What a buying house does
A buying house is a sourcing company that works on behalf of the brand. It does not own the sewing lines; it selects and manages partner factories and acts as your team on the ground: costing, factory matching, sampling, compliance checks, production follow-up, quality control and shipment coordination.
Side by side
| Direct factory | Buying house | |
|---|---|---|
| Counterparts | One per factory | One for all factories and product types |
| Product range | Limited to what that factory makes | Several categories through different specialist factories |
| Factory vetting | Your own audits and visits | Done by the buying house, to your requirements |
| Quality control | Your QC staff or a third party | Inline and final inspection included |
| MOQ flexibility | Set by one factory | Matched across a network to fit your quantity |
| Best for | Large, stable programmes with your own local team | Growing or multi-category brands without staff in Bangladesh |
When going direct makes sense
- You place large, repeating orders in one product type.
- You have your own sourcing, compliance and QC staff in Bangladesh.
- You have already vetted and worked with the factory.
When a buying house makes sense
- You need several product types — say knit tops, sweaters and denim — from different specialist factories.
- You do not have people on the ground to visit factories and follow production.
- You want one time-and-action calendar and one point of contact across all styles.
- Your quantities vary, and you need factories that fit each order.
What to ask any sourcing partner
- Which factories will make my order, and what audits and certifications do they hold?
- How is quality checked — inline, final, and against what AQL?
- Will I get a time-and-action calendar, and how often will I get status updates?
- What are the MOQ and lead time for my fabric and quantity?
- Which brands do you already produce for?
Inara Sourcing is a buying house in Dhaka. Since 2019 we have produced circular knit, sweaters, sportswear, outerwear, denim and woven garments for more than 56 clients. More about us.