Buying Guides
MOQ, Pricing & Lead Time: What a Body Lotion Quote Really Includes
A body lotion quote is more than a unit price. What drives the number, where the 2,000-bottle minimum comes from, and how to read lead time and payment terms before you commit.
Two suppliers can quote the same bottle of body lotion at different prices and both be honest. The unit price is the last line of a calculation that starts with the formula and ends with the packing standard. Knowing the line items makes quotes comparable.
What the Unit Price Covers
Three costs dominate. The formula - ingredient load, actives and fragrance - sets the bulk cost per kilogram. The component - bottle or jar, pump or cap, material and decoration - is often the largest single item. Filling, packing and QC add the rest, including inner boxes and batch documentation.
Fill volume matters on both ends: it changes the bulk quantity and the component size. Always compare quotes at the same volume and the same component specification.
Where the Minimum Comes From
Body lotion starts at 2,000 bottles on the lines we work with. The minimum exists because the filling line must be set up, and because components and printed cartons are ordered in economic quantities. A simpler component at the same volume usually sits at the lower end; custom decoration pushes it up.
Line Items Buyers Miss
Ask whether these are included: tooling or mould cost for a new component, printing plates or die-cuts for cartons, the sample fee and whether it is credited against the order, and the packing standard - inner box, carton count, drop protection. A quote that lists all four is easier to trust than one that hides them.
Lead Time Inside the Quote
The clock has two parts. Samples take around 14 days. Production ships 45-55 days after payment. Freight and customs clearance sit on top, and they are not in the unit price - check whether the quote is FOB or CIF before comparing.
Read a Quote Like an Auditor
Take one quote and write six lines beside it: formula load, component and decoration, fill volume, tooling, artwork and plates, packing. If any line is blank, the price is not yet comparable. Also check the validity period and the currency - raw material and freight prices move, and an old quote may no longer be bindable.
Payment Terms and Trial Orders
Standard terms are T/T, L/C or PayPal. Agree which milestone each payment is tied to, and what happens if the ship date slips. If the volume feels heavy for a first order, a trial order is the cheapest way to test the product and the supplier at once.
How to Compare Two Quotes
Put four lines side by side: same fill volume, same component spec, same incoterm, same packing standard. If one quote is still lower, ask what is different - usually the ingredient load or the carton. Then decide.
Send us your volume, component direction and destination, and we will return a quote with the line items itemised.
