Who this program is for
DTC brands sell cable products straight to end users through their own web shops and social channels: fibre patch cords for home and small office networks, Cat6 cable for installers and enthusiasts, solar PV cable and extension leads for off-grid and balcony systems, and connection leads for home energy storage. These brands are close to their customers. Product reviews, return rates and a buyer's own test results decide whether a product survives, so the cable must perform as the listing says, and the listing must say only what the test data supports.
DTC brands also tend to start small and grow fast, with frequent packaging changes. The program is set up for short first runs, quick packaging iterations and consistent reorders.
Lines DTC brands usually buy
| Product | Reference construction | What the listing should rest on |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre patch cords | SC or LC simplex, 2.0 or 3.0 mm cord, G.657 or G.652.D fibre | Insertion and return loss per cord, IEC 61753-1 grade stated |
| Cat6 cable | U/UTP 23 AWG 4-pair, solid copper, PVC or LSZH jacket, 305 m box | Batch test report to TIA-568 parameters, conductor material check |
| Solar PV cable | H1Z2Z2-K 1x4 or 1x6 mm2, tinned copper Class 5, DC 1.5 kV | EN 50618 / IEC 62930 reports held by the partner plant |
| Storage and battery leads | Flexible tinned or bare copper Class 5 cable, sized by your engineer | Construction and resistance per spec sheet; assembly checked separately |
For finished leads with connectors, the cable and the assembly are two separate questions. The desk sources and checks the cable to its standard; connectors, crimping and any assembly listing are confirmed with the assembler and your test lab.
What the desk prepares
- Spec sheet: construction, conductor material and class, jacket compound and colour, print text and lengths per SKU.
- Retail packing: polybags, header cards, retail boxes and 305 m pull boxes with your artwork, barcodes and carton marks; all artwork proofs approved before printing.
- Test data you can publish: patch cord IL and RL values per cord, typical against IEC 61753-1 Grade B (average up to 0.12 dB, 97% up to 0.25 dB) or Grade C (average up to 0.25 dB); return loss at least 45 dB for UPC and 60 dB for APC per grade. For Cat6, a batch test report. For PV cable, the plant's routine records and its EN 50618 report.
- Inspection: count, length, print and packing checks before shipment, plus random cord or box testing where agreed.
MOQ, samples and lead time
Plant listings for Cat6 commonly show 50-100 boxes of 305 m per order, with some accepting 10 boxes, and lead times listed from 5-25 days up to about a month. PV cable MOQ ranges from 100 m to 500-2,000 m, with samples often ready three to seven days after payment at one listed plant. Stock samples of up to about 5 m are often free with freight paid by you; custom samples of 10-50 m are paid. Small runs are workable but the unit price is usually higher than at volume. Custom retail boxes may carry their own printing minimums. All of this is confirmed in writing per order; see MOQ and lead time.
Risks specific to DTC brands
- Listing claims. Absolute claims about loss, speed or service life invite returns and complaints, and some marketplaces and regulators treat them as misleading. Keep listings to tested values: category, AWG, conductor material, IL and RL per cord, and the standard the cable is made to. For fibre, quote attenuation only as per datasheet values from the fibre maker, not as a promise.
- Conductor material. Category cable requires solid copper conductors. A cheaper CCA cable fails PoE and channel tests and is a counterfeit if sold as Cat6; see CCA vs copper.
- Fire rating claims for buildings. CMR, CMP or a CPR class can only be claimed where the partner plant holds the listing or declares the class on the DoP for that construction.
- Packaging drift. Reorders that arrive in slightly different boxes or labels confuse customers. Artwork files and box specifications are fixed in the spec sheet.
Getting started
Send your SKU list, lengths, target market and packaging idea through the quote form. The desk proposes matched partner plants, reference MOQs per SKU and the test data each product can carry.