Guide
The decision is usually presented as one choice between two options. It is really three, and the middle one is where most B2B buyers should start.
MOQ depends on the selected model, configuration, materials and branding scope. Selected available standard units may be quoted from one unit for evaluation. Around 100 units for a stocking batch and 1,000 units for a custom programme are planning references, subject to quotation. S18D is bulk-only with no evaluation samples. Selected available China-stock configurations typically dispatch in 2-3 business days after stock, payment and order details are confirmed. Custom preparation and production schedules are quoted separately. Overseas stock, delivery coverage, transit and customs clearance depend on the model, route and delivery address; dispatch is not an arrival guarantee.
Model-specific availability: S18D is currently bulk-only with no evaluation samples. Single-unit evaluation applies only to selected available standard configurations. Confirm the exact model, quantity, branding scope and destination before payment.
Most suppliers present this as a binary. Either you buy what they hold, or you commission a build. That framing loses the option most B2B laptop buyers actually need first, and it pushes people into ordering more than their evidence supports.
Choose stock evaluation, a stocking batch or a branded programme according to the model and project. These routes are not available on every model. S18D is bulk-only with no evaluation samples. An evaluation unit of a different model does not approve an S18D build.
Evaluate an available standard configuration for build quality, keyboard feel, display and performance. Ask which exact model can be supplied; S18D has no evaluation samples.
Test the market and your listing at a size that does not need a full production run standing behind it.
A branded range you intend to keep selling, with your own artwork, labelling and retail packaging.
Nothing stops you moving between the three. Buyers commonly start with stock, place a stocking batch once the listing converts, and only then move to a custom programme. Treating the first two as evidence-gathering rather than as a compromise is what keeps a launch from stalling on a large first order.
| Route | Minimum | Typical timing | What changes | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-stock configuration | Selected standard stock may be quoted from one unit; excludes S18D | Selected China stock: typically 2-3 business days after stock, payment and order confirmation. Overseas availability and transit confirmed separately. | Nothing - the configuration is as published | Testing build quality, keyboard feel, display and performance |
| First stocking batch | Around 100 units, subject to model and configuration review | Confirmed per model and configuration | Labels, packaging and keyboard requests reviewed separately; not automatically included | Testing the market and your listing |
| Custom programme | MOQ confirmed by model, materials and branding scope | Separate sample-preparation and production schedules stated in the quotation | Branding and packaging, boot logo and splash screen, keyboard and language, memory and storage, accessories, software image | A branded range you intend to keep selling |
Read the table downwards and the trade is clear: the more of the machine you change, the larger the quantity at which that change stops being expensive, and the further out the delivery date moves. Read it sideways and a second pattern appears. The first two routes exist so you can gather evidence cheaply, and the detail of each is on the low MOQ orders page and the customisation page.
Timing is usually the first question and the easiest one to answer precisely, because each stage has its own clock.
Send the target market, quantity, exact model and requested changes. We review board compatibility, available materials, branding feasibility, documentation, MOQ and the schedule before quoting. Custom enclosure and mainboard tooling are not offered.
Sample availability, configuration, price and preparation time are confirmed by model and project scope. Branding, keyboard, software and firmware requests require their own review and approval. S18D has no evaluation samples.
Production timing is quoted after specification, materials, artwork and approvals are confirmed. A change to the board, configuration or branding can require another feasibility and schedule review.
Selected available China-stock configurations typically dispatch in 2-3 business days after stock, payment and order details are confirmed. Custom preparation and production schedules are quoted separately. Overseas stock, delivery coverage, transit and customs clearance depend on the model, route and delivery address; dispatch is not an arrival guarantee.
Plan sample preparation, artwork approval, material readiness, production, dispatch and transit as separate stages. Ask for each milestone in the quotation and identify which approvals start the next stage.
For repeat orders, compare the proposed build with the approved specification and sample. Board, component, firmware or appearance changes require confirmation; a previous approval does not establish unchanged future availability. Review the supply continuity process before scheduling a repeat batch.
We do not publish a price list, and any supplier who quotes a per-unit figure before knowing your configuration is guessing. What can be explained precisely is the mechanism behind the number.
Separate fixed project costs from unit costs. For example, if an approved setup cost is spread over 100 units rather than 1,000 units, its contribution per unit is 10 times larger; this is arithmetic, not a price quotation. The actual setup scope and unit price depend on the model, materials, quantity and requested changes.
Tooling behaves the same way, and it is worth separating three changes that look similar to a buyer:
Ask the quotation to separate device cost, artwork or setup charges, documentation, freight and any agreed one-time costs. Confirm what changes with quantity and what can be reused on a repeat order. Custom enclosure and mainboard tooling are not offered.
Three limits are worth stating plainly, because they are the places where a buyer most often gets a promise that does not survive contact with production.
Stating these costs us some enquiries. It saves buyers the more expensive experience of discovering them after a deposit.
Work through these in order and the route usually selects itself.
The pattern that produces the fewest expensive mistakes is stock, then a stocking batch, then a custom programme, and it is worth being explicit about why each stage earns the next one. One unit from stock lets you evaluate build quality, keyboard feel, display and performance before you commit to anything larger. A stocking batch lets you test the market and your listing at a size that does not need a full production run standing behind it. If the listing converts you have evidence; if it does not, you have learned that at a fraction of the cost of a custom programme.
A branded programme needs an approved configuration, artwork and change-control plan. Repeat-order continuity depends on component availability; any proposed board, appearance, firmware or configuration change is confirmed before supply. A fixed 24-month hardware freeze is not implied by choosing this route.
The standard ODM/OEM laptop policy provides a 12-month limited warranty from shipment for confirmed manufacturing defects. Confirm coverage, RMA authorization and return freight terms with the order. Review the Warranty and RMA policy, private label programme and wholesale route for the relevant scope.
MOQ depends on the selected model, configuration, materials and branding scope. Selected available standard units may be quoted from one unit for evaluation. Around 100 units for a stocking batch and 1,000 units for a custom programme are planning references, subject to quotation. S18D is bulk-only with no evaluation samples.
Branding is subject to review of the exact model, quantity, artwork and process. Logo, device labels, packaging, keyboard language and boot artwork can have separate minimums, setup costs and approval steps; none is automatically included in a stocking batch.
Sample preparation and production schedules are confirmed separately in the quotation after model, configuration, artwork, approvals and component availability review. Transit and clearance are additional. S18D is bulk-only with no evaluation samples.
Selected available China-stock configurations typically dispatch in 2-3 business days after stock, payment and order details are confirmed. Custom preparation and production schedules are quoted separately. Overseas stock, delivery coverage, transit and customs clearance depend on the model, route and delivery address; dispatch is not an arrival guarantee.
Custom enclosure and mainboard tooling are not offered. Approved artwork, keyboard, packaging or firmware work may have separate setup charges and MOQ requirements, quoted for the exact model, process and quantity.
A new enclosure or tooling for a new chassis is not offered on any route. Everything else depends on the platform and the depth of the change, which is why the brief comes before the quotation. The full option set is on the customisation page.
Tell us your target market, your intended volume and what you want to change, and we will come back with the route, the timing and the fixed-cost items that apply to it rather than a catalogue to browse. If you are still deciding how to brief a supplier at all, the sourcing guide and the specification sheet guide cover the two documents that decide most projects.