Dropship Lingerie Suppliers: Sizing, Hygiene and Discreet Packing
Quick answer: Lingerie stores rarely fail on price. They fail on fit, hygiene and packaging. Chinese bras are sized with a band in centimeters, so a 75B is a US 34B, and cup letters stop matching above D, where a Chinese E is a US DD. Build your size chart from measured samples, not from a supplier's chart. Every bottom and bodysuit should ship with a hygiene liner in its own sealed bag, under a return policy you state before purchase. Pack orders in plain outer mailers, but keep the customs description accurate: discretion is about the outside of the parcel, not the paperwork. For sourcing, Shantou in Guangdong is China's best-known center for bras and underwear.
Where lingerie suppliers are
Gurao, a town in Shantou's Chaoyang district, is known in China as an "underwear town", and Shantou has officially recognized towns for knitted underwear and homewear. Its factories cover the whole chain from yarn and lace to finished bras. Shantou is strongest at the budget and mid-market end; for more structured or higher-end bras, buyers also look at factories in Dongguan and Zhongshan. On 1688 you will find stock styles from these areas, often sold in full size runs in small quantities, which is how most stores test before branding anything. For your own labels and packaging, see our private label clothing guide.
Bra sizes: the conversion behind most exchanges
Chinese bra labels use the EU system: the band is the underbust measurement in centimeters. Some labels print both, such as 34/75B. The band converts cleanly; the cup letters don't, once you pass D.
| Band: Chinese / EU (cm) | 65 | 70 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band: US / UK (inches) | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| Cup: Chinese | A to D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup: US | Same letter | DD | DDD | DDDD |
| Cup: UK | Same letter | DD | E | F |
Conversion charts online don't all agree, and many Asian brands cut cups smaller than Western ones, so a 75B from one factory can fit like a 75A from another. That is why the chart on your product page should come from your own measurements:
- Order samples of each style in at least two band sizes and two cup sizes.
- Measure the band unstretched and stretched, the cup depth and the wire width, and record them per size.
- Have someone in your target size try them on, and note whether the style runs small, true or large.
- Publish US sizes as the main size, with the factory size beside it, plus a short fit note per style.
Underwear, bodysuits and sleepwear have the same problem with letters. Chinese sizing is built on a national standard that uses smaller average body measurements, so a Chinese L often fits like a US M. Publish waist and hip measurements in inches next to every letter.
Which sizes to stock
A bra style in six bands and five cups is thirty SKUs before you add colors. Buying all of them in equal numbers is the fastest way to end up with stock you can't sell. A better approach:
- Start with stock styles your supplier holds in a full size run, and let early orders show you where demand sits.
- Track sales and exchange requests by size, not only by style. A size with many exchanges may be a fit problem, not a demand problem.
- When you move a winner to your own label, order the size split your data supports and keep thin quantities at the extremes.
- Prefer stretch styles (bralettes, wireless bras, seamless sets) for your first branded order: one size covers more customers.
Hygiene: liners, sealed bags and a policy you can enforce
Customers expect intimates to arrive clearly unworn. Ask your supplier to put a hygiene liner in every brief, bodysuit and swim bottom, and to seal each piece in its own polybag with a size sticker. Have your inspection check for both.
Then write a return policy that fits the product. Plenty of lingerie stores refuse returns of worn intimates but replace items that are defective or wrongly sized. Whatever you choose, state it on the product page and at checkout, not only in your terms. Shipping returns back to China is slow and duties get charged, so send replacements from stock instead, and use a warehouse in the customer's country if you need to receive returns at all. Our guide to reducing returns covers the wider playbook.
Discreet packing that still clears customs
- Outside: an opaque, plain or lightly branded mailer, with nothing that names the product. Use a store name on the return address that doesn't spell out what you sell.
- Inside: tissue wrap, the item in its sealed bag, and an insert card with care tips and your exchange policy. This is where your brand shows, not on the outside.
- Paperwork: the customs declaration still has to describe the goods accurately, for example "women's knitted underwear". Vague or false descriptions cause delays and penalties. That wording sits on the customs form, not across the front of the mailer.
- One parcel per order: a bra and matching briefs from different suppliers should arrive together, not in two bags a week apart.
Mailer and insert options are compared in custom packaging for dropshipping.
QC checklist for intimates
- Underwires fully enclosed, with no tip pushing through the channel.
- Hook-and-eye closures aligned and evenly spaced; all rows close.
- Both cups the same shape and depth; pads sit flat and match.
- Straps adjust and the sliders hold under tension.
- Lace edges trimmed cleanly, with no holes where lace meets mesh.
- Elastic recovers after stretching and isn't stitched too tight.
- The size label on the garment matches the polybag and the order.
- No chemical smell, which customers notice on items worn next to skin.
Labels
Bras and underwear count as clothing under US rules: fiber content, country of origin and your company name on a label, a permanent care label, and "Imported" on your product page. If you sell polyester/spandex sports bras, read the section on BPA notices in our activewear manufacturer guide.
What a typical order costs to pack
Take an order for one bra and two of the same brief: two SKUs, three units. At PackQuay, on a day with 1 to 19 paid orders, that is $2.00 for the order, $1.00 for the second SKU and $0.50 for the extra unit, so $3.50, packed into one parcel. From the 149th order of the day, the same order costs $1.00 + $0.50 + $0.25 = $1.75. Shipping is charged at cost, and intimates are light. Details are on our pricing page.
How PackQuay helps
We source lingerie from factory suppliers, measure samples so your size chart is based on real garments, and check every batch on arrival, with 20% inspected free. Orders are packed in your chosen mailer with liners, sealed bags and insert cards, combined into one parcel and shipped on 30+ shipping lines. Send us the styles you sell on WhatsApp; we'll quote them and suggest a size split for your first branded order. Swimwear runs on the same size logic, so see our swimwear guide too.
FAQ
How do I convert Chinese bra sizes to US sizes?
The Chinese band is the underbust in centimeters, so 70 is a US 32, 75 a US 34 and 80 a US 36. Cups A to D keep the same letter; above that a Chinese E is a US DD, F is DDD and G is DDDD.
Do Chinese lingerie sizes run small?
Often, yes, especially letter sizes for underwear and sleepwear, and some brands cut cups smaller too. Measure samples yourself and publish your own size chart rather than copying the supplier's.
Should I accept returns on lingerie?
A common policy is no returns once an item has been worn, with free replacement for faulty or wrongly sized pieces. Whatever you decide, show the policy on the product page and at checkout, and avoid returns to China, which are slow and incur duties.
Can lingerie orders be shipped discreetly?
Yes. Use an opaque plain mailer with nothing naming the product and a neutral store name on the return address. The customs declaration must still describe the goods accurately.
Where are most lingerie suppliers in China?
Shantou in Guangdong, and especially the town of Gurao, is China's best-known center for bras and underwear. Dongguan and Zhongshan are other places buyers look for more structured or higher-end styles.