Bag and Luggage Suppliers in China: The Complete Guide

In this guide, we explain everything you need to know to find the right bag and luggage suppliers in China, ensure product compliance, draw up product specification sheets and much more – to import all types of bags.

How to Select the Right Bag and Suitcase Factory

1. Product Analysis and Price Ranges

The production sector of bags and suitcases is vast and manufacturers have always specialized in a certain category. Within the different categories of bags, you will find that the suppliers also specialize in the different price categories.

Some make exclusive bags for luxury brands, while others are geared towards fast fashion brands such as Zara and H&M.

If you go even further down the ladder, you find manufacturers who specialize in making promotional bags. But the quality of the products that are generally given on promotion may not be the right choice, if you are oriented towards a more exclusive product.

Yet, a manufacturer of “beauty cases on promotion” could have buyers of big brands, such as Nivea, as customers. On paper, such customers might look really good in so many ways – but they may still not be the right ones for you.

Therefore, the most important thing to consider when searching for bag and luggage suppliers in China is the product analysis and price range.

Let’s summarize them as follows:

Pricing Ranges

• Luxury
• Medium / Fast fashion
• Promotional / Free

Categories (one or more combinations)

• Leather bags and other leather goods
• Synthetic leather bags and other synthetic leather articles
• Canvas bags
• Fashion bags
• Beauty case
• Laptop Bags
• Handbags
• Travel bags
• Suitcases
• Wallets

2. Company data

In China, all companies have a business license. All factories have this document, of which you can also get the data online (written, however, only in Chinese). When recruiting bag manufacturers, this is what really matters:

at. Share capital: You can’t have access to the reliable financial data of Chinese companies, but you can get clues about the scope of their activities by taking a look at the amount of registered capital.

Although this is not a capital-intensive industry, suppliers, who have a registered capital of RMB 1,000,000, or less than that, are less likely to be manufacturers. The more capital, the better.

b. Scope of activity:
Look for words like “bags” and “suitcases” to determine if the supplier is actually focused on making bags.

In addition, the terms “production” or “realization” should be mentioned, since this indicates that the company has the license of a manufacturer and not a seller.

3. Documents

Finally, let’s look at the documentation.

at. Product certifications

In the European Union and the United States, chemical regulations apply to bags and suitcases. For example, synthetic leather cannot contain certain plasticizers such as phthalates.

Many suppliers have no control over such substances, which means they don’t know whether their materials are compliant or not.

Since it is your responsibility to ensure compliance with regulations, it is crucial that you select a bag supplier that is compliant. Ask for all the various types of test reports: REACH, California Proposition 65, and heavy metal screening.

b. Company certifications

Another way to locate a supplier is to look at its quality management certification, such as ISO 9001 – and its certification for social compliance, which includes the BSCI and Sedex.

Such suppliers tend to be oriented towards developed markets.

Buyer’s References

The type of customer who buys from the manufacturer can tell you a lot about the supplier. However, having big names doesn’t always mean that the manufacturer is the right choice for your items.

Remember what I told you about the different quality segments?

Product Specifications

Whether you’re buying private label products, or buying your own bags, you need to define quality in terms of product specifications.

This is what the product specification of two types of bags might look like:

LEATHER BAG

In addition to the specification sheet, you must also deliver the design drawings of each product unit and internal compartments to the supplier.

However, if you purchase an ODM product, you can base your design on the product samples that the supplier sends you.

Product Standards

There are generally no regulations that apply specifically to bags. That said, there are multiple substance regulations and numerous labeling requirements that apply to the materials the bag is made from.

CPSIA

Valid for all children’s products sold in the United States. Bags and suitcases, sold as items suitable for children 12 years of age or younger, must comply with the CPSIA.

Ensuring compliance, for example, involves the following steps:

1. Identify all applicable ASTM standards
2. Create a children’s product certification and additional documentation (e.g., a bill of materials)
3. Create a label for tracking
4. Send batches of samples for compliance testing and receive test reports

California Proposition 65

It limits more than 800 substances found in consumer goods and is mandatory if you intend to sell to buyers who are based in California. Many companies outside of California still use this regulation to bring together many substances at once.

REACH

Restrict substances contained in all consumer goods sold in the European Union. For example, synthetic leather may not contain certain plasticizers and heavy metals.

Labeling requirements

While there are no labeling requirements that apply specifically to bags, there are two categories of labeling requirements that are very important:

• Material Labeling Requirements
• Country of origin

First, Country of Origin (e.g., Made in China) labeling is mandatory in the United States, but not in the European Union.

Second, the material labeling requirements depend on the main materials that make up the bag. If you purchase canvas bags, you must ensure compliance with the labeling requirements that apply to fabrics. This includes fiber composition, washing instructions, and much more.

However, if you import a bag made of leather, or even synthetic leather, a completely different set of labeling requirements applies.

Ensure compliance when importing from China

As mentioned in this article about finding bag and luggage suppliers in China, it is essential to work with those suppliers who have experience with European and American product regulations.

However, even when you are sure of the supplier’s expertise in making bags that comply with regulations, you must inform them in advance of all the compliance requirements of your product and send them the labeling files ready and ready.

Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)

The Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) for bags is normally set between 500 and 1000 pieces per model. However, some manufacturers, who may not always be the smallest, as many assume, offer lower Minimum Order Quantities.

Sometimes, these lower quantities are between 100 and 200 pieces per model. This, however, results in a higher unit price.

When importing bags, there is more than just one Minimum Order Quantity requirement to take into consideration. While the supplier sets a Minimum Order Quantity for each model, there are also two separate Minimum Order Quantities for each color and material.

These two Minimum Order Quantities are mostly reflections of the requirements set by the subcontractors and may vary depending on the material and color. Here’s how to structure the Minimum Order Quantity:

• MOQ per design: 500pcs
• MOQ per material: 250pcs
• MOQ per color: 250pcs

By researching the suppliers’ Minimum Order Quantity structure you can create different models or, at least, variants of the same models, rather than buying 500 pieces of that blue bag.

Compliance requirements also come with repercussions, as the Minimum Order Quantity of REACH and California Proposition 65 compliant materials tends to be higher.

Quality control

What could be worse than a laptop bag that doesn’t support the weight of a laptop? Well, it actually happened.
The only way to be sure that your bag is made to specification is to hire a quality control person to inspect the goods before shipping. Quality control is never improvised, but follows a specific checklist. Here’s what a laptop bag quality check list should look like:

• Visual inspection: dirt, damage, incorrect colors, other cosmetic defects
• Dimensions
• Maximum weight control
• Water resistance control

However, this assumes that you have communicated your specifications and quality requirements prior to production.

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