Wholesale hijab buying checklist for new buyers

Buyer note · Sourcing and production · 2026-10-14 · about 5 min read

Why a checklist

New buyers rarely go wrong on the big decisions. They choose sensible fabrics and colors their customers like. Where first orders go wrong is in the small items nobody wrote down: the tolerance on size, the text on the label, the fold in the bag, the shipping terms. Each looks minor until it holds up a shipment or fills an inbox with returns.

The checklist below follows a program from idea to reorder. Use it as a working document; tick items off as they are confirmed in writing.

The checklist at a glance

1. Customer and channel

• Who are your customers, and which hijab styles do they already wear?
• Where will you sell: online store, marketplace, boutique, mosque shop, uniform program, gift range?
• What price point are you aiming for at retail, and what margin do you need?
• What is your target in-warehouse date, and does it fall before Ramadan or Eid?

2. Range

• Which shapes: rectangle, square, instant, underscarf, sports, khimar, prayer set, kids' styles?
• Which fabric for each shape, and why: grip, drape, opacity, climate?
• How many colors per fabric, and which are core neutrals versus seasonal?
• Any prints, and how many designs?
• Is the depth per line enough to meet minimums and survive a good week of sales?

A first range rarely needs every style. Two shapes in two fabrics with a focused palette is a common, sound start.

3. Spec sheet

• Fiber composition by generic name and percentage; knit or woven; weight confirmed on the spec sheet.
• Finished sizes with tolerances, in centimeters.
• Edge finish named for each style.
• Color references and print artwork, versioned.
• Label text, label type and position.
• Fold, bag, tags, inserts, boxes and carton marks.

4. Minimums and timing

• Minimum per color, per design and per style, for first order and reorder.
• Which colors are stock and which are custom dye lots.
• Sample timing and bulk lead time, with any peak-season extension.

Reference ranges: stock colors in standard styles typically from about 50 to 100 pieces per color; custom colors typically higher, often set by dye lot; custom prints typically from about 100 pieces per design. Samples ship in days for stock and take about seven working days to around two weeks for custom. Bulk typically takes about 25 to 35 days after approval, longer before Ramadan and Eid. All are confirmed in writing for each program. See hijab MOQ explained.

5. Samples

1. Stock samples to choose fabric and edge finish.
2. Lab dips for each custom color, on the bulk fabric.
3. Strike-offs for each print, checked folded as worn.
4. Sewn samples measured, wear-tested and wash-tested.
5. Written approval naming the sample and spec version.

6. Compliance

• US labels: fiber content, country of origin, manufacturer or dealer identity; care instructions where they apply.
• Light, sheer fabrics: plan flammability testing under the clothing textile rule.
• Kids' styles: children's product rules, testing and certificate.
• Magnets in gift sets: warnings and not marketed to children.
• Any certificate a mill states it holds: collect the number and verify it yourself.

7. Inspection

• Defect classes and examples written down.
• Sampling approach and acceptance levels agreed per program.
• Inspection date booked before freight.
• Route agreed if a lot fails: sort, rework or remake.

Read hijab quality inspection.

8. Packing and shipping

• Bag, sticker and barcode content; hang tag attachment safe for fine fabrics.
• Units per carton, carton marks, packing list format.
• Air or sea, shipping terms and named place.
• Customs broker appointed, with the spec sheet for classification.

9. Receiving and reorder

• Count cartons and pieces against the packing list on arrival.
• Spot-check shade, size and labels against the approved sample.
• Record sell-through by color, style and fabric.
• Keep approved samples and the final spec sheet version for reorders.

Starting your first order

You do not need every answer before you ask. Send what you know, even a list of shapes, colors and a target date, through the sample request form. The first reply marks which checklist items are settled and which are still open, so the next decision is clear.

Mistakes the checklist is designed to catch

Each item above exists because of a real first-order problem. The ones we see most often, in rough order of frequency: size tolerance not written, so a shipment within tolerance is disputed; custom colors ordered in too many shades at once, spreading minimums thin; samples approved by photo, so sheen and shade surprise everyone at bulk; labels left until after packing, so finished goods must be reopened; packaging ordered after production, so goods wait for boxes; no buffer between inspection and the freight booking, so one failed lot pushes the ship date; and no record of which sample was approved, so the reorder starts from memory.

Notice that none of these are about the product itself. They are all about what was agreed and when. That is why the desk's answer to almost any question is a version of the same thing: let us write it down, then proceed.

Buying for a specific channel

The same checklist weights differently by channel. An online store cares most about packing and barcodes, because its warehouse lives on them, and about photography-friendly fabrics. A boutique or mosque shop cares about fold and presentation, small mixed cartons, and steady reorders of core neutrals. A school or workplace program cares about consistent color across a uniform, sizes across a population, and documentation a procurement office can file. A gift buyer cares about boxes, contents and deadlines. Tell us the channel in your first message and the checklist gets reordered around it; see uniform programs and mosque shop buying.