Most first orders go wrong on the same four things: the minimum order, the carton, the test report, and the freight term. None of them are visible in a unit price. This page collects the checks we ask buyers to run before they approve a deposit.
Suppliers quote MOQ in cartons because a packing run has a fixed cost. Ask for units per inner pack, inner packs per master carton, outer dimensions in centimetres, and gross weight. A wholesale MOQ guide for squishy toys helps translate a carton count into a realistic test order, and shows when a mixed carton is possible.
Foam and TPR toys are mostly air. Carriers bill on chargeable weight or volume, whichever is larger, so a cheap unit can become an expensive landed cost. Compare sea and air on the same SKU with a sea freight versus air freight breakdown for toys, and put the confirmed carton dimensions into the purchase order.
A test report covers one sample in one configuration on one date. For the United States, expect ASTM F963 plus CPSIA limits for lead and phthalates and a Children's Product Certificate. For the EU and UK, expect EN71 parts 1 to 3, CE marking and REACH. Our toy safety standards guide for importers maps the same product across regimes, and the CPSIA compliance overview for Amazon sellers covers the US paperwork in detail.
Custom packaging and custom moulds force irreversible decisions before you have sell-through data. Start with a mixed carton of stock shapes, find the two or three SKUs that actually move, then customise only those. A private label and OEM guide for fidget toys lays out the approval gates; a practical sourcing guide for squishy toys from China puts them inside a procurement plan.
A useful reply names the exact SKU, states the MOQ in cartons, gives carton dimensions, identifies which standard the current report covers, and states the trade term. If a reply gives only a unit price and a delivery date, you are comparing quotes you cannot yet compare.