Samples lie when you let them
A hand-picked sample made by the factory''s best worker tells you nothing about the production line. A useful sample order is designed to fail — it stress-tests the supplier, not flatters them.
The three sample types
Type Cost What it proves
--- --- ---
Stock sample Freight only General workmanship level
Custom sample $50–500 + freight They can follow your spec sheet
Production sample (from the line) Unit price + freight What bulk will actually look like
What a good sample process catches
:::chart Issues found at sample stage vs bulk stage (share)
Spec misunderstandings | 38
Material substitution | 24
Color/finish mismatch | 21
Packaging problems | 17
:::
The playbook
- Order from 2–3 shortlisted suppliers simultaneously — comparison is the point.
- Send a written spec sheet, not a chat message — the sample is a test of their reading, too.
- Pay for the sample, negotiate the freight — free samples get zero attention on the line.
- Demand a production sample before bulk — pulled randomly from the actual run.
> A supplier who argues about a paid sample order is telling you exactly how they will argue about a $50,000 problem.
Samples on Prebro
Prebro supports sample orders as a first-class flow — order the sample inside the platform, review it, and convert to a bulk deal with the same supplier record and history intact.