The quality of your first email largely determines the quality of the reply. Asking only for a catalog and price list gets you a generic PDF; asking questions tied to your sales channel gets you a supplier who is thinking about your business.
For collars, harnesses, and leashes, cover both sides of the relationship - the product itself, and the process that has to work every time you reorder.
Ask what is actually made in-house
Plenty of suppliers list categories they buy from someone else. Ask which products come off their own line. Ours are pet collars, dog harnesses, pet leashes, and matching sets - and we would rather tell you when something is outside our scope than pretend every product is a good fit.
Ask what moves the price
Price responds to material and webbing grade, size, hardware, print method, logo application, packaging format, order quantity, and any testing or documentation you need. Knowing the levers lets you adjust the spec instead of only pushing on the number.
Ask how sampling and approval work
Find out how samples are made and charged, what you can revise after the first round, how long each round takes, and how the approved sample is recorded so bulk production matches it.
Ask about packaging and export details early
Retail packaging, barcodes, carton marks, instruction inserts, and destination labeling all affect cost. Raising them after the price is agreed is how quotations get reopened.
What to put in your first email
- What is the MOQ for this product at the customization level I need?
- Can you sample it with our logo and packaging, and what does that cost?
- Which materials and hardware would you recommend for this use case?
- Can you handle retail packaging, barcodes, and carton marking?
- What else do you need from me to quote accurately?