MOQ 50 explained: how small brands start with custom phone grips

Published 2026-09-29 · 6 min read

Every week we get the same message: “Can you do 10 pieces?” Some suppliers say yes, then disappear. Others say no, without explaining. Neither answer helps you. So here is the arithmetic behind our number.

Where the minimum comes from

A factory order is not one job, it is four setup jobs stacked on top of each other:

• Material. Aluminium and PC arrive in fixed lengths and batch quantities. A very small run still consumes a full length.
• Colour and finish. Anodising and painting run in batches. A one-off colour for 10 pieces costs almost the same to set up as for 50.
• Logo. Laser engraving is per-piece, but silk-screen and UV printing need a screen or a plate made first.
• Packing. Retail boxes are printed in runs, so a custom box has its own minimum.

Add those four and you get a floor. Below it, the setup work is a bigger share of the cost than the product itself, which is why very small orders end up with a high unit price — not because the factory is punishing you.

What 50 pieces actually includes

So the minimum is not “50 of one thing”. It is a complete branded order: your colour, your logo, your box.

Three ways to keep a first order small and cheap

1. Start from a stock model. No new tooling means no tooling cost, and the timeline stays in weeks rather than months.
2. Choose a standard colour for the metal. A stock anodised finish removes a whole setup step. Save the custom colour for the second order, once you know the model sells.
3. Keep the first box simple. A plain box with a printed label is the cheapest test packaging and still looks retail-ready.

How to test a market with 50 pieces

Fifty pieces is not a container, it is a market test. Three things make it a real test:

• List the product at your planned retail price and see if it converts at all.
• Watch the returns and messages — with magnetic products, fit and magnet strength are the two questions that decide repeat orders.
• Ask buyers what they disliked. That feedback is worth more than the profit on 50 pieces.

If 50 pieces sell through, the second order tells you the real numbers: which colour, which packaging, and whether you need your own mould.

When the minimum is not the real problem

If you are supplying a retail chain that needs 10,000 units per colour, a 50-piece minimum is irrelevant — the conversation should be about capacity, tooling amortisation and delivery schedule. We run 3 lines with a monthly capacity of over 300,000 units, so that conversation is a normal one for us, but it is a different conversation.

The opposite case is also common: a buyer asks for 10 pieces to “test the quality” and then disappears. That is what samples are for. Samples are quoted separately, ship by express, and let you check the magnet, the hinge and the finish long before you commit to a production batch.

What to ask for on a first order

1. A sample first, and a written spec sheet with the material grade and measured magnet strength.
2. A short video of your actual batch being tested before packing.
3. The packing dimensions and carton quantity, so you can price your own shipping.

The short version

Start with a stock model, a standard colour and a simple box. Order the sample. If the numbers work after 50 pieces, move to your own colour, your own box, and only then consider your own tooling.