Ordering process FAQ — Serbia
From first brief to delivered product — the steps, the documents and what the buyer needs to provide at each stage of a Serbia corporate merch order.
The seven-step process
Every Serbia corporate merch order moves through the same seven stages, and the difference between a smooth programme and a difficult one is usually how clearly each stage is scoped at the stage before it. The seven stages are: brief and quote, artwork preparation, sample sign-off, production scheduling, production, quality control, and delivery.
Brief and quote (1 business day). The buyer sends the brief — product, quantity, decoration method, deadline, delivery destination. We come back within one Belgrade business day with an itemised quote in RSD or EUR, including blank cost, decoration cost, setup cost, VAT treatment and delivery cost. The buyer reviews and either confirms or requests changes.
Artwork preparation (1–3 business days). If the artwork is not production-ready, our Belgrade studio prepares it — vectorisation, Pantone matching, embroidery digitising as required. Cost is itemised on the quote and credited against the final order on confirmation.
Sample sign-off (3–7 business days). We produce a strike-off or pre-production sample and ship to the buyer for sign-off. The buyer reviews against the brief and either signs off or requests changes. Most programmes settle in one to two sample rounds.
Production scheduling (1 business day). Once the sample is signed and the order is confirmed, we schedule production in the next available production slot. For complex programmes with multiple SKUs, we confirm each SKU's production slot and consolidate to a single delivery where possible.
Production (3–10 business days). The decoration partner runs the production lot against the signed sample reference. We monitor progress and flag any issues that arise during production.
Quality control (1 business day). For runs of 500 pieces and above, we run an AQL 2.5 inspection on the production lot before delivery. For smaller runs, we run a statistical spot check. The inspection report is provided to the buyer on request.
Delivery (1–4 business days within Serbia, 2–5 days international). We deliver to the buyer's nominated address or event venue. For event-venue delivery, we coordinate with the venue's freight handling and book a delivery slot.
What we need at the brief stage
The fastest path to a useful answer is to send the brief with as much of the following as the buyer has decided:
- Product type. T-shirt, polo, hoodie, jacket, mug, bottle, notebook, pen, USB drive, lanyard, VIP gift set, welcome pack — or a multi-product programme.
- Quantity. Per SKU and overall. For size-split apparel, the per-size breakdown.
- Decoration method. Silkscreen, embroidery, DTF, DTG, sublimation, laser engraving, UV print, pad print, embossing, debossing, doming — or a multi-method programme.
- Decoration colours. Per decoration, the number of colours and any Pantone references.
- Artwork. Production-ready file if available, otherwise a low-resolution version for scope estimation.
- Blank. From our partner catalogue, or supplied by the buyer, or buyer-specified brand / model.
- Delivery destination. City, address, any venue constraints, event date if event-anchored.
- Deadline. Production-ready date, event date, any hard milestones.
- Currency and invoicing preference. RSD with PDV, EUR with reverse-charge, DDP for non-Serbian buyer.
Items the buyer does not have yet — Pantone references, artwork file, exact blank model — are not blockers for an indicative quote. We will surface the assumptions we have made and confirm with the buyer before any commitment.
Order confirmation and the proforma invoice
Once the buyer confirms the quote, we issue a proforma invoice covering blank cost, decoration cost, setup cost, artwork preparation (if applicable), VAT treatment, delivery cost and total. The proforma is valid for 14 days; after that it is reopened at the current pricing.
For Serbian B2B buyers, the proforma carries 20% PDV and is payable 50% advance on confirmation / 50% on completion. For EU-registered buyers, the proforma is issued in EUR without Serbian VAT under the EU reverse-charge mechanism. For new buyers or runs over 500,000 RSD, the proforma is payable 100% advance.
Payment by bank transfer to our RSD or EUR account at a Serbian-licensed bank — Intesa, UniCredit, Raiffeisen, OTP and AIK are the most common. Corporate card on request for smaller orders. Cash on pickup for very small in-person runs from our Belgrade facility.
Production scheduling and capacity
Once the proforma is paid (or the first 50% is paid for B2B buyers with 50/50 terms), we schedule production in the next available slot at the decoration partner. Standard production slots are available within 3–5 business days; during the September–January peak season, slots extend to 5–10 business days.
For programmes with multiple SKUs and decoration methods, we coordinate production across partners to consolidate to a single delivery where possible. This sometimes means running decoration in parallel at different partners (e.g., silkscreen at the apparel partner and laser engraving at the hardgoods partner) with both completing in time for a single combined delivery.
For programmes requiring custom blank sourcing, we confirm the blank supplier's stock and inbound timing before scheduling decoration, with the combined schedule shared with the buyer at the production scheduling step.
Quality control and inspection
Quality control is built into the production process at three points. The first is at production start: the decoration partner runs a setup approval piece (the first piece off the line) and we sign it off against the signed sample reference. The second is during production: spot checks at the 10%, 50% and 90% completion marks to catch any drift in colour, position or finish. The third is at production end: an AQL 2.5 inspection on the finished lot for runs of 500 pieces and above.
AQL 2.5 means the inspection accepts lots with up to 2.5% defective pieces at the agreed sample size. Lots above the AQL threshold are reworked or rejected and the buyer is informed. The AQL inspection report is provided to the buyer on request.
For VIP and partner-visit programmes, we run a 100% inspection rather than AQL sampling, because the per-piece cost justifies the labour and the consequence of a single defective piece is higher. This is included in the VIP programme pricing.
Delivery and acceptance
Standard delivery includes a packing slip and a delivery note. The buyer or the buyer's nominated receiver checks the consignment against the packing slip at the point of receipt and notes any visible damage or shortage on the delivery note before signing. Signed delivery notes without noted damage constitute acceptance.
For event-venue delivery, the receiver is typically the buyer's event planner or venue logistics coordinator. We coordinate the delivery slot in advance and provide the packing slip and delivery note at the point of unload. Acceptance is signed by the receiver at the venue.
For damage or shortage discovered after delivery, the buyer has 5 business days to notify us in writing with photographic evidence. We replace or refund at our cost for any damage or shortage that is our responsibility.
Reorders and standing programmes
For buyers with predictable recurring merch needs, we offer a standing programme model. The artwork and screens / digitised files are kept on file, the most common SKUs are kept in rolling buffer stock at our Belgrade warehouse, and top-up orders ship within 3–5 business days of a brief.
The standing programme is supported by our vendor-managed inventory service and is standard for buyers with quarterly or monthly merch cycles. The per-piece price is typically 10–15% below ad-hoc ordering because of the buffer-stock efficiency and the eliminated setup amortisation on repeat orders.
For buyers with annual merch budgets, we also offer a framework agreement model where the buyer commits to an annual minimum volume in exchange for preferred pricing and priority production slots. The framework agreement is signed at the start of the year and the per-order confirmations follow the same brief-and-quote process as one-off orders.
Start a brief
Send what you have — product type, quantity, deadline — and we come back with an itemised quote within one Belgrade business day.