Running Apparel Supplier for Gyms: MOQ, Price & Lead Time

# Running Apparel Supplier for Gyms: MOQ, Price & Lead Time The first email from a gym owner usually asks for a price list. The second email asks the questions that actually decide the deal: what is the landed cost per piece, how fast can we hold a physical sample, and who checks the factory floor while our order is being sewn? Those are the right questions. Alpinario runs a Zhejiang factory with more than 20 years of production under one roof—we are not a trading office—so we answer with dates, price tiers, and a sourcing workflow we use for every gym client. ## Sourcing workflow Gym apparel is not a fashion capsule. It repeats, it carries class-specific colors, and the delivery date is tied to your launch calendar. Our sourcing workflow is built around that rhythm. **1. Brief and quote (day 0–2)** Send your artwork, a reference garment, or simply your logo and Pantone color ideas. We reply within 24 hours. With a complete brief—styles, quantity, size curve, destination port—you receive an itemized quotation in 1–2 working days. The standard range we factory-direct for gyms is listed on our [wholesale-sportswear](/wholesale-sportswear) page. **2. Sampling (day 3–7)** Your sample is dispatched within 3–7 days. Our QC team checks the sample on the floor before it ships, so the piece you hold is exactly what we can reproduce in bulk. If you are still testing demand, the 1-piece MOQ lets you order a single custom sample without committing to a full run. This is not a teaser: one piece with your label is a real order. **3. Bulk production (week 2–6)** Once you approve the sample and sign the purchase order, we buy the fabric, cut, sew, and trim on our own floor. A mid-size 300-piece order ships in 4–6 weeks after sample confirmation. Most running styles we produce are polyester-based; nylon is available for compression fits, and we can match almost any Pantone color. That matters for gyms because class kits are often color-coded, and we keep the color formula on file for every style you order. **4. Check, pack, ship** When bulk is ready, our QC team inspects by style and color. If you sell on Amazon, we pre-apply FBA labels on the line and send cartons straight to an Amazon warehouse. What you approve at the sample stage is what you will unload at the destination port—that consistency is why buyers come back for second and third runs. ## Price breaks Price breaks matter more at small volumes than most buyers expect. Below is the price framework we quote for a basic polyester running singlet at typical gym order sizes. | Order tier | Quantity | Typical FOB price (USD/pc) | Production lead time | |---|---|---|---| | Sample | 1–5 pcs | $12–$25 + freight | Dispatched in 3–7 days | | Small batch | 50–299 pcs | $6.80–$9.80 | 4 weeks after approval | | Standard gym order | 300–999 pcs | $5.80–$8.20 | 4–6 weeks after approval | | Bulk program | 1,000+ pcs | $4.90–$7.10 | 5–7 weeks after approval | The figures are FOB from our Zhejiang factory, per piece, before freight and duties. The step between tiers is not a margin game. At 1,000 pieces we buy polyester knit as full rolls and cutting waste stays under 5%. At 100 pieces, the same garment uses more fabric per unit, and the cost of print screens, label setup, and sewing line changeover is carried by fewer units. A 140 GSM polyester singlet with a single-color print lands around $5.80–$8.20 in the 300-piece tier. Add embroidery, reflective details, or a nylon-blend compression fit, and the price rises roughly $1.50–$3.00 per piece. Long-sleeve running tops at 150 GSM run about $6.20–$9.00, and lined running shorts sit around $7.40–$10.50 at the same tier. That is the spread to budget for when you compare a local decorator printing on blanks against factory-direct production. Because the MOQ is one piece, gyms can sample, test the market, and then step up to 300 pieces without being locked into a 1,000-piece first order. The full buying walkthrough for a complete running assortment—tops, singlets, shorts, layers—is on our [running-wear-wholesale-guide](/pages/running-wear-wholesale-guide). ## Private label at supplier tier Private label at a supplier tier means nothing is outsourced. We sew the garment, produce the labels, and attach the trims under one roof. The branding story on your gym's clothing is controlled end to end, and when a member turns the shirt inside out, the label tells one clean story. Collar labels, wash-care labels, and hang tags are all handled on our floor. Logo treatments can be printed, embroidered, or heat-transferred. Almost any Pantone color can be matched, which is exactly what you need when class kits are split by session time or coach team—color consistency across locations is stored as a factory-side reference, not a shared folder of compromise photos. Most gym clients start with our [low-moq-sportswear](/low-moq-sportswear) option: one piece with your own label to validate design and fit, then scale once the sell-through data arrives. From there, a private label run behaves like the standard workflow above, with your brand files already in our system. The material choices stay focused: polyester is the base for nearly all our running apparel because it moves moisture and holds print color well; nylon is possible when a tighter compression hand is needed. The [private-label-activewear](/private-label-activewear) page walks through the full trim and label checklist if you want to audit the process before sending a brief. ## Reorder planning Reorders are where gyms win or lose margin, because a reorder skips sampling. Once a style and its Pantone codes are on file, we go straight to bulk production. The first run carries all the setup cost; the second run is mostly paperwork and fabric. Start from your sell-through. A mid-size 300-piece order needs 4–6 weeks of production after sample confirmation, plus 1–2 weeks for freight. That puts the reorder trigger about 7 weeks before you need stock on the rack. Worked example: if you move 30 pieces a week across two locations and want to keep five weeks of cover, you reorder when around 150 pieces remain. The fresh 300 reorder goes on our floor, produces, and arrives close to the moment the last carton empties. If a style sells out in six weeks, that is also your signal to double the next batch to 600 pieces, because the line changeover cost gets amortized over more units. The price difference between 300 pieces ($5.80–$8.20) and 1,000 pieces ($4.90–$7.10) is roughly $1 per piece. On an annual 3,000-piece program, that is about $3,000 of margin per style—enough to justify a larger first order when the data supports it. For Amazon sellers, the rhythm is identical but simpler: we pre-apply FBA labels during production and ship directly to Amazon warehouses, so a reorder is a repeated purchase order with the same style code, Pantone reference, and pack details already locked. ## FAQ **What is the MOQ?** One piece. There is no minimum order quantity at Alpinario. You can order a single custom running singlet for sampling, a 50-piece trial for one class, or a 1,000-piece program for multiple gyms. The customization—labels, logos, colors—is the same at every tier. **Sampling timeline?** Samples are dispatched within 3–7 days. After you confirm the sample, a mid-size 300-piece order ships in 4–6 weeks. All inquiries get a reply within 24 hours. Send your design, size curve, or a simple reference photo and we will reply within 24 hours with pricing at your exact order tier and the next available production slot. **[Request a Quote](mailto:support@alpinario.com)**