When a sweater supplier raises the price after quotation, first freeze the current specification and ask for a written bridge from the quoted basis to the new basis. Separate expired validity, buyer changes, quantity or color changes, yarn or trim movement, exchange rate, freight and factory assumptions. Check the purchase order and payment status before responding. Accept, redesign, re-source or negotiate only after the changed cost and commercial consequence are traceable.
Establish whether the original number was still an offer
Retrieve the quotation or pro forma invoice, its issue date, validity date, currency, Incoterms® rule and named place, payment terms, quantity split and specification revision. Also check whether the buyer accepted it, issued a purchase order, paid a deposit or authorized material booking. Contract consequences depend on the actual documents and governing law; obtain legal advice for a dispute rather than assuming every quote is binding.
The U.S. International Trade Administration lists product detail, unit and total price, delivery point, payment and sale terms, estimated shipping date, currency and validity date among the useful elements of an export pro forma invoice. That provides a practical audit checklist, not a decision about the legal effect of a specific transaction.
Lock the comparison basis before discussing fairness
Create a dated “quoted versus current” sheet. Confirm yarn supplier reference, composition, count and ply, color route, gauge, stitch map, garment size and weight basis, finish, trims, labels, packing, testing, inspection, quantity by color and size, delivery date and trade term. A new sample may have quietly changed several cost drivers.
| Repricing reason | Evidence to request | Buyer check |
|---|---|---|
| Specification change | Revision and costed component difference | Was the change requested and approved? |
| Quantity or mix | Old/new SKU and color matrix | Did minimums or setup allocation change? |
| Yarn or trim | Exact old/new purchase basis and validity | Same identity, quality and required quantity? |
| Currency | Quoted currency and stated adjustment basis | Was exchange risk already allocated? |
| Delivery route | New freight, rush or trade-term scope | Is it product price or logistics cost? |
| Quotation expiry | Original validity and booking date | Was acceptance inside the stated period? |
Do not compare only the old and new unit price. Recalculate sample and setup fees, minimum color surcharges, leftover yarn, testing, inspection, packaging, freight and duties. A unit increase with an included service can be less material than an unchanged unit price with important exclusions.
Ask for a cost bridge, not confidential payroll
Request the amount attributable to each changed assumption and the effective date. The supplier may not disclose proprietary margins or upstream contracts, but should be able to show whether the difference comes from material specification, consumption, process time, order mix, third-party charges or commercial scope.
For yarn, compare price per consistent unit and the garment consumption assumption. Ask whether waste, pack size, dye-lot minimum, reserve yarn and leftover ownership changed. A higher yarn price per kilogram does not translate directly into the same percentage garment increase; knitting, linking, finishing, trims and overhead remain separate parts of the unit price.
Separate buyer changes from supplier corrections
If the buyer changed yarn, color count, measurements, stitch complexity, finish, packaging, quantity or schedule after the quote, request a written change order showing price and timing before production. If the supplier originally omitted a clearly specified item or underestimated its own process, label that separately. The commercial discussion is different even if both create a new cost.
A sample correction to meet the original controlled specification is not automatically a buyer design change. Conversely, approving a heavier hand, more complex stitch, new trim or tighter delivery after seeing the sample can be a scope change. Use the sample-comment and revision records to establish what occurred.
Choose among five controlled responses
Accept when the evidence and business case support the new basis. Negotiate timing, quantity tiers, shared materials or payment while protecting product requirements. Value-engineer by changing an identified cost driver and resampling where the product changes. Delay or reserve only with a documented price, material and capacity commitment. Re-source or cancel according to contractual rights when the gap cannot be closed.
Do not demand an arbitrary reduction that forces an undisclosed substitute. If cost must fall, specify which outcomes are non-negotiable—fiber claim, hand, fit, appearance, safety, delivery or packing—and ask for option-based quotations. Each alternative should state yarn, gauge, construction, finish, MOQ, sample evidence and schedule.
Protect the order from a second surprise
Issue a revised purchase order or signed commercial amendment with the final specification revision, unit and total price, currency, quantity matrix, included fees, trade term, payment milestones, validity, delivery dates and approved substitutions. State whether price is fixed after deposit or may change under an agreed mechanism.
If using an adjustment formula for a long program, define the named index or supplier evidence, base date, review frequency, threshold, direction, cap or collar, affected cost share and audit record. Avoid clauses such as “price follows market” without a source or calculation. Reconfirm landed cost and retail margin before committing.
Buyer repricing checklist
- Original quote, validity, PO, acceptance and payment dates are available.
- Quoted and current specifications use controlled revision numbers.
- Quantity, color/size split and delivery scope are compared.
- Every increase is assigned to an evidence-backed cause.
- Yarn price and garment consumption are not confused.
- Buyer changes and supplier estimating corrections are separated.
- Alternative prices preserve named quality requirements.
- Cost, inventory, schedule and landed-price impacts are modeled.
- The final agreement updates price and product documents together.
- Any future adjustment mechanism has a defined source and formula.
Yushengda develops custom knitwear in wool, cotton, acrylic, viscose, cashmere and blends across 3GG–16GG, subject to the project. Use the quote-locking guide, value-engineering guide and change-control guide, or send the controlled specification, quantity matrix and required trade term for a documented quotation review.
Primary reference: U.S. International Trade Administration, Pro Forma Invoice, for the information—including prices, terms, shipping estimate and validity date—that helps define an export quotation. It is not legal advice or a ruling on a particular agreement. Competitor content was reviewed only for search intent and coverage gaps; no price figures, claims, wording, cases or images were reused.