How to Order Clothing From Turkey

Step 1-2: Prepare your design and get a quote

Start with the clearest description of your product you can produce: ideally a tech pack with measurements, fabric specification, construction details and print artwork; failing that, a reference garment with precise notes on what to change. Add your target quantity per style and colourway, your destination country and, if you have one, your target price.

Send that package to info@apparelmanufacturerturkey.com. We review it technically, match it to the right factory in our vetted network, and return a written quotation, typically within 24-48 hours for standard categories, covering unit price, MOQ, sampling cost, lead time and payment terms. Everything after this point runs against that document, which is why we insist it exists before any money moves.

Step 3-4: Sampling and approval

Sampling takes 1-2 weeks per round and typically costs 2-4x the target unit price per piece, often credited against your bulk order. You receive the physical sample by courier, check fit, fabric and workmanship, and send consolidated feedback. Most projects approve within one or two rounds; the pre-production sample you finally sign off becomes the quality reference every bulk garment is inspected against.

Approval also locks the commercial details: quantities per size and colourway, labelling, hangtags, packaging and the delivery term. Take this step seriously and in writing. Every dispute we have ever seen prevented was prevented here, by an approved sample and a confirmed order sheet rather than a chat message.

Step 5: Payment terms that protect both sides

The standard structure in Turkish apparel exports is a deposit on order confirmation, commonly 30-50%, with the balance due at shipment, typically against inspection results or shipping documents. Bank transfer is the norm. This split is fair: the deposit covers fabric purchase so the factory is not financing your stock, and the balance-at-shipment keeps leverage with you until goods are inspected and moving.

Be cautious of both extremes. A supplier demanding 100% upfront transfers all risk to you; a buyer demanding full credit on a first order transfers all risk to the factory, and serious factories simply decline. As the relationship matures over reorders, terms typically improve in your favour.

• Common structure: 30-50% deposit, balance at shipment
• Pay against documents or inspection, not against promises
• Keep the approved sample and order sheet as the contract reference
• Expect terms to improve with reorder history

Step 6: Production, updates and quality control

Bulk production runs 4-6 weeks after approval. You receive a dated production plan and progress updates with photos and video at key milestones: fabric in-house, cutting, sewing, decoration and finishing. Inline checks run during sewing, and a final AQL inspection happens before cartons are sealed, with results shared before balance payment.

Because we are Istanbul-based and manage production through factories we have vetted, problems surface early and get fixed inside the schedule rather than discovered at your warehouse. That oversight layer is the practical difference between managed production and forwarding your order to a factory inbox.

Step 7: Shipping, documents and delivery

Choose your delivery term before production ends, not after. EXW means you arrange everything from the factory door; FOB hands you the goods loaded for main carriage; DDP delivers to your door with duties handled. Road freight reaches most of the EU in 3-7 days, air freight most destinations in 2-5 days, and sea freight suits large volumes on relaxed timelines.

Your shipment travels with a commercial invoice and packing list, plus an ATR certificate for EU-bound goods or an EUR.1 or origin documentation for other markets where applicable. We prepare export paperwork and work with experienced forwarders, and for import-side specifics we advise confirming details with your local customs broker, which is honest advice any exporter should give.

Communication: the underrated success factor

Orders succeed on response times as much as on stitching. Agree a communication rhythm upfront: a single point of contact, weekly progress updates during production, and same-week decisions from your side during sampling and approval. Our team works in fluent English across email, WhatsApp and video calls, and factory visits in Istanbul are welcome at any stage.

Put decisions in writing even when they happen on a call. A two-line email confirming what was agreed costs thirty seconds and prevents the classic he-said-she-said that sours sourcing relationships. We run our side of every order this way by default.