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Paint by Numbers Wholesale: A 2026 Buyer's Guide

What wholesale kits really cost, why the same kit is quoted at $2.40 and $5.80, how FOB Qingdao differs from DDP, and the eight-point check before you pay a deposit.

By Our Paint Addictions editorial team · 28 October 2026 · 11 min read

Wholesale paint by numbers is a strange category to buy in. The retail price looks simple — a kit sells for $19.99 to $39.99 — but the wholesale quotes you receive for what looks like the same product can differ by more than double. After a decade of manufacturing these kits in Qingdao, we can tell you exactly where that gap comes from, and how to read a quote properly.

What wholesale buyers actually pay

For a 40×50 cm kit with 24 colours, three brushes, a printed box and a reference card, most established buyers in 2026 pay somewhere between US$2.40 and US$4.80 per kit FOB, depending on volume, colour count and packaging. Below 50 kits per design you are effectively paying for setup time, which is why small runs quote higher per unit.

Order size	Typical FOB range	What changes
50–299 kits	US$3.90–4.80	Setup cost is spread across fewer units
300–999 kits	US$3.20–3.90	Better printing and paint-purchase economics
1,000–4,999 kits	US$2.60–3.20	Material bought in bulk, scheduled production
5,000+ kits	From US$2.30	Container logistics, dedicated production slots

These are planning ranges, not a quotation. Size, colour count, brush set and packaging move the number more than quantity does.

The four cost drivers

If you want to understand a paint by numbers quote, look at these four things in this order:

Colour count. Moving from 24 to 36 colours can add 15–25% to the kit cost, because paint, filling labour, pots and the colour map all increase. It is the single biggest lever.
Canvas size and weight. A 50×70 cm kit at 400 gsm costs meaningfully more than a 30×40 cm at 280 gsm — canvas, printing and packing all scale.
Packaging structure. A printed mailer box is not much more expensive than a kraft box, but a rigid tin or a two-piece gift box is a different product category.
Brush quality. A basic three-piece set is cents; a branded four-piece set with a liner brush is real money at volume, and it is also the difference between a 5-star and a 2-star review.

Quantity matters — but it is the fourth lever, not the first. A well-specified 300-kit run will outsell a badly specified 3,000-kit run every time.

MOQ maths: why 50 is not really 50

A 50-kit MOQ usually means 50 per design, not 50 in total. If you order five designs, that is 250 kits. Keep that in mind when you compare suppliers: a factory quoting an MOQ of 300 kits per design and one quoting 50 per design are offering very different commercial relationships.

Also check what the MOQ applies to. Packaging is the common trap: a supplier may accept 50 kits but require 500 boxes if you want custom printing, which quietly turns your order into a 500-kit commitment. We print packaging digitally, which is why our printed boxes start at 100 units.

FOB Qingdao vs DDP: the hidden difference

FOB means the price includes everything up to loading on the vessel at the named port — in our case Qingdao. You (or your forwarder) pay ocean freight, insurance, duties and import VAT. DDP means the supplier delivers to your door with duties paid, which sounds easier and usually costs more, because someone has to price the freight risk.

Term	Supplier handles	You handle	Best for
EXW	Production only	Everything from our door	Buyers with a Qingdao agent
FOB Qingdao	Production, packing, export docs, loading	Ocean/air freight, duties, VAT	Most wholesale and private label buyers
CIF	Freight and insurance to your port	Duties, VAT, inland delivery	First-time importers
DDP	Freight, duties, delivery to door	Nothing (but verify the duty assumption)	Small or trial orders

If a DDP quote looks remarkably cheap, ask what value the goods will be declared at. Under-declared parcels create customs exposure for you as the importer, not for the seller.

The sample process: what to ask for

Never approve a production run from photographs. Ask for one physical sample per design, and evaluate it the way your customer will:

Paint coverage on the darkest and lightest areas — two coats should be enough
Number legibility on dark backgrounds and in detailed areas
Brush behaviour after ten minutes of use — does it splay or shed?
Pot seals: fill one pot with water, cap it, leave it a day, check for leaks
Packaging: is the box strong enough for e-commerce shipping without a mailer?

Samples usually take 3–7 days plus express delivery. Any supplier who credits the sample cost against a production order, as we do, is telling you they expect to win the order on quality rather than on sample fees.

Eight checks before you pay a deposit

Written specification signed off — size, gsm, colour count, brush set, packaging, labels.
Digital mockup of the final box and canvas, approved by you in writing.
Batch sampling: the exact paint brand and canvas supplier, not 'equivalent'.
A delivery date expressed in days after artwork approval, with a penalty clause if you are buying large volume.
Inspection terms: AQL level, who pays for a third-party inspector, what happens on failure.
Payment protection: T/T to a company account matching the company name on the invoice.
Packaging labels: barcode, FNSKU, market-specific mandatory text, country of origin.
After-sales: defect rate policy, replacement lead time and who pays freight.

None of this is exotic — it is just the checklist that separates a supplier you keep from one you regret. If you are comparing quotes right now, use it on every supplier, including us.

The cheapest quote is usually the one that costs the most, once you price in reprints, returns and a second production run.

Where to go next

If you want the terms rather than the theory, see our wholesale paint by numbers programme for MOQ, tiers and lead times, or compare sourcing models in private label vs white label. If you already know your specification, send it over and we will quote it against this checklist line by line.

Private Label vs White Label Paint by Numbers: Which Fits Your Brand?

Four sourcing models, four very different cost structures. A side-by-side comparison of MOQ, packaging, timeline, margin and brand risk — written by the people who manufacture all four.

By Our Paint Addictions editorial team · 14 October 2026 · 9 min read

Four sourcing models get used interchangeably in the paint by numbers world: white label, private label, OEM and ODM. The difference is not marketing language — it decides how much you pay up front, how long your first order takes, how much of the product is genuinely yours, and how easily a competitor can sell the identical thing.

The short version

Model	Whose design?	Whose brand?	Typical MOQ	Time to first order
White label	Ours (stock)	Yours, on a label/sticker	50 per design	8–12 days
Private label	Ours (stock)	Yours on box, canvas, cards	100 per design	10–15 days
OEM	Yours	Yours	100 per design	12–15 days
ODM	Developed for you	Yours	100 per design + design time	15–25 days

White label: the fastest way to test a market

You buy a stock design in neutral packaging, add your own sticker or sleeve, and sell it. There is no artwork risk, no packaging project and almost no lead time. The problem is that the same design may be sold by ten other stores, so price becomes the only differentiator.

White label works beautifully for validating demand. Pick four or five designs across niches, list them, and see which ones sell before you spend a cent on packaging.

Private label: your brand on a proven design

Private label is the sweet spot for most small and mid-size brands. You keep our proven artwork — so quality is already de-risked — and put your brand on the box, the canvas edge, the reference card and the thank-you card. At 100 kits per design it is achievable for a first order, and it photographs far better for ads and listings.

At our factory, private label and OEM share the same 100-kit-per-design minimum. The only difference is where the artwork comes from.

OEM: your artwork, our production

With OEM you supply the designs — licensed illustrations, your own photography, commissioned art. You own the intellectual property; we handle conversion to line art, colour mapping, printing, paint filling and packing. This is the model that gives you a genuinely defensible catalogue, because no other store can sell the same image.

Two practical warnings. First, confirm your licence covers commercial reproduction as a paint by numbers product — an illustrator selling prints may not have granted that. Second, supply high-resolution originals: converting a 900-pixel screenshot will produce a canvas with muddy detail, and no factory can fix that after printing.

ODM: we develop the product with you

ODM suits brands that know their audience and price point but not the artwork. You brief the theme, format, colour budget and packaging direction; our designers develop designs and packaging. Expect 15–25 days to first production because you are adding a design phase before manufacturing.

This is the model for subscription boxes and gift retailers, who need designs that match a seasonal calendar rather than a single hero SKU.

How to choose

Testing a niche with under $1,000? White label four designs.
Found a winner and need brand credibility? Private label at 100–300 kits.
Have your own art or a strong brand identity? OEM, and protect the artwork in writing.
Selling seasonally or by subscription? ODM, with a design calendar agreed in advance.

Most brands we work with move in exactly that order over 12–24 months: white label to test, private label to build, OEM or ODM to differentiate. You can also combine models — private label your hero SKUs and white label your long tail.

Brown boxes do not build brands. The first thing a customer judges is the box, and the second is the brush.

Cost expectations

White label is cheapest per unit because nothing is printed beyond the standard box. Private label adds packaging and card printing, typically US$0.20–0.60 per kit at 100–300 units. OEM adds design conversion, which we include free for standard photo conversion but quote separately for original illustration. ODM is the only model with a genuine design fee, because you are commissioning new artwork.

See real ranges in our custom kit pricing, or read the wholesale buyer's guide for the cost drivers behind a quote. Ready to see your logo on a box? Request a private label mockup — it is free, and it takes a day.

Dropshipping Paint by Numbers: A 10-Point Fulfilment Checklist

Transit times that will not get your store suspended, blind packing done properly, tracking imports that do not break, and the damage policy you need in writing before order one.

By Our Paint Addictions editorial team · 30 September 2026 · 8 min read

Dropshipping paint by numbers kits is not difficult, but it is unusually easy to get wrong in ways customers notice: crushed canvases, missing tracking, parcels that arrive with the factory's invoice inside. This is the checklist we run with every dropship account, written so you can run it against any supplier.

1. Confirm the supplier manufactures, not resells

Ask for a video walkthrough of the production floor and the packing station. A trading company can still be a good partner, but you need to know who controls quality when a batch of paint leaks. Verify the address on the invoice matches the factory you were shown.

2. Get real transit windows in writing

The most common mistake is advertising 5-day delivery from China. Production alone is 8–15 days. Here is what a realistic schedule looks like:

Destination	Production	Transit after dispatch	Realistic promise
United States	8–12 days	5–8 days	14–20 working days
United Kingdom / EU	8–12 days	5–8 days	14–20 working days
Australia / NZ	8–12 days	6–10 days	15–22 working days
Japan / Korea / Singapore	8–12 days	3–6 days	12–18 working days

Set your store's shipping profile to the upper bound. Under-promise and over-deliver is worth more than a fine-tuned ETA that generates disputes.

3. Insist on blind packing

Your parcel should contain no supplier invoice, no price list, no catalogue and no third-party branding. Ask specifically about the customs description too: it should describe the goods (art canvas kit, acrylic paint set) rather than your brand.

4. Test the packing, not just the product

Order one kit to your own address and drop it from waist height onto a hard floor. Then open it. If the box dents enough to crease the canvas or a paint pot is loose enough to leak, that is a conversation with your supplier before you send a thousand parcels.

5. Agree the damage and defect policy in writing

Returns to China are rarely economical, so the practical policy is replacement or refund on photo evidence, with a reporting window (we use 7 days) and a clear definition of what counts as damage. Get that in an email, not in a chat window.

6. Set up tracking imports that will not break

Ask for a CSV with four columns: your order reference, carrier, tracking number and dispatch date. Test the import with two orders before you rely on it. If you use a third-party fulfilment app, check it supports the carrier names your supplier actually provides.

7. Declare goods correctly

Under-declaring puts the customs exposure on you as the importer. Ask what value will be declared, and expect the answer to match the real commercial value. Cheap declared value is not a discount, it is deferred risk.

8. Add something only you can send

The cheapest upgrade to a dropshipped kit is a printed insert: a thank-you card with a discount code for the next purchase. It costs cents, it lifts repeat purchase rates, and it makes a generic parcel feel like your brand.

9. Check replacement stock availability

If a design sells out mid-campaign, how long until it ships again? Ask for the current stock list and how often it is refreshed. Selling a kit you cannot fulfil for three weeks is a refund you did not need to give.

10. Run a paid test before scaling

Send ten real orders through the flow — addresses in different countries, one order with an insert, one to your own address. Compare the parcel your customer receives with the listing photo. Only then scale ad spend.

Want a supplier who already works this way? Our dropshipping programme ships single orders with blind packing, tracking CSVs and free insert placement, with no minimum order.

If you are also deciding whether to hold inventory, the private label vs white label comparison explains when it becomes worth buying stock instead. And if a design tests well, our wholesale tiers start at 50 kits with a clear price break at 300.

How Custom Paint by Numbers Kits Are Made: Photo to Printed Canvas

Nine production steps between a phone photo and a finished kit — and the three decisions (colour count, line weight, canvas size) that decide whether the canvas is a joy or a chore to paint.

By Our Paint Addictions editorial team · 16 September 2026 · 10 min read

A custom paint by numbers kit looks simple: a photo, some outlines, a box of paint. In production it is nine distinct steps, and three of them decide whether the finished canvas is a pleasure or a chore. Here is the whole process, in the order it actually happens in our Qingdao workshop.

Step 1: photo intake and assessment

Before any design work, we look at resolution, lighting, subject separation and background complexity. A photo where the subject fills the frame at good resolution converts well. A small face in a busy crowd does not — and the honest answer is a crop, not a filter. This assessment takes minutes and saves whole print runs.

Step 2: cropping and composition

Canvas formats are 3:4, 4:5 or 1:1, so almost every photo is cropped. We keep the subject centred with breathing room at the edges, because the canvas edge is where a kit looks cheap if the composition runs out of room.

Step 3: colour reduction — the biggest decision

A photograph has millions of colours; a kit has 16 to 48. Reducing well is an art. Too few colours and the image loses its identity; too many and the painter spends four evenings on a background nobody will notice.

Colour count	Best for	Painting time	Relative cost
16	Bold subjects, children, simple landscapes	2–4 hours	Lowest
24	Portraits, pets, most gift designs	4–8 hours	Standard
36	Detailed architecture, busy scenes	8–14 hours	Higher
48	Large formats, high-detail landscapes	14+ hours	Highest

Step 4: line and number mapping

Every region gets a colour and a number. The craft is in the placement: numbers must sit inside regions large enough to hold them without bleeding into neighbouring areas, and outlines need consistent weight — heavy enough to see, light enough that a slightly shaky hand does not show.

Numbers on dark regions get light text, small regions get abbreviated or referenced to the card, and we test readability at actual print size, not on a 27-inch monitor.

Step 5: mockup approval

You receive a digital preview of the canvas — and, for private label, the box artwork too. Two revision rounds are included. Nothing prints until you confirm in writing, which is the single most useful habit in this process.

Step 6: canvas printing

We print on 280–400 gsm cotton-blend canvas using water-based pigment inks. Heavier canvas takes paint better and does not curl at the edges. The printed sheet is checked against the approved proof for line weight, number size and crop before it moves to finishing.

Step 7: paint filling and matching

Each colour is filled into numbered 3 ml or 5 ml pots, capped and matched against the reference map. Fill is verified by weighing random pots, because a short pot is the most common source of one-star reviews — the painter runs out on the last region and cannot buy a matching colour anywhere.

Step 8: component assembly

Brushes are assembled and pull-tested, reference cards printed, thank-you cards and instruction sheets added, barcodes scanned. Packaging components are checked against the approved dikeline and mockup, including inside printing and insert placement.

Step 9: packing, QC and dispatch

Kits are boxed, corner-protected and packed into export cartons with a moisture barrier. A pre-shipment inspection follows AQL sampling with a photo report before the balance is due, then FOB Qingdao loading or express dispatch for dropship orders.

Three decisions decide the finished product: how many colours, how heavy the line, and how big the canvas. Everything else is logistics.

What this means if you are ordering

Send the best source file you have, tell us the audience and the price point, and let the colour count be a recommendation rather than a guess. If you want to see the difference before committing, order samples of the same photo at 16 and 24 colours — the comparison is the fastest design education available.

Start with a free mockup from your own photo, see the packaging options in our private label service, or read how these steps affect wholesale pricing.