How to wholesale cheap and high-quality sportswear from China?

Here’s how to score the cheapest activewear from China like a pro, straight talk for EU/US wholesalers:

Finding the Goldmine Factories
Hit up these spots if you want bang for your buck:
- Berunwear (Dongguan): Your go-to for yoga pants/cycling gear. They’ll do 500-piece custom orders with no middleman markup - think 15-20% cheaper than others. Bonus: They’ll help you design your own line.
- Changda (Fujian): Big player making stuff for Adidas. Perfect if you’re moving 1000+ units. They’ve got all the boring (but important) certs like BSCI.
- KuanYangTex (Wuxi): These guys grow their own freaking fabric. 8% cheaper materials mean you can undercut competitors on performance gear.

Government Hacks You Should Steal
1. Ship via China-Europe rail from Chengdu/Xi’an - 40% cheaper than sea freight and you get your hoodies in 12 days instead of 45.
2. Make suppliers give you CNAS/ILAC lab reports - saves $2k per shipment on EU compliance crap.
3. Use “market purchase” trade codes (ask your forwarder about 1039) - cuts your tax bill by 30% if you’re moving unbranded stuff.

The Real Deal When Ordering
1. When you first message factories on 1688:
- “Can you do 30% deposit, 70% when I see shipping docs?”
- “Will you split sizes/colors in my 500-piece trial order?”
- “Got HTS codes ready for EU customs?” (this avoids nasty surprises)
2. Pay $50 for ACTUAL production samples - not the pretty display ones. Test PH levels and color bleeding yourself.
3. Make them film QC checks - you want video proof they opened 3 random boxes and checked stitching.

Watch Your Back
- Don’t even whisper about copying Lululemon designs - Chinese customs now scans for that stuff.
- Use AliBaba Trade Assurance - no more than 30% upfront.
- Lock in yuan exchange rates NOW through Bank of China - that 6.85 rate won’t last forever.

Bottom line? You can land decent workout gear for $3.8-6.5/piece direct from China. That’s 40% cheaper than buying local if you play it smart. Just don’t be the idiot who tries to save $0.50 by skipping lab tests - EU customs will burn you.