Sock WholesalersPage last updated: October 30, 2026
Lead time: four clocks, four start points, and one figure that binds
Lead time here is quoted per stage rather than as a single number: sampling, bulk production and transit each have their own start point. The figures are typical and for planning; the binding one is stated on your proforma invoice.
- 3–5 daysSampling, after brief and artwork are confirmed
- 20–30 daysBulk, after deposit received and sample approved
- 25–40 daysSea transit, depending on destination
- Proforma invoiceCarries the binding lead time
1. The four clocks
Lead time is the time from a defined start point to goods ready. On this site it is quoted per stage — sampling, bulk production, transit — with each start point named.
| Stage | Typical figure | The clock starts |
|---|---|---|
| Sampling | 3–5 days | When you confirm the brief and the artwork |
| Bulk production | 20–30 days | When the deposit is received and the sample approved |
| Sea transit | approx. 25–40 days | When the order moves; depends on destination |
| Air freight | approx. 5–10 days | When the order moves; depends on destination |
| Express | approx. 3–7 days | When the order moves; depends on destination |
Transit windows are quoted per mode on the wholesale terms page, section 2, alongside the freight line.
2. Why the start point is the whole argument
The clock starts at confirmation, not at first contact: artwork that is still moving means the sample has not started yet.
For bulk the same discipline applies, and it is stricter: 20–30 days after the deposit is received and the sample is approved. Both, not either. A deposit paid against an unapproved sample does not start the run.
This is why the site publishes start points rather than a single total. A total hides which step you are waiting on, and the waiting step is the only one you can move.
3. What a repeat drops
A repeat with no new sample starts the bulk clock at the deposit, and that difference is most of the saving. The specification sheet, the signed sample, the artwork file and the dye lot carry over, so there is no sample round ahead of the run.
Not every reorder is faster. A colour change adds a dye lot and an approval, which can take longer than the first order took; a new yarn adds a sample round of 3–5 days; an artwork change adds a stitch count check before knitting.
- Quantity only: runs on the bulk window, 20–30 days.
- New size split: adds a packing list before the run.
- New colour: adds a dye lot and an approval.
- New yarn: adds a sample round, 3–5 days.
The stage-by-stage comparison, first order against repeat, is on socks reorder lead time explained.
4. Which figure binds
Lead times on this site are typical figures for planning, not guarantees. The binding lead time is the one stated on your proforma invoice.
Two consequences worth holding on to: a published figure is not a delivery promise, and a delivery promise is only the one in writing against your order. Ask the desk to confirm your own dates in writing, because a running schedule can move them.
For the transport side — modes, cartons, documents and who carries what — see the shipping line. For the deposit that starts the clock, the glossary entry on deposits is the plain version.
Ask for your own dates in writing
Send the style, the quantity band and the shipping destination. The reply names the sample window, the bulk window and the transit window, and the proforma invoice carries the one that binds.
sales@sockwholesalers.com, +86-13761030160. We answer every enquiry within one working day; replies come from Michelle Zhang, Export sales manager.