How a custom mould order is paid — four milestones

A new mould order has four payment milestones: two for tooling and two for the bulk goods. Each is tied to the agreement and approvals set out below, so you can see the next step before it is due.

The schedule

The four payment milestones

Unless otherwise agreed in a signed written amendment, payments on a mould order follow this schedule. Two payments relate to the tooling fee, two to the bulk goods order.

Tooling fee — milestones 1 and 2 (10% + 90%)
Bulk goods order — milestones 3 and 4 (30% + 70%)
Milestone 110%

Initial mould deposit

of the agreed tooling fee

Due: When the agreement is signed, before we start the 3D sample and related development work.

Then: We build the 3D model and the 3D sample for your review.

Milestone 290%

Remaining tooling fee

of the agreed tooling fee

Due: Only after you have reviewed the 3D sample and the final 3D data and confirmed them in writing.

Then: On receipt, mould production officially begins.

Milestone 330%

Bulk order deposit

of the bulk order amount

Due: Only after the moulded samples — the first pieces off your new tool — have been made, sent to you and approved by you in writing.

Then: Bulk production is scheduled.

Milestone 470%

Bulk order balance

of the bulk order amount

Due: After bulk production is complete and before shipment — subject to the goods conforming to the specifications, drawings, samples and quality requirements you approved.

Then: The goods ship.

What you approve, and when

Three Approval Points in the Mould Plan

Two halves of an injection mould for a drinkware part
Before the mould is cut: you approve the 3D sample and the final 3D data in writing. Until then, 90% of the tooling fee is not due.
CNC machining workshop where drinkware moulds are made
Before bulk is scheduled: you approve the moulded samples — the first real pieces off your new tool — in writing. Until then, the bulk deposit is not due.
Injection moulding workshop where bulk production runs
Before shipment: the balance is due once bulk production is complete, and it is tied to the goods matching what you approved.

“Approved” means approved in writing — an email is enough, but it has to be explicit. The written record keeps both sides working from the same approved details before the next step.

Compared

How this differs from a standard order

Standard order (existing body)

30% deposit before production and 70% before shipment — or 70% against a copy of the bill of lading for established long-term customers. An existing body needs no new tooling; the sample and artwork are still approved before bulk production.

Mould order (new tooling)

Four milestones. The tooling fee is split around your 3D approval; the bulk order is split around your approval of the moulded samples, with the balance before shipment.

What the tooling costs, who owns the mould afterwards, and when the fee comes back to you at volume are covered in what a custom mould really costs. For how a new design moves from sketch to production, see OEM / ODM.

Frequently asked about paying for a mould order

No. Only 10% of the tooling fee is due when the agreement is signed, to start the 3D sample and development work. The remaining 90% is due only after you have reviewed the 3D sample and the final 3D data and confirmed them in writing.

Tell us what to change before you confirm. The 90% tooling payment follows your written approval, and the mould is not cut until the design is approved in writing.

30% of the bulk order amount is due after the moulded samples — the first real pieces off the new tool — have been made, sent to you and approved by you in writing.

The remaining 70% of the bulk order is due after production is complete and before shipment, and it is subject to the goods conforming to the specifications, drawings, samples and quality requirements you approved.

No. Standard terms on an existing body are 30% deposit before production and 70% before shipment (70% against a copy of the bill of lading for established long-term customers). A mould order has two extra approval steps — the 3D sample and the moulded sample — and each payment follows the approval before it.

Yes, but only by a signed written amendment to the agreement. Until then the schedule above applies.

All four sales representatives — Beyond Lee, Miya Wu, Candy Tang and Shally Zhang — welcome global buyers in English and take part in our internal service competition to provide the most attentive follow-up. Choose Miya, Candy or Shally and Sales Manager Beyond Lee supervises the full order process from sample to shipment; choose Beyond Lee and a dedicated assistant works alongside him to co-follow your order. Each contact serves global buyers in English first and is also particularly familiar with specific order types and regional markets: Beyond Lee for custom development, logo options and new tooling; Miya Wu for supermarket, retail, online/FBA and brand orders (esp. Europe, Russia & CIS); Candy Tang for promotional gift campaigns and multi-item sets (esp. the US & Canada, Spain & Latin America, Oceania and select African markets); and Shally Zhang for volume orders, container scheduling and incoming accessory checks (esp. Brazil & Portugal, Southeast Asia and the Middle East).
Global English Service Competition & Full-Process Supervision: All four representatives welcome enquiries in English from global buyers and compete on service quality. Choose Beyond Lee (co-followed with a dedicated assistant), Miya Wu (retail, brand & FBA; esp. Europe, Russia & CIS), Candy Tang (promotional gifts; esp. the US & Canada, Spain & Latin America, Oceania & select African markets), or Shally Zhang (volume orders; esp. Brazil & Portugal, Southeast Asia & the Middle East) — with Sales Manager Beyond Lee supervising the full order process from sample to shipment.

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