Sock WholesalersPage last updated: October 27, 2026
Selling socks online: what the floor holds for a small first run and a fast reorder
You run a marketplace listing or a DTC storefront, and you buy like an operator: a first run that does not lock cash into stock, reorders that follow the listing, cartons that land at a warehouse or a 3PL without a surprise on the dock. Here is exactly what this floor holds for that buying shape, and the one thing we do not do.
If you only read one part, read the table: it splits what is printed on this site from what your own quotation sets, so you can see which line moves when your quantity or your colour count changes.
Order size, sample, lead time and transit, before the rest of the page
These four figures decide whether a listing test is worth starting, so they sit here rather than at the end of the page. All four are printed on this site and none of them moves per order.
- Order size
- 1,000 pairs per style
- Sample
- 3–5 days
- Bulk lead time
- 20–30 days
- Shipping transit
- 25–40 days
The minimum is counted per style and not per order, so a first run across two styles is two production runs. Colour count, and therefore the way your quantity divides across colours, travels on the same quotation as the price. The carton is set the same way: pairs per inner box, pairs per carton and the carton marking are confirmed per style on the proforma invoice. Bulk freight lands at the warehouse, 3PL or forwarder you name — we do not pick, pack or post single consumer parcels.
Six decisions an online seller actually has to make
Each card below names one decision and the evidence behind it. The links go to the specification sheet of the style in the photograph, so you can check the claim without asking us first.
A first run starts at 1,000 pairs per style
The bulk minimum is 1,000 pairs per style — the same number printed on the quote page and on every product page here, so no page hides a larger floor behind the enquiry form.
Where it applies: First runs, listing tests, seasonal top-ups.
You decide: Whether the first run is one style or two, because the minimum is counted per style and not per order.
Evidence: the terms line on this site — see the specification sheet for this style.
Your brand on the sock, the packing detail on the invoice
Every style ships ODM: produced under your own branding, to the sample you approved. Cuff logo, size and care label artwork and the header card go into the brief with the specification, not into a later email thread.
Where it applies: Amazon and DTC listings, brand storefronts, retail-ready packs.
You decide: Which branding sits on the sock and which sits on the packaging — they are two different costs and two different proofs.
Evidence: a style specified as ODM on this site — see the specification sheet for this style.
Bulk freight to a 3PL — no parcel-per-shopper picking
We book the freight and ship your bulk order to the warehouse, 3PL or forwarder you name on the proforma invoice, with the invoice, the packing list and a certificate of origin where the destination asks for one. We do not pick, pack or post single consumer parcels.
Where it applies: FBA and 3PL receiving, own warehouse, forwarder handover.
You decide: The delivery address and the receiving rules — case pack and carton marking are set from what your warehouse will accept.
Evidence: the shipping section of the quote page — see the specification sheet for this style.
What is fixed here, and what your own quotation sets
Two words carry the whole table. Published means a figure printed on this site that does not move per order; quoted means a figure that travels with your specification, because it changes what the machine does.
Buying terms for an online-seller brief. Published lines are printed on this site; quoted lines are settled on your proforma invoice.
| Term | What we publish | How your own order sets it | Where it is published |
|---|---|---|---|
| PublishedOrder size | 1,000 pairs per style for bulk orders. | Counted per style, not per order: two styles means two production runs. | Quote page and every product page. |
| PublishedSample | Typically 3–5 days after the brief and artwork. Charged per style; the fee is credited against your first bulk order; you cover the courier. | One charged sample per style; a second round is a new charge. | Quote page, terms card, buyer FAQ. |
| QuotedMarketplace packing | Header card, OPP bag, printed box, export cartons. | Case pack, carton marking and any carton label you send us are confirmed per style on the proforma invoice. | Packing fields on the style's specification sheet. |
| QuotedSize split | Made to your size chart; typically XS–XXL on request. | The chart you sell against is the chart we knit to, so it goes in with the brief. | Specification sheet, size range. |
| PublishedBulk lead time | Typically 20–30 days after deposit received and sample approved. | Counted from deposit and approval, not from the day of the enquiry. | Quote page and buyer FAQ. |
| PublishedShipping transit | Approx. 25–40 days sea, 5–10 days air, 3–7 days express, depending on destination. | The leg you choose, to the warehouse or 3PL named on the invoice. | Quote page, shipping section. |
| QuotedCosting | No price list is printed anywhere on this site. | The binding price sits on the proforma invoice, against your confirmed specification, colour count and quantity. | Terms page and quote page. |
| PublishedDropshipping | Not offered: no picking, packing or posting of single shopper parcels. | That part of the operation stays with you; we ship bulk. | This page and the terms page. |
If a supplier answers this table with a price before your colour count and quantity are on the table, the price belongs to somebody else’s order. Ask for the line that moves first.
Carton markings are confirmed per style, not guessed
Polybag, case pack, carton dimensions and the carton marking are set style by style on the proforma invoice. If your marketplace or your 3PL asks for a specific carton label, send that specification with the brief and it goes into the packing field.
Where it applies: Marketplace receiving rules, DC carton labels, mixed-case splits.
You decide: Pairs per inner box and per carton, and whether the carton carries your label or ours.
Evidence: the packing field on a style sheet — see the specification sheet for this style.
A reorder is knitted to the sheet you approved
The first production run fixes the construction, the yarn, the colour and the sample on file. A reorder runs on that same specification, which is what keeps the second run matching the reviews written about the first one.
Where it applies: Repeat runs, listing refresh, new colourway on a proven body.
You decide: Whether the reorder is a straight repeat or a colourway change — a colourway change is a new sample.
Evidence: a specification sheet on this site — see the specification sheet for this style.
One brief can build a range, not just a style
Sport, yoga, men’s, children’s, compression and ballet styles are knitted in the same building, so a range of four or five listings can be briefed once instead of through four or five suppliers with four different size charts.
Where it applies: Multi-listing storefronts, seasonal range builds.
You decide: How many styles the first order carries, and which one is the sample of the range.
Evidence: the six categories on the products page — see the specification sheet for this style.
Styles from the catalog for this buyer
Both are current listings on this floor, and both are quoted on the terms in the table above. Each card opens the style’s own page.
Four things an online seller asks for that we do not do
Each of these is a line other suppliers write. If one of them is what your business needs, that is a fair reason to buy elsewhere — and it is better found out here than at the sample stage.
- No price list. The binding price comes with your specification, colour count and quantity, on a proforma invoice.
- No dropshipping. We do not pick, pack or post individual consumer orders.
- No instant yes on a construction. If what you want sits outside this floor, the reply says so instead of passing the work on.
- No buyer names as references. The brands we knit for are not ours to publish.
- No OEKO-TEX or GRS file under our name. If your listing needs one, say so in the brief and the reply says what we can and cannot put behind your order.
- No stock photography. The product photographs on this site were taken in our own building.
MOQ, reorder matching, and cartons at a 3PL
Can I start below 1,000 pairs?
The bulk floor is 1,000 pairs per style. Under that line the sample route is the standing alternative: a charged physical sample per style, typically 3–5 days after your brief and artwork, with the sampling fee credited against your first bulk order and the courier on you.
Will a reorder match the photos on my listing?
A reorder runs on the specification locked with your first production run, including the approved sample on file, and colour is bought to a dye lot locked per order. That is the mechanism that keeps run two matching run one; a screen photo is not the reference.
Do you ship to a 3PL and label the cartons?
Yes, as packing detail confirmed per style on the proforma invoice: OPP bag, header card, case pack, carton marking and any carton label your marketplace or warehouse requires. Send that specification with the brief rather than after the deposit.
Send the listing you sell, and the quantity you can carry
Attach a photo of the sock on your listing, the price point you sell at and the first quantity you can carry. The reply comes back within one working day with the construction, the MOQ in writing and the sample route.
Michelle Zhang, Export sales manager, answers enquiries within one working day — sales@sockwholesalers.com, +86-13761030160 (WhatsApp same number).