Low MOQ is a planning decision, not a discount.
Small runs are not large runs divided. AUCO MODE works in low to medium volume by design — and this page explains honestly what that costs, what constrains it, and how to work around each constraint.
Fabric minimums
Mills sell in minimum lengths or colours. This, not the sewing line, is usually the real constraint. Stock-service fabrics and shared colourways are the practical answers.
Sampling amortisation
Development cost spread over fewer units raises the unit price. Ordering a repeat season against the same block is where that cost comes back to you.
Line changeover
Setting a line for a complex style takes time whether you make 40 or 400. Grouping styles that share construction reduces the penalty.
Trim minimums
Custom labels, zips and hardware carry their own minimums, often higher than the fabric. Worth deciding early rather than at costing.
Hand work
Hand operations cost roughly the same per unit at any quantity. In small runs that is an advantage, not a problem — there is no volume discount you are missing.
- Fabric strategy
- Stock-service and shared colourways proposed at sourcing
- Style grouping
- Styles with shared construction scheduled together
- Block reuse
- Your corrected blocks kept, so repeat styles start ahead
- Honest costing
- Price quoted at the quantity you will actually order
- Repeat orders
- Re-run pricing shown separately from first-run pricing
We do not publish a minimum quantity. A number on a page cannot account for the fabric, the construction or the number of styles you are running — and it turns away projects that would have worked.
Send the actual programme and you will get an actual answer, including the case where a different manufacturer suits you better.
A good fit
- Small graded runs of complex, high-value styles.
- Capsules and repeat seasons built on the same blocks.
- Brands testing a new category before committing volume.
Not a fit
- Very small quantities of simple garments at a low target price.
- One-off single pieces with no production intent.
- Programmes where the fabric minimum alone exceeds the order.
We would rather lose an enquiry at this paragraph than three months into a project neither side should have started.
Tell us the real quantity.
Not the one you think we want to hear. It is the only way the price we quote survives contact with your order.