — that model comes from one plant under one specification. Across models from different plants you will see normal variation in finish and tone.
If you need five models visually identical, that has to be a single factory, and therefore a single minimum. Low minimums and cross-model visual identity are the same trade in different directions.
Then mixed ordering is not worth the coordination. A single model still needs the 1,000-piece total minimum, so if your quantity is far above that you should order direct from a factory.
We will say so in the quotation rather than sell you something that does not fit.
Send us your product list
One document, one total, every model split to the right plant. If a factory direct order fits your volume better, we will say so in the quotation.
See also: light customisation without tooling costs · which plant runs what