Manufacturing cost and minimum order quantity
The question every brand wants answered and almost no factory answers on its website: what does it cost, and what sets the minimum? Our starting budget is around 30,000 THB. Below is an honest account of what moves that number in either direction.
Around 30,000 THB
That is a realistic figure to launch a brand with us, and it applies across product types — creams, skincare, lotions, serums and sachets.
What it will not tell you is how many units you get, because that depends on the product you choose, the formula and actives, the packaging, and the printing. Send us the product you have in mind and we will calculate your actual numbers, free of charge.
We publish this figure because being vague about price wastes everyone's time. If your budget is well below it, we will tell you rather than string you along; if it is well above it, we will show you what the extra buys.
Get a free quote
The five things that set your price
Understand these and you can read any factory's quote properly, ours included — and design a product that fits your budget from the start rather than negotiating afterwards.
| Factor | Effect on price | How to control it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The formula | A stock formula costs less than a newly developed one, because the testing is done and the line is already set up for it. | Start from a stock formula and adjust colour, fragrance and actives. You get brand identity without paying full development cost. |
| 2. Active ingredients | Premium and imported actives add cost in proportion to how much is actually used. | Feature one or two actives your market recognises rather than a long list customers will not read or value. |
| 3. Packaging | Frequently the largest single cost in a finished unit. Sachet < tube < jar or pump bottle. Printing carries its own minimum from the printer. | Start with a standard format and upgrade once sales prove the product. Custom packaging before proof of demand is the classic first-launch mistake. |
| 4. Quantity | Setup cost is spread across the run, so unit cost falls as the quantity rises. | Do not over-order the first batch. Order enough to test the market and use the 7–14 day turnaround to restock. |
| 5. Documents and extra services | Registration support, design work and similar are separate costs that should be stated clearly. | Ask every factory exactly what is included and what is not. We itemise this before any work starts. |
How minimum order quantity is actually decided
MOQ is not a number a factory invents to seem serious. It comes from two physical constraints.
Batch size in the mixing tank
A formula is mixed in a tank of a certain size. Producing far less than one batch means paying for setup and cleaning across very few units, which makes the unit price unattractive to you rather than to us.
Packaging and print minimums
The packaging supplier and the printer each set their own minimums, and we cannot go below them. On a small run this is very often what really determines your order size, not the formula at all.
Sachets — lowest minimum
The cheapest entry point and the lowest minimum order. The usual recommendation for testing a market. Sachet manufacturing →
Jars, tubes and pump bottles — higher
The minimum rises with the packaging and print minimums, in exchange for better shelf presence and a higher achievable retail price.
Custom formulas — higher still
Development work has to be recovered somewhere, so a custom formula usually carries a higher minimum order than a stock one.
Your actual number
We tell you the real MOQ and the real unit price for your specification before any work begins. Send the spec and get a free written assessment.
Why our pricing tends to hold up
- We are the factory — you are quoted from the production line, with no broker's margin stacked on top. If you are comparing quotes, check whether the other party actually manufactures anything.
- Stock formulas are ready to run — no development cost, and production in about 7–14 days from confirmed spec and payment, so your money is not tied up waiting.
- 10,000–20,000 units a day of capacity — fixed costs are spread across real volume, which keeps unit prices workable on small runs as well as large ones.
- Cheap does not mean cutting QC — every batch goes through the same quality checks and leaves a retained sample. A saving that costs you a recall is not a saving.
Be careful with any factory advertising a low price that cannot explain why it is low, has no documentation to show, and will not let you visit. A price that cannot be explained usually has a hidden cost, and it is normally paid by your brand's reputation rather than by the factory.
Pricing questions
I have a fixed budget. Should I just tell you?
Will costs be added later?
Small order but I want a low unit price. What should I do?
How does payment work?
Why is there no price list on this page?
Get real numbers before you decide
Tell us the product type, the quantity you have in mind and your budget. We will come back with clear figures, free and with no obligation.