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Sourcing Mirrors from China in Small Quantities: What Factory Websites Actually Publish About MOQ, Samples and Lead Time
Most factory websites say "flexible MOQ" and stop there. We checked six of them so a buyer with a 6-piece or 60-piece order knows what to ask for, and we put every one of our own published terms in one table so there is nothing to ask.
Short answer: of six Chinese mirror factory websites read in September 2026, one publishes a numeric minimum order quantity, two publish a sample lead time, three publish a production lead time, and none states whether several models can share one container. The rest write "flexible" or nothing. If your order is a hotel refurbishment, a fit-out with six mirrors, or a first range test, the number that matters is the one a factory puts in writing before you ask. This page explains what the gaps mean, and then lists every term we publish ourselves in one table.
We have not named the six factories. Their pages change, and a comparison that is right in September can be wrong by December. The pattern is what matters, and it has been stable for years.
What six factory websites publish
| Term a small-order buyer needs | Sites that publish a figure (of 6) | Typical wording when it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum order quantity | 1 | "20 pieces per model" on one site; "flexible" or nothing on the others |
| Sample lead time | 2 | 7 days on one; 10–15 days on the other |
| Production lead time | 3 | 7–20 days, 15–20 days, 30–45 days — each on a different site |
| Mixed models in one container | 0 | not addressed |
| OEM / private label | 6 | offered everywhere, usually without a floor quantity |
| Factory size, annual output, years in business | 6 | published everywhere, usually in the first screen |
The last row is the tell. Every site leads with area and output, because that is what wins a 5,000-piece programme. Almost none leads with a minimum, because that is what a 12-piece order needs, and publishing it is a commitment.
Why "flexible MOQ" is the most common answer
A mirror model carries a cutting programme, an edge-work setup, a backing specification and a packaging specification. Once a line is set for a model, running 20 pieces costs nearly the same setup as running 500, so most factories spread that cost over a batch and call the batch a minimum. Publishing the number commits them to it; writing "flexible" lets sales decide case by case. Neither is dishonest, but only one of them helps a buyer plan.
The same logic applies to lead times. A factory that publishes "30–45 days" has decided that is a promise it can keep on a normal week. A factory that publishes nothing is asking you to open a conversation to find out.
What Mirrorwright publishes
These are the terms on our FAQ page, collected here so a buyer can compare them against any other factory without emailing anyone.
| Term | Published figure |
|---|---|
| MOQ, catalogue models | 1 piece |
| MOQ, toughened mirror wall panels | 50 pieces |
| MOQ, custom outline or profile | 100 pieces |
| MOQ, custom body colour or retail packaging with your artwork | 500 pieces |
| Sample lead time, standard model | 7 days |
| Sample lead time, custom profile or LED layout | 10–12 days |
| Sample cost | Unit price plus freight, credited against the first bulk order |
| Production lead time, standard bathroom, shaped and floor mirrors | 25–30 days |
| Production lead time, decorative, cabinet, clock and specialty ranges | 30–35 days |
| Production lead time, custom shapes and custom LED profiles | 30–40 days |
| Mixed container | Standard: one purchase order can carry bathroom, decorative, shaped, floor, vanity, clock and specialty mirrors under one packing standard |
| Packaging | EPE corner protection, honeycomb board and five-layer carton, packed to the ISTA 3A profile |
| Spare parts | 3% free spare-parts kit with every order |
| Payment, new customers | 30% deposit, balance against bill of lading copy |
| Quote turnaround | Within 24 hours |
| Certification | Arranged per order, in the customer's name; scope, cost and lead time quoted with the goods |
Every figure applies as written. If a product page shows a different MOQ for that product, the product page wins.
How to read any factory's terms
A stated number beats a bigger factory. Workshop area and annual output are real and they matter for a large programme. They tell you nothing about whether a 12-piece order will be accepted, priced sensibly, and shipped on a date. For that, the only useful line is the stated minimum.
"Flexible" means "ask". It is not a refusal. It usually means the standard models have a low floor and custom work has a higher one — the same structure as the table above, just without the numbers. If a factory says flexible, ask for the floor on the exact model and get it into the pro-forma invoice.
Sample lead time predicts how the rest goes. A factory that turns a standard sample in 7 days has the model in a ready state. One that needs 10–15 days is usually building it from a new setup, which is fine for custom work and slow for a catalogue piece.
Mixed loading is a default or a favour. Most factories will load several models in one container if you push. Very few say so in advance. For a distributor building a range, or a contractor who needs four sizes for one building, whether it is standard or an exception changes the whole negotiation, so ask before the quote, not after.
What a small order actually costs
Low MOQ removes inventory risk. It does not remove the unit-price ladder, and it does not remove freight.
| Cost line | What happens at small quantity |
|---|---|
| Unit price | Sits at the top of the price ladder, which typically steps at 100, 300, 500 and 1,000 pieces |
| Sample pieces | Charged at unit price plus freight; credited against the first bulk order |
| Freight | Below roughly 2–3 m³ the shipping cost can exceed the goods; LCL sea freight or a mixed container with other models is the normal route, air freight only when the programme date forces it |
| Certification | Handled per order rather than per model; if your market needs a listing on the exact product, ask each factory for the number on that model before you compare prices |
If you have not priced a mirror order before, how to read a mirror quotation walks through which lines on the quote are firm and which move with quantity, and the MOQ page explains item by item where our floors sit and why.
When a large-programme factory is the right choice
If the order is a single model in the thousands, a new tooling-heavy profile, or an OEM range that will run for years, a factory with dedicated lines and high annual output is the right shortlist. Mirrorwright runs those programmes too, but a factory built around them will often price a 5,000-piece single-model order lower than we will.
The small-order case is different. A boutique hotel with 40 rooms, a fit-out contractor with six frameless arch backlit LED mirrors, a retailer testing twenty models across decorative wall mirrors before committing depth — those orders need a published floor of one piece and a factory that loads a mixed container without treating it as an exception. That is what the table above is built for.
Verifying any factory
Whatever the website says, ask for the same five things before paying a deposit: a drawing marked up in the factory's own hand, photographs of a part mid-process rather than finished, the packing specification, the name of the packaging standard it is tested to, and a delivery date written into the contract. Questions to ask a mirror manufacturer has the full list and what each answer tells you.
Common questions
Is a 1-piece MOQ a sign of a trading company rather than a factory?
It is the usual suspicion, and it is fair. The test is not the MOQ, it is whether the supplier can show you the part mid-process, mark up your drawing, and name its packaging test standard. A trader can quote low MOQ; a trader cannot photograph your mirror on the edging line.
Will a small order be treated as low priority?
On a shared line, yes, unless the delivery date is in the contract. Get it written in. A factory that publishes its lead times has already decided what it can promise.
Can I combine a small order of LED mirrors with decorative or floor mirrors in one shipment?
Here, yes as standard — one purchase order can carry LED medicine cabinets, decorative, shaped, floor, vanity, clock and specialty mirrors under one packing standard. Elsewhere, ask; none of the six sites we read states it.
How current is this page?
The six-site review was done in September 2026. Our own published terms are maintained on the FAQ page and this table is kept in step with it.