Buyer guide
Wooden Toy MOQ Explained (and How to Mix a Container)
What MOQ means for wooden toys, why it varies by finish and packaging, and how to build a mixed container when each SKU has a different minimum.
MOQ is not one number. For a stock wooden toy it is often 10 pieces; for a custom colour or printed box it is 100–300 pieces; for a new shape with tooling it can be higher. The MOQ you are quoted tells you which of those three situations the supplier thinks you are in.
Stock items are the cheapest way to test a market. Order small, sell through, re-order the winners. Custom packaging is worth it once a SKU has proven itself, not before.
A mixed container lets you spread the MOQ across styles. Eight to fifteen SKUs, a few cartons of each, is the usual minimum to fill a 20GP efficiently. Build the carton list first, then the loading plan, then negotiate.
Ask the supplier to show the carton data for every SKU in the mix. If the mix does not fill a container, either add SKUs or accept a higher freight cost per unit — do the maths before production, not after.