Is Branded Packaging Included In Your Clothing Order?

You’ve received the quote for your clothing order: FOB Price: $18.50/pc. The samples look perfect. You’re ready to confirm, assuming everything is included for that price. But when the goods arrive, your excitement turns to disappointment. The garments are stuffed into plain, crinkly polybags, the hangtags are generic, and they’re shipped in nondescript brown boxes. Your brand is invisible. You call the factory, and they say, “Branded packaging is extra. The FOB price is for the garment only.” This misunderstanding is one of the most common and frustrating surprises for clothing brands.

Branded packaging is almost never automatically included in a standard FOB (Free On Board) clothing order quote. The FOB price typically covers the cost of the garment with basic, unbranded packaging necessary for export protection (like plain polybags and standard cartons). Custom, branded packaging—hangtags, labels, printed polybags, tissue paper, branded cartons—is a separate, additional service and cost that must be specifically requested, quoted, and included in the order specifications.

Clarifying this distinction upfront is critical to budgeting accurately and achieving the complete, branded product you envision. Let’s demystify what’s included, what’s extra, and how to ensure your packaging aligns with your brand.

What Exactly Does a Standard FOB Price Include?

To avoid costly assumptions, you must understand the industry standard. A factory’s base FOB (Free on Board) quote is built on a specific set of inclusions designed to get a saleable garment onto a ship, not to market it as a branded product.

A standard FOB price includes: the cost of materials (fabric, thread), labor (cutting, sewing, finishing), basic unbranded packaging for protection (plain polybags, simple cartons), ordinary care/content labels (with required legal info but no custom logo), and the cost to deliver the goods to the port. It explicitly excludes any custom branding elements.

What Are “Basic” Care Labels and Packaging?

• Care/Content Labels: These are legally required. A standard quote includes a simple, printed label with the correct fiber content (e.g., “100% Cotton”), care instructions (e.g., “Machine Wash Cold”), and country of origin (“Made in China”). It will not have your brand’s logo or special font.
• Basic Packaging: This means clear, low-density polyethylene polybags for each garment to protect from dust, and sturdy, unbranded 5-ply corrugated cartons for shipping. Their sole function is physical protection, not brand communication.

At Shanghai Fumao, our standard quote always states this clearly. We recently had a client who assumed their logo would be on the care label. Because we clarified it was an extra cost upfront, they budgeted for it and received a beautifully branded product, avoiding a last-minute crisis.

Why Isn’t Branding Included by Default?

Branded packaging involves separate supply chains (paper mills, printing houses), custom design work, and specific minimum order quantities (MOQs). These variables differ vastly from brand to brand. Including it in a base price would make comparisons between factories impossible and force brands to pay for services they may not want. It’s always an optional, value-added service.

What Constitutes Branded Packaging and Its Additional Costs?

Branded packaging transforms your product from a generic item into a branded experience. Each component is a line item with its own cost structure.

Branded packaging includes custom hangtags, woven labels, printed polybags, tissue paper, stickers, and branded shipping cartons. Each element adds a per-unit cost to your FOB price, driven by material quality, print complexity, and order volume. These costs are always additional and require separate approval.

What is the Typical Cost and MOQ for Each Element?

*Carton cost is per box, not per garment. A box may hold 20-50 pieces.

These costs are volume-sensitive. Ordering 50,000 hangtags is far cheaper per unit than ordering 1,000. We help clients plan packaging across multiple styles or seasons to hit higher, more economical MOQs.

Can You See Samples of Branded Packaging Before Ordering?

Absolutely. A professional factory will provide hard copy prototypes or digital mock-ups of all branded packaging elements for your approval before they go into mass production. This includes approving material, color Pantone matches, and print quality. Never approve a bulk order of packaging without seeing a physical sample first.

How to Specify and Secure Branded Packaging in Your Order?

To ensure you get what you want, you must take proactive, detailed steps. Don’t assume; document.

To secure branded packaging, you must: 1) Explicitly request a separate quote for all desired branded elements; 2) Provide print-ready artwork in the correct formats; 3) Include detailed packaging specifications in your tech pack and purchase order (PO); and 4) Approve physical prototypes before production begins.

What Artwork and Specifications Are Required?

You must supply:

• Vector Artwork (AI, EPS, PDF) for logos. Raster images (JPEG, PNG) will result in poor print quality.
• Pantone (PMS) color codes for exact color matching.
• Detailed Dimensions for hangtags, labels, and cartons.
• Packing Instructions: How many garments per polybag? How many polybags per carton? Where does the hangtag attach?
  A client once sent a low-res JPEG for a complex logo. We requested vector files, which they didn’t have. We helped them get their logo re-vectorized to avoid a blurry, unprofessional print on 10,000 hangtags. This is part of the service a good factory provides.

Why Must It Be in the Purchase Order?

The purchase order (PO) is the binding commercial document. If branded packaging and its cost are not listed as line items on the PO, you have no contractual right to receive it, and the factory has no obligation to provide it. Always ensure your final, signed PO includes something like:

• “Item 1: Ladies' Knit Top - $18.50/pc”
• “Item 2: Custom Woven Label - $0.30/pc”
• “Item 3: Die-Cut Hangtag - $0.20/pc”
• “Total FOB with Branding: $19.00/pc”

What Are the Risks of Not Clarifying Packaging Upfront?

Failing to address packaging specifics leads to financial, operational, and brand equity risks that can undermine a successful product launch.

The risks include: unexpected costs blowing your budget, shipment delays while packaging is hastily sourced, receiving incorrect or low-quality branding that damages your image, and ultimately, launching a product that feels incomplete and unbranded to your customers.

The Last-Minute Scramble and Its Costs

A common scenario: Two weeks before shipment, you realize you need branded hangtags. The factory scrambles to source them, paying a huge premium for a rush order. This rush cost gets passed to you, and the hangtags may still arrive late, delaying the entire shipment and missing your launch date. This is entirely preventable with upfront planning.

The Brand Equity Cost

Your customer doesn’t differentiate between the garment and its presentation. A premium shirt in a cheap, plain bag feels cheap. In a market where unboxing videos drive sales, generic packaging means missed marketing opportunities and a weaker brand story. Investing in coherent branding is investing in your brand’s perceived value.

Conclusion

Branded packaging is a powerful, intentional investment in your brand’s complete identity, but it is not a hidden part of a standard garment order. The onus is on you, the brand owner, to explicitly request, specify, and budget for it as a separate component of your sourcing strategy.

Working with a transparent and capable factory like Shanghai Fumao ensures you get clear options, accurate pricing, and professional execution of both your garments and their presentation. We guide our partners through this process so the final product that reaches their customer is cohesive, professional, and truly branded from the inside out.

Don’t let an assumption about packaging weaken your launch. Be specific from the start. If you want to ensure your clothing order arrives not just as a product, but as a full brand experience, let’s discuss your packaging vision. Contact our Business Director, Elaine, at elaine@fumaoclothing.com to detail your complete order.