Step 1: brief and target price (week 1)
Start with a one-page brief, not a catalogue request. It needs the market, the age band, the retail price point, target FOB, order quantity for the first run and the compliance regime you sell under. A US brief without ASTM F963 and CPSIA in it will come back with the wrong paint and the wrong paperwork.
Ask for a component-level cost breakdown: timber, paint, hardware, labour, packaging, testing and margin. A factory that will not show where the cost sits is pricing the relationship, not the product. At this stage you also fix the commercial frame: MOQ from 1 pc for samples, typically 10 pcs for stock colours, and 300–500 pcs for private-label painted goods.
Buyer: brief, target price, volume, market, artwork assets. Factory: quote, options to hit the price, compliance route.
Step 2: SKU selection or new development (weeks 1–3)
Most first containers are built from existing tooling. With 910 SKUs across ten ranges, the fast path is to choose shapes that already run, then change colour, logo and packaging. Samples come in 7–10 days and there is no tooling to amortise.
New development is a different animal. Expect drawings, a white sample or 3D print, a tooling or die-cut cost, and two to four weeks before the first painted sample. Agree in writing who owns the drawings, the artwork and any tooling, and who holds them if the relationship ends. That clause is cheap now and expensive later.
Buyer: shortlist, reference images, must-have features. Factory: feasibility, target price per SKU, tooling quote.
Step 3: choose the logo method
Logo method drives tooling cost, unit cost, test scope and how the product feels in the hand. The three that cover most wooden toy work:
| Method | Best for | Pros | Cons | Setup and unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser engraving | Bare wood, flat faces, a permanent mark | No ink, no plate, no wear; reads as premium; cost is flat per unit | Low contrast on dark paint; burns through ply edges; single colour only | Artwork file only; small sample fee (indicative USD 30–80) |
| Screen or pad printing | Painted surfaces, 1–4 brand colours, curved parts | Pantone match, fast at volume, low unit cost | Plate per colour; ink can wear on high-touch edges; registration on curves | Plate charge per colour, typically USD 50–150 (indicative) |
| Heat transfer | Full-colour artwork, small parts, detailed characters | Photo quality, no plate per colour, works on compound curves | Visible film edge; abrasion on edges; migration testing needed on mouthable parts | Film tooling plus a higher per-unit film cost |
For toys under three, avoid any decoration that can peel or flake. EN71-3 migration limits and ASTM F963 heavy-element limits apply to the ink as much as to the paint, and a logo that fails a scrape test fails the whole model. Laser engraving on bare wood is the lowest-risk route for anything a child may mouth. Heat transfer on a teether is a testing bill waiting to happen.
Step 4: packaging dieline and artwork (weeks 3–4)
The factory supplies the dieline; you or your designer supply the artwork. Two rounds is normal, five to ten working days each. The print file has to carry the barcode (GS1), age marking, warnings in the right language, importer name and address, CE or UKCA mark, country of origin, batch code and recycling marks. Missing importer details is the most common reason a container gets held at destination.
Packaging is also your freight lever. A dieline that removes 2 cm of depth across 4,000 units is a real saving, and carton size runs straight into the container maths: see the catalogue for carton data on stock items. Keep the retail box within the drop-test limits and do not let a designer specify a box the carton cannot protect.
Buyer: artwork, translations, barcode licence. Factory: dieline, mock-up, print proof, packaging test.
Step 5: sample rounds (weeks 4–8)
Round one is a pre-production sample built with the final materials, paint and logo. Check dimensions against the drawing, paint colour against the approved swatch, logo position and depth, hardware torque, magnet security if used, and the drop test. Photograph everything against a grey card so round two has a reference.
Round two incorporates corrections. When it is right, sign and seal a golden sample: one copy stays with the factory, one with you, both labelled with the date, SKU and revision. Every later dispute is settled against that sample.
Buyer: feedback within 48 hours per round. Factory: sample build, 7–15 days per round.
Step 6: testing (weeks 8–10)
Testing is per model, at a third-party lab, before mass production. For the EU and UK that means EN71-1 (physical and mechanical), EN71-2 (flammability) and EN71-3 (migration of elements). For the US it is ASTM F963 plus CPSIA lead and phthalate testing. Budget five to ten working days and roughly USD 300–900 per model (indicative), more if you add packaging or age-grade variants.
One detail trips up first-time importers: the CPC is issued by the US importer or US manufacturer, not by the Chinese factory. The factory supplies test reports and a draft, and you sign. Keep reports on file for every model and retest after any change to paint, timber, hardware or supplier.
Step 7: mass production and QC (weeks 10–16)
Custom production runs 25–40 days after sample approval and deposit; stock items ship in 7–25 days. Ask for a production schedule with a date for each operation, then book the inspection against it: inline check at painting and assembly, final random inspection at AQL 2.5, carton drop test, and a loading check.
Use a third-party inspector for the first order even if you trust the factory. It costs a few hundred dollars and it tests the factory's paperwork as much as its product. Payment is normally 30% deposit and 70% against the bill of lading, with L/C at sight or Trade Assurance available if you prefer.
Buyer: deposit, inspection booking, artwork approval. Factory: schedule, inline QC, final inspection access, loading photos.
Step 8: documents and shipment
Documents travel slower than containers. Get them before the vessel sails: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, test reports, CPC or EU/UK declaration of conformity, and FSC records if you claimed certified timber. If you need a certificate of origin for a preferential rate, order it early.
Duty is not the factory's number to quote. Ask your broker for the current HTS 9503.00.00 rate including any Section 301 or IEEPA action in force; the total has changed several times since 2018 and cannot be assumed from an old PO. Incoterms are usually FOB Ningbo or Shanghai, with EXW and CIF available.
Next step
Send a brief with market, age band, target FOB and first-order quantity. We will come back with a SKU shortlist, logo recommendation and a costed sample plan. Start with OEM and private label, then request a quote.
