Wallets are the highest-volume line we produce — 125 live options — and the usual first order for a brand testing private-label leather. This page covers the constructions we make, the leather and hardware choices that actually change the unit cost, how pricing moves with quantity, and what branding and packaging add.
Key figures
- Pricing: $12–$13.50 per piece ex-works, read live from our catalogue.
- MOQ: 5 pieces — low enough to validate a design before committing capital.
- 125 live options across bifold, trifold, cardholder and money-clip constructions.
- Lead time: 10–14 days sampling, then 20–30 days production.
Wallet Styles We Produce
Bifold
The default men's wallet: two vertical card columns, a full-width note compartment, optional ID window. Folds once. Around 11 × 9.5 cm closed. Highest-volume construction and the most forgiving to manufacture, which is why it carries the lowest entry price.
Trifold
Two folds, more card capacity in a shorter footprint. More panels, more skiving and more stitching than a bifold, so it sits slightly higher in cost. Popular in the US market.
Cardholder
Minimal — typically 3–6 card slots, no note compartment, sometimes a central pull-through pocket. Least material and least labour, so the cheapest to make, and increasingly the strongest seller in the under-30 demographic. A good first product for a brand testing the market.
Money clip
Card slots with a sprung steel clip on the spine or exterior. The clip is bought-in hardware, so the cost sits between a cardholder and a bifold depending on clip quality and whether it is branded.
Zip-around and travel wallet
Larger format with a perimeter zip, passport slot and note sleeves. The zip is the cost driver — a YKK Excella against a generic zip is a real difference in both cost and perceived quality.
Leather Options
Leather choice affects unit cost more than any other decision. The four grades below are frequently confused, and that confusion is how buyers end up comparing two quotes that are not for the same product.
| Grade | What it is | Ages | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-grain | Intact outer grain, natural markings retained | Develops patina | Highest |
| Top-grain | Surface lightly sanded for uniformity | Limited patina | High |
| Genuine leather | Lower hide layers after splitting | Wears rather than patinas | Moderate |
| Bonded | Leather fibre bonded to a backing | Delaminates | Lowest |
It is the single most misleading term in the industry. Genuine leather is real leather from the lower layers of the hide after the valuable top grain has been split away — weaker, and it does not patina. If a competing quote is dramatically cheaper than ours, this is the first thing to check. We do not produce bonded leather at all.
For wallets specifically we recommend full-grain in 1.0–1.4mm. Thinner than that and the wallet feels flimsy; thicker and it will not fold cleanly or sit in a pocket. Available finishes across our hide range: Aniline, Embossed, Nubuck, Pebble, Pull-Up, Semi-Aniline, Smooth, Suede, Veg Tan.
Which finish for which brand
- Aniline or pull-up — heritage and patina-focused brands. Natural markings visible; the leather lightens where it flexes.
- Smooth — formal and corporate. Even, clean, predictable.
- Pebble or embossed — fashion. Textured grain hides wear well over time.
- Veg tan — craft and tooling brands. Darkens dramatically with use.
Hardware & Interior Customisation
- Card slot count and layout — the main driver of cutting and stitching labour.
- ID window — clear PVC or a cut-out; adds a component and an assembly step.
- RFID-blocking layer — a shielding interlayer laminated into the construction. Adds material cost and one lamination step; strong selling point in US and EU markets.
- Lining — self-lined leather (premium), pigskin (traditional and breathable), or fabric (cost-effective).
- Thread colour and stitch density — tonal or contrast; higher stitch counts read as more premium and cost slightly more.
- Edge finish — painted, burnished or raw. Edge finish is the fastest way to tell a cheap wallet from a good one, and it is worth paying for.
Pricing by Quantity
Current live pricing from our catalogue:
| Product line | Unit price | MOQ (pieces) | Live options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallet | $12–$13.50 | 5–50 | 125 |
| Purse | $7.50 | 50 | 4 |
Read directly from the Pure Grain catalogue, September 2026. Prices are ex-works per piece before customisation, freight and duties; volume above the listed MOQ is quoted per order.
The listed figure is ex-works at the stated minimum, before customisation, freight and duties. Pricing bands down as quantity rises — send a target quantity and we will quote against it rather than asking you to guess from a table.
What moves the unit cost
| Choice | Effect on unit cost |
|---|---|
| Full-grain instead of top-grain | Increase |
| More card slots / complex interior | Increase |
| RFID-blocking layer | Small increase |
| Branded metal hardware | Increase, plus tooling on first order |
| Embossed or debossed logo | Small increase, plus one-off die cost |
| Retail-ready gift box | Increase, often the largest single add-on |
| Higher quantity | Decrease, in bands |
Branding: Embossing, Debossing & Packaging
Embossing and debossing
Both press your logo into the leather using a heated metal die. Debossing pushes the mark in; embossing raises it. A die is a one-off tooling cost on the first order and is then reused indefinitely — so it is cheap amortised across repeat orders and disproportionately expensive on a very small first run. Blind (uncoloured), foil and pigment fills are all available.
Labels and inserts
Woven or printed labels stitched into the interior, plus care cards and authenticity inserts. Low cost, high effect on perceived quality.
Packaging
Options run from a simple polybag through kraft sleeves and rigid gift boxes to full retail cartons with barcodes. For Amazon sellers, packaging must also satisfy FBA prep rules — polybag suffocation warnings, FNSKU placement and carton labelling. That is covered fully in our FBA sourcing guide.
Construction Details That Separate Good Wallets from Cheap Ones
A wallet is a simple object, which means there is nowhere for poor work to hide. Four details do most of the work:
- Skiving. Leather is thinned at fold lines and seams so the folded wallet stays slim. An unskived wallet is visibly bulky and will not close flat. This is the clearest single indicator of whether a factory knows what it is doing.
- Edge treatment. Painted edges applied in multiple thin coats and sanded between them, or burnished edges on veg tan. Cheap wallets get one thick coat that chips within months.
- Stitch density and backstitching. 7–9 stitches per inch reads as considered. Backstitching at pocket mouths — the highest-stress points — prevents the unravelling that ends a wallet's life.
- Card pocket tension. Slots must hold a card securely when new and still accept one after a year of stretching. This comes from pattern tolerances, not from material, and it is where mass-produced wallets most often disappoint.
When you receive a sample from us or from anyone else, check those four things before anything else. They predict long-term customer satisfaction better than the leather grade does.
Choosing a Wallet Style for Your Market
| If your buyer is… | Consider | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35, urban, card-first | Cardholder or slim bifold | Cash use is declining; bulk is the main complaint about traditional wallets |
| Professional, gifting market | Bifold in smooth full-grain | Presents well in a gift box; broad appeal |
| US mainstream retail | Trifold | Higher card capacity in a shorter footprint; long-established preference |
| Heritage / craft positioning | Veg tan bifold, unlined | Patina is the product story; ages visibly |
| Travel and EDC | Zip-around with passport slot | Security and capacity outweigh slimness |
| Corporate gifting | Bifold + belt set | Matched leather set commands a higher price than the parts |
Matched sets are worth a specific mention: pairing wallets with belts in the same leather and edge-paint colour is our most common first order, and it lets you meet two minimums in a single shipment.
Order Process & Sample Policy
- Send your specification
A tech pack, a reference wallet, or photographs with dimensions and a target price. Submit via the quote request form.
- Approve leather swatches
Free, couriered from live stock. Never approve leather from a photograph — screen colour is unreliable and photos say nothing about temper.
- Sample production
10–14 days. Charged at cost plus courier, and credited against your first production order.
- Revise or approve
Mark up the sample and we revise. Nothing enters production until a sample is signed off in writing.
- Production and QC
20–30 days, with six-stage inspection against the archived reference sample.
- Labelling and despatch
Your packaging and labels applied, export documents issued, FOB Karachi as standard.
Frequently Asked Questions
5 pieces on our entry lines. That is deliberately low so a brand can test a design and a market before committing to volume.
Current catalogue pricing is $12–$13.50 per piece ex-works at the listed minimum. Final cost depends on leather grade, interior complexity, hardware, branding and packaging, and bands down with quantity.
Yes. A shielding layer is laminated into the construction during assembly. It adds modest material and labour cost and is a strong selling point in US and EU markets.
Yes, once. The die is a one-off tooling cost on your first order and is then stored and reused on every repeat order at no further charge.
Yes — most of our wallet work is client-designed. Send a tech pack, or a physical reference product and we will pattern from it. We also offer design support if you have a concept but no technical drawing.
Full-grain cowhide in 1.0–1.4mm. Thinner feels flimsy, thicker will not fold cleanly or sit comfortably in a pocket. Choose the finish based on whether your brand story is patina (aniline, pull-up) or consistency (smooth, pebble).
Budget 10–14 weeks from first contact to goods in hand: sampling and revisions, 20–30 days production, then sea freight. Repeat orders on an approved design drop to 6–8 weeks.
Send a reference product or a sketch. We will send swatches, quote at your quantity, and produce a sample you can hold — starting from 5 pieces.
