Obtaining product samples is a very important link in international trade. In many cases, whether the order can be finalized or not depends on the quality of the sample. It can be said that the sample plays a decisive role in the transaction process.
But when you are the buyer, the time span to obtain samples should not be too long. Because if the time to obtain samples is too long, it is easy to delay the production cycle. Therefore, you also need to obtain high-quality samples as quickly as possible to decide which supplier to work with.
So how can you get high-quality samples faster? These three tips may help you:
Get more samples for free
Confirm the sample type
Bear part of the sample cost
1.Get free samples
As you know, some suppliers can provide you with free samples. You can contact these suppliers who provide free samples in a targeted manner, screen out the more powerful ones, and obtain multiple samples in a short period of time. Through these multiple samples, you can make an intuitive comparison, so that you can choose a supplier worthy of cooperation more quickly.
Generally speaking, the strength of such suppliers is worthy of your trust. Because the samples are provided free of charge, to a certain extent, this supplier is very confident in the quality of the samples.
However, generally speaking, the premise of offering free samples is that your product is not complicated or the sample value is not high, about $100-$200.
When you have already selected a certain supplier and do not have time to contact more suppliers, you can also propose to this supplier and hope that they can provide you with free samples. We believe that most suppliers who want to work with you will be willing to provide free samples.
2.Confirm the sample type
According to business practices, in the process of order fulfillment, the supplier is generally required to prepare samples at least once. But in fact samples can be divided into four categories, namely crude samples, prototype samples, confirmation samples and prenatal samples. For these three types of samples, the degree of fineness and accuracy is also gradually increased.
2.1 Crude samples
Rough samples, just as the word means, are roughly finished samples, which are usually produced according to the customer’s initial vision, and will be adjusted in the follow-up according to the customer’s modification opinions. This kind of sample is only a functional sample for the customer to confirm the rationality of material, appearance or structure.
2.2 Prototype samples
Simply put, a prototype sample is a confirmation sample made according to customer requirements without or without a mold. Once confirmed, the production of subsequent products will be made according to this prototype sample or a formal mold will be made to complete the production.
2.3 Confirm the sample
Confirmed samples are samples waiting for customer confirmation, and basically the completion degree has met your requirements. The samples provided by most suppliers on the market are such confirmation samples. Generally, two or more samples of this kind of confirmation will be done. One will be sent to you for confirmation, and the other will be kept in the supplier’s sample room. After you confirm the sample, the supplier will complete the follow-up production according to the sample in hand.
2.4 Prenatal samples
There is basically no difference between pre-production samples and confirmation samples, but some suppliers will first produce a set of samples on the mass production line after the order is confirmed and before mass production, and verify the set of samples through technical drawings to ensure that all data are accurate, In order to avoid errors in batches, resulting in large-scale losses.
When you want to obtain high-quality samples, the last two types of samples will generally meet your needs, namely confirmation samples and prenatal samples. Therefore, when you communicate with the supplier to obtain samples, you must confirm the quality of the samples with the supplier, so as to avoid the situation of waiting for a long time but only receiving crude samples or prototype samples.
3.Bear part of the sample cost
Maybe you have questions, we shared the content of getting samples for free in the first part, why do we need to “pay part of the sample cost” in the third part? This is mainly because not all suppliers are willing to give you free samples. If the supplier is unwilling to make concessions, if you are still willing to choose such a supplier, you can consider bearing part of the sample cost, but not all of it, which will increase the production cost.
Under normal circumstances, according to the value of the sample and the level of freight, there are the following two plans to bear the sample fee.
3.1 Bear the courier cost
In the case that the value of your product is not high and the sample value is relatively small, the sample fee may be less than the shipping fee. In this case, you can propose to the supplier that the sample fee will be waived and you will bear the shipping fee.
This solution is mainly to send a signal to the supplier, reflecting your sincerity, so that both parties have a certain degree of effort in the process of sample handover. And, since the sample fee is less than the shipping fee, there is less risk for the supplier, and they usually prefer to choose this way. As for you, obtaining samples in this way, although it is possible to obtain samples of slightly lower value, the freight is generally not high, so your loss will be controlled within an acceptable small range.
3.2 Bear the sample cost
When the value of your product is high, the value of the sample is also relatively large, and the sample cost may be greater than the shipping fee. Generally, suppliers will not send such samples for free because of the high risk.
In this case, you can take the initiative to bear the sample cost, and the freight will be paid by the supplier. However, we suggest that when you communicate with the supplier, you can agree to refund the sample fee after the formal order is placed, or when the order reaches a certain quantity, the sample fee will be refunded. It also allows you to obtain near-free samples while reducing supplier risk.
