Garment export and web terms in plain language
Buyers, factories and web studios each use their own shorthand. This page explains the terms that come up most when a garment business gets a website, in plain language.
Garment buying and export
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| RFQ | Request for quotation. A buyer’s message asking a supplier for a price on a specific product, quantity and delivery date. |
| Buying house | A company that finds and manages factories for overseas buyers. It sits between the buyer and the factory. |
| MOQ | Minimum order quantity. The smallest quantity a factory will accept, per style, per colour or per order. |
| Tech pack | The document that tells a factory how to make a garment: the design, measurements, materials and construction details. |
| Sample | A garment made before bulk production. Common kinds are the pre-production sample, the size set, and the top-of-production sample taken from the start of the bulk run and checked against the approved sample. |
| Lead time | The time from a confirmed order to the goods being ready or shipped. |
| FOB | Free on board. A shipping term (an Incoterm) under which the seller delivers the goods onto the ship at the named port. The buyer takes on cost and risk from there. |
| Incoterm | A standard shipping term that sets who pays for what, and who carries the risk, between seller and buyer. |
| HS code | Harmonized System code. An international number that classifies a traded product. Exporter listings, such as the Export Promotion Bureau’s Exporter Database, show the codes for each exporter’s products. |
| L/C | Letter of credit. A bank’s promise to pay the seller once the agreed documents are presented. |
| Compliance | Meeting safety, labour and environmental standards, usually shown through audits and certificates. |
| RSC | Ready-Made Sustainability Council. It took over the Accord’s work in Bangladesh in June 2020 and inspects factory building, fire and electrical safety. |
| amfori BSCI | A social-compliance audit programme run by amfori that many buyers ask suppliers to join. |
| WRAP | A certification programme for responsible factory practices. |
| OEKO-TEX | A testing and certification system that checks textiles for harmful substances. |
| GOTS | Global Organic Textile Standard. A certification for textiles made from organic fibres. |
| TIN | Taxpayer’s Identification Number, issued by the tax authority. |
| Trade licence | A licence from the local authority that allows a business to operate. |
Websites and online selling
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Domain | Your web address, such as yourbusiness.com. |
| Hosting | The service that stores your website and keeps it online. |
| SSL certificate | What makes a site load over https and shows the padlock in the browser. It protects the data moving between the visitor and the site. |
| Cash on delivery (COD) | The customer pays the courier in cash when the parcel arrives. |
| Payment gateway | A service that takes card or mobile-wallet payments on a website and passes the money to the seller. SSLCommerz is one used in Bangladesh. |
| Admin | Someone who can manage an account’s settings. An admin can manage an account without owning it. |
Looking for what buyers check before they reply? Read what overseas buyers check. Wondering who owns a website? Read who owns your website.
Written and reviewed by Kh Raj Rahman.
Common questions
What is an RFQ?
A request for quotation: a buyer’s message asking a supplier for a price on a specific product, quantity and delivery date.
What is a buying house?
A company that finds and manages factories for overseas buyers, sitting between the buyer and the factory.
What does MOQ mean?
Minimum order quantity: the smallest quantity a factory will accept, per style, per colour or per order.
What does FOB mean?
Free on board: a shipping term under which the seller delivers the goods onto the ship at the named port, and the buyer takes on cost and risk from there.
What is cash on delivery?
The customer pays the courier in cash when the parcel arrives.
Sources
Facts and prices from other organisations were checked on 16 October 2026. Prices change, so check the source before you rely on a number.
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Last updated: 19 October 2026
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