How to request samples before placing a wholesale order on ...

So how do you ensure the product you're ordering is of the quality ... one unit – of an item you are interested in placing a large order of. AllArticlesGettingstartedHowtorequestsamplesbeforeplacingawholesaleorderonAlibaba.comHowtorequestsamplesbeforeplacingawholesaleorderonAlibaba.comAlibaba.comFeb3,20217minreadManybusinessesfeelapprehensivebeforeplacingawholesaleorderonanecommercemarketplacelikeAlibaba.com.Theminimumorderquantityistypicallyhigh,soitcanbealargeinvestment.Somebusinessesalleviatethisfeelingbytravelingtothefactoryordistributortoseetheproductandproductioninperson.Butduetomoneyortravelconstraints,thisisn’talwaysanoption.Sohowdoyouensuretheproductyou’reorderingisofthequalityyouexpectbeforecommittingtoafullorder?Oneansweristoorderaproductsample.Whatisaproductsampleinwholesaleglobaltrade?Asampleinbusiness-to-businesstransactionsisaverysmallorder–typicallyoneunit–ofanitemyouareinterestedinplacingalargeorderof.It’salow-riskwaytoinspecttheproductyourselfforcolor,quality,materials,andmore.Whyshouldyourbusinessorderasample?Duringthesamplingprocess,you’llalsobeabletoassesswhatit’sliketoworkwiththatparticularseller.Iscommunicationpromptandseamless?Didthesellerofferthelevelofassistanceyourequire?Thisisyourtestrun.Orderingasamplealsohelpsthesellerknowyou’reseriousaboutyourorder.Sellerscangettensorevenhundredsofinquiriesaday,andmaynotpayattentiontoeverysingleinquiry.Asamplerequestshowsyou’rehighlyinterestedintheproductandmotivatedenoughtomakeasmallinvestmenttoproveit.TypesofsamplesAfteryou’vedecidedyouwanttoorderasample,it’simportanttoknowthereareseveraltypesofsamples,andwhichoptionyou’dlike.Factorysamplesarealreadymadeaccordingtothemanufacturer’sspecifications,TheseareidealifyouwantaReadytoShipproductthatdoesn’trequireanycustomization.Factorysamplescanbeshippedveryquickly.Customsamplesaresamplesmadetoyouruniquespecifications.Thiscanbealengthyprocess,becauseyouareessentiallycreatingyourexactproduct.Thefailrateishighbecausemostcompaniesproducemanyiterationsoftheirproductbeforethey’rereadytogotomarket.Batchsamples,orproductionsamples,aresamplescollectedfromanactualproductbeingmass-produced.Thiscanhelpyoudeterminequality,functionality,orperformlabtests.Virtualsamplesarebecomingincreasinglypopular,andarehighlydescriptiveonlineversionsoftheproduct.ThiscouldincludearenderinginPhotoshopora3Dmodel,suchasfroma3Dprinter.HowtorequestasampleonAlibaba.comMostsupplierswillnotsuggestthatyougetasample,soit’simportanttoknowyoucanrequestityourself.Sometimesit’sassimpleascheckingaboxonanAlibaba.comproductpage,ifthesupplierhasalreadyindicatedthey’reopentosendingsamples.Inothercases,youwillhavetomaketherequestyourself.Inyourrequest,introduceyourselfandyourcompany.Followthisinformationwithasmustdetailabouttheproductsampleaspossible-youshouldsendallthesameinformationasifyouwereorderingtheproductitself.Youmayalsowanttoaskthesellertoprovideinformationabouttheircompany,process,andtimeline.Don’tforgettosharetheaddressyouwantthesampleshippedto!Beawarethatmanysampleswillnotbeexactlywhatyouaskedfor,ormaydifferfromthemass-producedproduct.Therearemanyreasonsforthis,fromthemanufacturerusingadifferentmachinetomakeoneproductcomparedtohundredsofthousands,tomaterialsnotbeingavailableunlessalargerorderismade.PayingforyoursampleThewayyoupayforyoursample,andtheamountitself,willvaryfromsellertoseller.Somechargehighamountsforasamplebecauseofthelargeamountofworkitcanrequire.Somechargenothingatall,becauseofthepromiseofalargerorderiftheirproductandlevelofservicearewhatyouexpect.Shippingcostswillalsovarybasedonyourlocationandthatofyourfactory,andareusuallyrelativelyhightosendasmallpackagealongdistance.Withallthissaid,youcanexpecttopayasmallamountforyoursamplesandshipping,sometimes$50-$100forasampleandexpressairshipmentifyou’reinthe$20-$50retailpricerangeforyourproduct.Youcanrequestthatthiscostbetakenoffthepriceofafullorder,shouldyouplacealargerandmoreexpensiveorderafterreceivingthesample.YoucanpayforyoursampleusinganyofthepaymentmethodsonAlibaba.com.ItisrecommendedtoalwayspayusingthemethodsprovidedonAlibaba.comratherthanathird-partypaymentplatform.Thishelpsyouensureyoupaymentissecure.Onceyouhavereceivedallofthesamples,itwillbemucheasiertomakedecisionswithaproductinhand!You’llbeabletoseethedifferenceinqualityandtweakanyofthedetailsandfeatures.Manufacturersoftenneedtocreateafewiterationsofyourproducttogetitright,whichissomethingtoalwayskeepinmindasyouplanyourbudget.SHARETO RelatedreadingHowtonegotiatewholesalepricesonAlibaba.comAlibaba.comFeb3,20213minreadOEMvsODMmanufacturing:What'sthedifference?Alibaba.comSep7,20207minread