Lash supplier audit: 12 questions to ask before your first order
Most first orders go wrong in ways that were predictable from the first conversation. These twelve questions are the ones worth asking before any money moves. Ask them in writing, and pay attention to what is answered precisely versus what is answered with reassurance.
Questions about who is actually making the product
The distinction between a manufacturer and a trading company is the most important one in the whole conversation. Both can serve you well, but they behave differently on lead times, minimums and problem-solving.
- 1. Do you manufacture these lashes yourselves, or do you buy from another factory? If you buy, can you name the factory?
- 2. How many production lines or how much capacity do you run, and what is your current monthly output?
- 3. What is your own quality inspection step, and at what stage does it happen in the process?
Questions about specification and consistency
The risk with lashes is not that the first shipment is wrong, it is that the third shipment is subtly different from the first. These questions test whether the product you approve is the product you will keep receiving.
- 4. Can you send me the exact style codes, fibre, curl, length and band in writing for every style I shortlist?
- 5. How do you keep batch-to-batch consistency, and what would you do if a later batch did not match my approved sample?
- 6. Can the approved sample be referenced as the quality standard on the purchase order?
Questions about commercial terms
Ask all of these before you discuss price, because the answers determine whether a quoted price is comparable at all.
- 7. Which minimum is binding for my order — per style, per order, or the packaging print run?
- 8. What is included in the unit price, and what is charged separately: packaging setup, printing plates, samples, cartons?
- 9. What are the payment terms, and what percentage is the deposit versus the balance?
- 10. What is the realistic production lead time for my quantity, and how much of that is fixed versus dependent on materials?
Questions about problems
This is the part buyers skip and later regret. A supplier is judged not by the orders that go well but by what happens when one does not.
- 11. If the shipment does not match the approved sample, what is your process, and who pays for the remedy?
- 12. Can you share your packaging die-line and confirm which file formats, barcodes and regulatory text you need from me?
What the answers tell you
Specific numbers, named processes and written confirmations are the signs of a supplier who actually makes the product. Vague reassurance, repeated restatements of your own question, and answers that change between conversations are the signs of a middle layer. That does not automatically disqualify a trading company — they can be useful for small or mixed orders — but you should know which one you are buying from before you send a deposit.
Two things to verify independently
Do not rely on the answer alone. Ask for the packaging die-line and check the dimensions are plausible against the box you expect. Ask for a shipping record or a carton specification for a previous order, and check the carton weight and volume against what you are being quoted. Both are cheap requests that a real manufacturer can satisfy immediately.
How to run the audit without slowing yourself down
Send all twelve questions in one message rather than one at a time. The speed of the reply matters less than whether every question gets a specific answer. If several come back unanswered or general, that is itself the answer.
Next step
Before you shortlist anything, it is reasonable to ask the specification and commercial questions first. You can send questions about style codes, minimums, lead times and packaging requirements to [email protected], or build an inquiry list from the catalogue and ask alongside your quotation.