Promotional products and branded merchandise are goods printed, engraved or stitched with your logo, from tote bags and drinkware to notebooks, desk mats and tech gifts. Most of them are made in China, and the difference between a smooth order and a costly one usually comes down to the brief, the sample and the paperwork.
This Epic Guide is for UK marketing teams, agencies, event organisers and new brands that want to buy branded merchandise direct from Chinese factories. It covers product types, logo methods, MOQs, sampling, UK compliance, seasonal deadlines and landed cost.
At Epic Sourcing we run Supplier Vetting, Sample Development and Private Label for UK brands. Author note for this guide: TK Wang, Founder and Director at Epic Sourcing. This is practical sourcing guidance, not legal advice. Check product rules on GOV.UK or with a test lab before you order.
Pick a factory that makes your product type in-house, agree the logo method and Pantone colours in writing, approve a pre-production sample before bulk, check the compliance rules that apply to your item (especially tech gifts and drinkware), and work back from your event or Christmas date so Chinese New Year does not catch you out.
Chinese factories tend to specialise. A bag maker is rarely the right partner for drinkware, and a drinkware factory rarely makes good notebooks. Matching the factory to the category is the first quality decision you make.
| Category | Common materials | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Bags and totes | Cotton canvas, jute, recycled PET, non-woven polypropylene | Fabric weight (GSM), handle stitching, print area, any recycled-content claims you plan to make |
| Drinkware | Stainless steel, glass, ceramic, food-grade plastics | Food-contact paperwork, lid seals, coating durability, dishwasher claims |
| Stationery and desk mats | PU leather, vegan leather, felt, cork, paper and card | Edge finishing, smell and off-gassing on PU, colour match across batches, flatness of mats |
| Apparel and textiles | Cotton, polyester, blends | Size grading, shrinkage, embroidery density, care labels |
| Tech gifts | Power banks, chargers, speakers, smart devices | Battery safety, product security rules for connectable items, UKCA or CE marking, shipping rules for lithium batteries |
Desk mats are a good example of why material choice matters. PU and vegan leather give a premium look but vary widely in thickness, backing and smell. Felt and cork feel natural and suit sustainability messaging, but cork needs a good backing to stay flat. Ask for material swatches before you commit to a design.
The decoration method affects cost, durability, minimum quantity and how your brand looks. Agree it in writing with a marked-up artwork file, Pantone references and logo size in millimetres.
| Method | Best for | Points to agree |
|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | Bags, apparel, flat items with one to a few spot colours | Number of colours (each usually needs its own screen), Pantone match |
| Pad printing | Pens, small curved surfaces | Print area limits, rub resistance |
| Digital or UV print | Full-colour logos, desk mats, gradients | Colour accuracy against your brand guide, scratch resistance |
| Emboss and deboss | PU and leather notebooks, desk mats, card | Plate cost, depth, fine-line detail |
| Laser engraving | Stainless drinkware, bamboo, metal tech gifts | Single tone only, position tolerance |
| Embroidery | Caps, polos, jackets, premium totes | Stitch count, thread colours, small text legibility |
Minimum order quantity (MOQ) is the smallest order a factory will accept. For branded goods it is driven by material rolls, print set-up, custom colours and packaging, not just by the product itself.
Ask every shortlisted factory for a tiered quote (for example at three quantity levels) so you can see where the unit price drops and decide whether a bigger order is worth the cash flow.
Most problems with promotional products show up in the sample, if you look properly. Treat sampling as three steps.
Check logo colour against your Pantone guide in daylight, measure logo size and position, rub-test the print, and for drinkware check lids, seals and the inside finish. For a corporate event, ask for a photo of the packed carton and the individual packaging too.
A giveaway is still a product placed on the UK market. If you are the importer, you carry responsibilities for safety and labelling, even when the item is free to the end user.
Smart, app-connected or internet-connectable consumer products fall under the UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) product security regime, which applies from 29 April 2024. In short: no universal default passwords, a published way to report security issues, and clear information on how long security updates will be provided, backed by a statement of compliance from the manufacturer.
Electrical items such as chargers, speakers and power banks also need the right conformity marking (UKCA, or CE marking where GB continues to accept it), a declaration of conformity and supporting test reports. Lithium batteries must pass UN38.3 testing to ship, and your forwarder will ask for the report and a safety data sheet.
Mugs, bottles and tumblers are food-contact materials. In Great Britain the retained food-contact framework requires materials not to transfer harmful substances into food, and plastic parts (lids, straws, seals) need a written declaration of compliance supported by migration testing. Avoid bamboo-fibre and melamine mixes, which the Food Standards Agency has warned are not authorised for food contact.
UK REACH restricts certain substances in articles, such as some phthalates in plastics and PU, certain azo dyes in textiles and leather, and PAHs in rubber and plastic parts you touch. Ask the factory for recent lab reports on the actual materials, not a generic certificate for a different product.
Branded merchandise is deadline-driven. Work back from the date the goods must be in your hands, not from the date you want to place the order.
The factory price is only part of the cost. Build a landed cost per unit before you agree the price list.
Landed cost per unit =
Product price + decoration and set-up (spread across units) + packaging + inspection + freight and insurance + UK Customs Duty + import VAT + broker and port charges + UK delivery
We check that the factory really makes your category in-house, holds the right test reports and can hit your deadline.
See packagesWe manage branded and pre-production samples, logo colour and position, and sign-off against your brief.
See packagesFor brands turning merchandise into a retail range, from product design to bulk, inspection and delivery.
Private LabelNeed an inspection before shipment? See our quality control and factory audits service.
Often yes, if you use stock items and stock colours with a simple logo. Custom materials, custom colours and printed packaging push the minimum up. Ask for tiered quotes to see the trade-off.
It depends on the product, sampling rounds and freight method. Plan time for samples, approval, production, inspection and shipping, and add a buffer around Chinese New Year and Golden Week.
Yes. A product given away is still supplied to consumers, so safety, marking and labelling rules still apply, and the importer carries responsibility.
Laser engraving, embossing, debossing and embroidery generally outlast surface prints because they are part of the material. Printed logos can be very durable too, but ask for rub and wash tests on the sample.
A food-contact declaration of compliance and recent migration test reports for the materials used, including lids and seals. Check the reports name the actual product and materials.
Yes. Through Sample Development we review samples against your brief and can send you a sample QC report with photos and measurements before you sign off.
Send us your merchandise brief and we will help you vet the factory, check the branded sample and spot problems before production starts.
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