"What is your MOQ?" is the wrong first question. The right one is "what changes at each MOQ?" At the same factory, MOQ 300 and MOQ 1000 do not buy different quantities of the same thing — they buy different levels of customisation.
The one answer
MOQ is set by which layer you are changing:
- Logo, carton, manual only → 300 pcs (existing tooling)
- Panel artwork, colour, button layout → 1,000 pcs (panel tooling)
- Structure, wattage band, new function → 3,000 pcs (new PCB + certification retest)
Three layers and what each costs
| What you change | Typical MOQ | One-time cost | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand print, gift box, manual | 300 | Almost none | Existing mould, existing PCB, print only |
| Panel artwork, colour, buttons | 1,000 | Panel tooling | The panel is a separate mould |
| Structure, wattage, new function | 3,000 | PCB sampling + certification retest | Circuit change invalidates EMC results |
One-time cost is the line buyers miss. Panel tooling commonly runs RMB 5,000–20,000. Spread across 1,000 pcs that is tens of RMB per unit — but across 300 pcs it triples.
Three ways the answer gets reframed
1. "Our MOQ is flexible, we can do 100 pcs." What that usually means: take a model from their existing catalogue and put your logo on it. You cannot change anything visible. That is private label, not customisation — and the price difference between the two is around 30%.
2. MOQ per colour, not per order. Coloured housings have a minimum per injection run. If MOQ 300 is per colour, three colours means 900 pcs. Always ask: is 300 the total, or per colour / per model?
3. The hidden certification retest. Change the PCB, wattage, or component supplier and the existing CE test report may no longer cover the product. Retesting typically costs RMB 15,000–40,000 and takes 3–6 weeks. If it is not in the quotation, it will appear later as an extra.
Five questions that surface the real cost
1. Does this MOQ use existing tooling, or do you need to cut a new mould for me?
2. If new tooling, what is the one-time cost and lead time?
3. Is the MOQ the total order, or per colour / per model?
4. I am changing [X]. Does the existing CE report still cover it, and which tests need rerunning?
5. Can the retest cost and schedule be written into the quotation?Questions 4 and 5 surface most of the hidden cost.
A counter-intuitive recommendation
Do not push your first order to the minimum MOQ to save money on unit price.
MOQ 300 typically prices 8–15% higher per unit than 1,000. But the real risk on a first order is not unit price — it is whether the market accepts the product.
- First order 300: validate the market, accept the higher unit price.
- Sells well: second order 1,000–3,000, unit price drops.
- Does not sell: the loss is bounded.
Treat the lower unit price as the reward for the second order, not the goal of the first.
About this page
WECHGOOD, induction and infrared cooker factory in Foshan: 18,000 m², 300+ workers, 40+ countries, own PCB and heating-plate lines.
Send your market, wattage, quantity and whether you need a panel change. We will tell you within one working day whether it is feasible, at what MOQ, and what each layer of change costs.