Most private label luggage enquiries arrive with a photo of a competitor’s case and one line: “How much for something like this?” It is a fair question, and it cannot be answered. The price of an aluminum case moves with the shell, the quantity, the components and the market it is going to, and none of those are in the photo. This is the list of what a factory needs before it can put a real number on paper, why each item matters, and what to write when you do not know yet.
Three things that unlock a quote
On our side, most quotes go out within 24 hours of receiving three things: your logo, your material choice, and your target quantity. Everything else on this page makes the quote more accurate, but these three make it possible at all.
Logo. A vector file if you have one; a clear image if you do not. It tells us how the mark can go on and how big it is; the methods are covered below.
Material. Full aluminum, aluminum frame with polycarbonate shells, polycarbonate, or polypropylene. This one word decides which press or mold the case comes off, which sets the base price and the minimum. If you are not sure, say what the case has to feel like and what it has to sell for, and we will suggest one.
Quantity. A number, or a range. Our minimum is 300 pieces per design, a design being one size in one construction, and a logo on an existing model can start from 50 pieces. Why the number works that way is in our custom luggage MOQ guide. A quote for 300 and a quote for 1,000 are different documents, so tell us which one you want first.
The nine that make it accurate
With the three above we can quote. With the nine below we can quote the case you actually want to sell, rather than our default version of it.
| What to send | Why the factory needs it | If you don’t know yet, write |
|---|---|---|
| Target retail price, or the tier | Decides which shell, wheel and lock we propose. A case for a premium tier and a case for an entry tier are built differently from the first part. | “Mid-range, similar to [a brand you sell against]” |
| Market and channel | Sets the tests, the TSA lock, the labelling and the packaging. A case going to Amazon FBA in the US needs different labels and cartons from one going to a retailer in Germany. | The country, and whether it sells online, in stores, or both |
| Size | Carry-on or checked, and which airline standard if it matters. Size picks the shell, and shells are what molds are made for. | “Carry-on, must fit [airline] cabin rules” or “same size as [model]” |
| Colour | Stock colours are applied per order; a colour outside the range needs matching and a swatch, which adds a step before sampling. | A Pantone code, or “silver” — silver is the metal itself and needs no matching |
| Wheels, lock, handle | These are specified per order and appear as separate lines on the quote. Single or double spinner, TSA combination or plain lock, standard or wide handle each change the number. | “Standard” — we will state what standard is on the quote |
| Interior | Lining fabric, dividers, straps, and for makeup cases trays and mirrors. Interior is one of the cheapest places to make a stock model look like yours. | “Same as [model], in [colour]” |
| Packaging and labelling | Dust bag, inner box, carton markings, barcodes, FBA labels. Packaging is quoted per unit and affects the carton count and the freight. | “Standard export carton, no retail box” or “FBA-ready” |
| Delivery terms and destination | FOB, CIF or DDP, and the port or warehouse. This is the difference between a factory price and a landed price. | “FOB” and the destination country; we will suggest the term |
| Sample requirement | Whether you want a sample before ordering, how many, in which colour. Sampling takes 15 to 20 working days and sits before the 45-day production clock, so it belongs in the timeline from the start. | “One sample, in our colour, before we confirm” |
If you want the full specification rather than a brief, the fields a factory reads are laid out in the luggage tech pack.
What comes back
The quote names every default we assumed, so you can see what to change: unit price, tooling (zero on an existing shell), the sample, packaging, freight on CIF or DDP terms, payment terms and a validity date. Why a factory answers with a quote rather than a price list, and what moves each line, is in why a luggage factory cannot send you a price list.
If you are comparing suppliers, compare them on the same delivery term. An FOB price and a DDP price are not the same number, and freight is the line first-time buyers most often forget to compare.
How the logo goes on
The logo file is one of the three unlock items because the method has to be chosen before anything else is priced. For a first order on an existing shell, laser marking on the anodised surface is the default: no added part, no added tooling, permanent. Contrast depends on the finish colour, so approve it on a real sample rather than on a rendering. The other methods, from engraving before finishing to a mark pressed into the die, are compared in custom luggage logo: on aluminum the method is a sequence decision.
We work from your artwork as supplied; if it will not hold at the size and on the surface you have asked for, you will get that back as a question, not as a silently adjusted file. We do not apply a mark that is not yours.
What the sample is for
A sample takes 15 to 20 working days and one is the normal starting point. It proves three things: that the shell closes square, that the hardware fits its cut-outs, and that the finish and the logo look the way you approved them. It does not prove consistency across a production run, because it is built by people who know it is a sample; consistency is checked on units pulled at random from bulk, which is a different exercise on a different date. Put the sample in the timeline from the start: 15 to 20 working days for the sample, your approval, then about 45 days of production. The sample line on the quote tells you what it costs on your shell and whether tooling is involved. How consistency across a run is checked is in pre-shipment inspection.
The four omissions that delay quotes most
No quantity. “Depends on the price” is understandable and unusable. Give us the number you would order if the price is right, and the number you would order first to test; we will quote both.
No market. Without a destination we cannot quote packaging, labelling or delivery, and we cannot tell you which tests the case will need. “USA, Amazon” or “EU, retail” is enough.
A photo with no dimensions. A picture of a carry-on does not tell us whether it is a 20-inch or a 22-inch, and those are different shells. If you have the case in hand, measure it; if you are copying a listing, send the listing.
A logo as a screenshot. We can work from it for the quote, but not for engraving. Ask your designer for the vector file now rather than when the sample is waiting on it.
If all you have is an idea
You do not need a specification to get a quote. The route most first-time brands take is to pick an existing model from our aluminum luggage range, tell us the three unlock items, and let the rest default: standard wheels, standard lock, standard lining, export carton, FOB. The quote comes back with every default named, and you change the lines you care about. This is what we mean by ODM. Bringing your own design (OEM), with a new shell and new tooling, is a longer road, and one that usually starts after a brand has sold its first run of an existing model.
A brief you can copy
Fill in what you know and leave the rest. An incomplete brief that arrives today beats a complete one that arrives next month.
We are looking for a quotation for a private label aluminum case.
Logo: attached (vector / image).
Material: full aluminum / aluminum frame + PC / PC / PP.
Quantity: [first order] and [expected reorder].
Target retail price or tier: [ ].
Market and channel: [country], [online / retail / both].
Size: [carry-on / checked], [inches or a reference model].
Colour: [Pantone or name].
Wheels, lock, handle: standard unless noted: [ ].
Interior: [ ].
Packaging: [standard export carton / retail box / FBA-ready].
Delivery terms: [FOB / CIF / DDP] to [port or warehouse].
Sample: [yes / no], [how many], [colour].
Send it through our aluminum luggage manufacturer page, the private label luggage page or by email. If you are still deciding between suppliers, the five questions that show who you are buying from are worth sending first.
Questions we get asked
Do I have to send all twelve items? No. Three get you a quote; the other nine get you an accurate one. Send what you have and say what you are unsure about.
Can I get a sample before I order? Yes. One sample is the normal starting point. Sampling takes 15 to 20 working days, and production takes about 45 days after you approve it.
What are your payment terms? 30% deposit and 70% against the bill of lading, written on the proforma invoice before anything is made. The deposit covers the sheet and components bought to your specification. How other structures share the risk is in luggage payment terms.
Is the minimum per order or per design? Per design: 300 pieces of one size in one construction. A logo on an existing model can start from 50 pieces, and smaller test batches are negotiable.
Do you ship to Amazon warehouses? Yes. FBA-compliant labelling and packaging are done at the factory, with DDP delivery to the warehouse if you want it.
How fast is the quote? Most go out within 24 hours of receiving the logo, the material choice and the target quantity.
