Paid in Full for Bulk Apparel Order – Most Goods Never Arrived
We are a Canadian apparel company that has imported garments from Bangladesh for several years. We had previously worked with Essential Apparel (Essential Group BD) in the past, but our earlier business relationship ended due to repeated issues with logistics, shipment delays, and difficulty obtaining clear shipping information. Because of those problems, we stopped working together.
In 2025, the owner of Essential Apparel contacted us again and asked for another opportunity to work together. We were told that their operations had improved and that the issues we previously experienced would not happen again. Based on those assurances and our previous history with them, we decided to give the company another chance.
We placed a new production order that included multiple apparel items such as shirts, hoodies, toques (beanies), and barber vests. The order was over one thousand units in total and payment was made in full upfront as requested.
Unfortunately the same issues began happening again, but this time on a much larger scale.
After production was supposedly completed, we were told that the shipments had been sent through a logistics provider and several tracking numbers were provided. However, the tracking never showed confirmed pickup and later stopped updating entirely. When we contacted the carrier directly, they were unable to verify that the shipments had actually been handed over to them.
We were then directed to a separate contact who was described as the “forwarder” handling the shipments. This person was supposed to provide updates and documentation regarding the logistics. Unfortunately they were unable to provide any shipping confirmation, booking records, or proof that the goods had actually been dispatched. Communication with this contact was inconsistent and did not provide any clear answers regarding where the shipments were or when they would arrive.
Over the following weeks we repeatedly asked for shipment verification, export documentation, or confirmation that the goods had been handed to the carrier. Instead we were redirected between contacts and given very limited information.
During this entire process only a very small portion of the order ever arrived. Two shirts were delivered, along with approximately twenty toques. While the color of the toques matched what was ordered, the sizing, material quality, and overall craftsmanship were significantly different from the agreed specifications and they were not sellable.
The remaining goods from the order were never delivered.
We made numerous attempts to resolve the situation privately and requested either proper shipment documentation or a refund for the undelivered items. Refund requests were declined and we were instead offered “credit” toward future orders, which was not a reasonable solution given the circumstances.
At this point the situation has gone on for an extended period of time and remains unresolved.
Based on our experience across multiple orders and our attempt to rebuild trust with this supplier, we cannot recommend working with this company.